Review of Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) by Carl M — 10 Mar 2013

The fate of the world hangs in the balance when Hedorah, the Smog Monster, comes crashing in to Earth, absorbing all of the planet's pollution and turning it in to deadly sulfuric gas. Only Godzilla can stop the shape-shifting beast before it destroys all of humanity! While it has commonly been overlooked by fans and was even disowned by Toho chairman Tomoyuki Tanaka at the time of its release, GODZILLA VS HEDORAH has received an unjust reputation when compared to the films of Jun Fukuda. Unfortunately, much of this can be attributed to the way that Godzilla is made to look like a bumbling idiot by Riichiro Manabe's awful score, let alone the monsters' ridiculous posturing before each battle. And who can forget the gravity-defying stunt where Godzilla propels himself into the air using his radiation beam? These things aside, Godzilla and Hedorah frequently face off in a number of thrilling confrontations, even if the continued action comes at the expense of any meaningful storyline. GODZILLA VS HEDORAH proves to be an entertaining (if not clearly misguided) entry in to the series, while adding with it a strong ecological message along the way. The silliness of some of the music numbers is outweighed by the horrific images of disintegrated bodies and burnt skeletons that are left behind in Hedorah's wake. Nothing of this sort had been attempted since the original GOJIRA, although in retrospect, GODZILLA VS HEDORAH hardly seems like the proper tool with which to fight pollution. As giant monster movies go, however, it is a worthwhile watch for any fan.

-Carl Manes.

I Like Horror Movies.