Halloween 2022's Godzilla-Maniapalloza Extravaganza #11...For the Love of Godzilla.
All Hail, the Monster King!
Director
Yoshimitsu Banno
Cast
Akira Yamanouchi - Dr. Toru Yano
Hiroyuki Kawase - Ken Yano
Toshie Kimura - Toshie Yano
Haruo Nakajima - Godzilla
Kenpachiro Satsuma - Hedorah
"Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is the oddest movie among the Godzilla films. It's even more odd than "All Monsters Attack" and the 1998 U.S. remake "Godzilla" with Matthew Broderick. At least these movies possess a clear direction.
Released in the United States under the title "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster," this is the 11th movie in the franchise.
Released in the United States under the title "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster," this is the 11th movie in the franchise.
And by odd, I mean more so than what's expected in yet another movie with actors in rubber costumes wrestling each other.
"Godzilla vs. Hedorah" mixes typical Japanese sci-fi monster action with animated transitions, weird psychedelic scenes, anti-pollution propaganda, and random astronomy lessons clearly aimed at children. It's also one of the Godzilla flicks where the "King of the Monsters" is on the good side, out to save evil people from the same evil people who are trashing the earth. That is, he's saving the planet rather than destroying it. I suppose it would be strange to have a movie preaching how pollution is destroying the planet while Godzilla is also destroying the planet.
On top of all that, it's nasty with slime, sludge, and monsters getting ripped apart. And somehow, I was entertained by it all for its own sake.
In this movie, a microscopic alien called "Hedorah" has come to Earth, feeding on the planet's pollution. As there's a lot of pollution to feed on, Hedorah has grown monstrously large and taken residency in the ocean.
If that wasn't bad enough, it's also poisonous and oozes an acid.
When Hedorah sinks an oil tanker, the Japanese military are on high alert as well as a scientist named Dr. Toru Yano (Akira Yamanouchi).
Yano takes his young son, Ken Yano (Hiroyuki Kawase) to the ocean while he goes to look for Hedorah. Ken waits on the shore while his dad dives to find this new monster. As Ken waits, Hedorah attacks Toru with acid, injuring his face.
Soon after, the public finds out that the monster exists and is a dangerous threat.
Young Ken believes that Godzilla will help the planet by attacking Hedorah as he has visions of the King of the Monsters taking on the world's pollution head-on.
Hedorah has the capability of morphing into an amphibious form when crawling onto land so it can survive and feed on pollution.
As Hedorah feeds on fumes produced from smokestacks at some kind of facility, Godzilla attacks the smog monster causing several pieces of this creature to go flying everywhere.
These pieces crawl back into the ocean, grow, and reattach. As a result, Hedorah becomes stronger.
Afterwards, when the monster crawls out of the ocean, it can turn into what is called its "perfect form." It even assumes the shape of a saucer and can fly.
Hedorah kills several people in its ravenous rampage as it emits poison sulfuric gas. The death count is so numerous, and the fate of the world looks sealed for doom, some folks throw one last party at the foot of Mt. Fuji to celebrate life one last time. Of course, Godzilla and Hedorah meet up at Mt. Fuji, too, for a fight.
Godzilla takes quite a beating, even losing an eye when Hedorah spits acid.
On top of all that, it's nasty with slime, sludge, and monsters getting ripped apart. And somehow, I was entertained by it all for its own sake.
In this movie, a microscopic alien called "Hedorah" has come to Earth, feeding on the planet's pollution. As there's a lot of pollution to feed on, Hedorah has grown monstrously large and taken residency in the ocean.
If that wasn't bad enough, it's also poisonous and oozes an acid.
When Hedorah sinks an oil tanker, the Japanese military are on high alert as well as a scientist named Dr. Toru Yano (Akira Yamanouchi).
Yano takes his young son, Ken Yano (Hiroyuki Kawase) to the ocean while he goes to look for Hedorah. Ken waits on the shore while his dad dives to find this new monster. As Ken waits, Hedorah attacks Toru with acid, injuring his face.
Soon after, the public finds out that the monster exists and is a dangerous threat.
Young Ken believes that Godzilla will help the planet by attacking Hedorah as he has visions of the King of the Monsters taking on the world's pollution head-on.
Hedorah has the capability of morphing into an amphibious form when crawling onto land so it can survive and feed on pollution.
As Hedorah feeds on fumes produced from smokestacks at some kind of facility, Godzilla attacks the smog monster causing several pieces of this creature to go flying everywhere.
These pieces crawl back into the ocean, grow, and reattach. As a result, Hedorah becomes stronger.
Afterwards, when the monster crawls out of the ocean, it can turn into what is called its "perfect form." It even assumes the shape of a saucer and can fly.
Hedorah kills several people in its ravenous rampage as it emits poison sulfuric gas. The death count is so numerous, and the fate of the world looks sealed for doom, some folks throw one last party at the foot of Mt. Fuji to celebrate life one last time. Of course, Godzilla and Hedorah meet up at Mt. Fuji, too, for a fight.
Godzilla takes quite a beating, even losing an eye when Hedorah spits acid.
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| Godzilla squares up with the smog monster, Hedorah. |
He then douses Godzilla in a deluge of chemical slime. The King of the Monsters, bruised but not beaten, doesn't give up so easily.
Somehow, amidst all this, Ken knows how to deal with Hedorah better than anyone else.
"Hedorah's only sludge. He can be dried," he tells his dad. And that's precisely how Godzilla defeats him.
Amidst the strange content randomly mixed in the story, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is still fun to watch.
Somehow, amidst all this, Ken knows how to deal with Hedorah better than anyone else.
"Hedorah's only sludge. He can be dried," he tells his dad. And that's precisely how Godzilla defeats him.
Amidst the strange content randomly mixed in the story, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" is still fun to watch.
There's certainly a strong anti-pollution message, even with some "save the earth" songs, and close-up shots of garbage and crap floating in the ocean. By the way, don't eat anything while watching this movie.
Even among its message, it doesn't feel nearly as preachy as the 2019 movie "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." That movie constantly pushes the message that evil humans have nearly destroyed Earth, and the great titans are going to save it for us undeserving creatures. The arrogant preachiness makes that movie a chore to get through.
Perhaps the trippy factor in "Godzilla vs. Hedorah," which includes a psychedelic scene in which a guy gets drunk at a Go-Go dance club and imagines everyone in fish masks, lightens the heavy load that is the film's environmental diatribe. On top of that, Godzilla literally tears Hedorah apart. He's brutal! Pollution can't be tolerated. So, the movie delivers the titan battle that audiences and fans want to see.
Perhaps the biggest revelation this movie left me with is that Godzilla can fly. He does using his atomic breath to create jet propulsion. It's the damndest and most hilarious thing I've seen Godzilla do in any movie. However, he certainly doesn't outperform his victory dance scene in "Invasion of Astro-Monster" (aka "Monster Zero.") I'll add here that he performs an all-out body slam move in the 2000 movie "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus."
Hidden beneath all of the random content in this movie lies the novelty and charm of Japanese kaiju films.
If someone asked me to design a monster that lives off the smog and pollution of planet Earth, I think whatever image my mind conjured up wouldn't be far off from the appearance of Hedorah.
This is the only Godzilla movie directed by Yoshimitsu Banno.
The images playing during the opening credits certainly feel inspired by James Bond movies, with all its sex appeal.
In a strange way, I had fun watching this movie. I was really in it for the fight. And I didn't walk away unsatisfied.
Perhaps the trippy factor in "Godzilla vs. Hedorah," which includes a psychedelic scene in which a guy gets drunk at a Go-Go dance club and imagines everyone in fish masks, lightens the heavy load that is the film's environmental diatribe. On top of that, Godzilla literally tears Hedorah apart. He's brutal! Pollution can't be tolerated. So, the movie delivers the titan battle that audiences and fans want to see.
Perhaps the biggest revelation this movie left me with is that Godzilla can fly. He does using his atomic breath to create jet propulsion. It's the damndest and most hilarious thing I've seen Godzilla do in any movie. However, he certainly doesn't outperform his victory dance scene in "Invasion of Astro-Monster" (aka "Monster Zero.") I'll add here that he performs an all-out body slam move in the 2000 movie "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus."
Hidden beneath all of the random content in this movie lies the novelty and charm of Japanese kaiju films.
If someone asked me to design a monster that lives off the smog and pollution of planet Earth, I think whatever image my mind conjured up wouldn't be far off from the appearance of Hedorah.
This is the only Godzilla movie directed by Yoshimitsu Banno.
The images playing during the opening credits certainly feel inspired by James Bond movies, with all its sex appeal.
In a strange way, I had fun watching this movie. I was really in it for the fight. And I didn't walk away unsatisfied.
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