Godzilla Vs Hedorah (1971) (aka Godzilla Vs The Smog Monster)

Plot Outline: Having saved the Earth from alien invaders and space monsters, Godzilla now had to save the Earth from itself. Or at least something that the Earth created accidentally. Hedorah is a smog monster that thrives on the pollution of the planet. It gets bigger and more destructive with every sniff of smoke or swallowing of trash. Godzilla is up against the odds in this one.

The Review: Toho felt the need for an environmental Godzilla film in order to reflect the mood at the time. Concerns were growing over the ever-increasing pollution in Japan. So what better way to bring it to the attention of the public than to manifest it as a monster and have it in a Godzilla film, one of the biggest icons in Japan. I mean if Godzilla is concerned about pollution and damage to the environment, surely everyone else should be! Well I really wish they hadn’t. This is appalling and laughable and one of the worst entries into the long-running series. Hedorah is a mess and one of Godzilla's worst opponents. For a start there are numerous explanations given for what it actually is. The film starts off by claiming it is a pollution monster created by the horrific pollution in Japan. Then later in the film someone says Hedorah came from outer space? Don't ask me. I was confused enough as it was. Some of the special effects are horrendous and the fight scenes are bad. Godzilla and Hedorah stand around for a long time seemingly trying to out dance each other before they actually get down to business. Even when they do brawl, there is no sense that Hedorah will actually do anything worthwhile. He spews a bit of pollution at Godzilla and melts a bunch of humans watching the fight with his acid mist. The good moments involving Hedorah aren't during the fights but during the eerie scenes in the cities where Hedorah stops to breathe in fumes from chimneys to recharge itself.  There are also some weird animated scenes to break the film up every now and then as if the director was having an acid trip or something.

Final Verdict: This is one of the worst in the series. The whole thing seems like an acid trip from start to finish. Very bad indeed and easily one of Godzilla's worst hours.

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