Julian R. White This film tends to be exceedingly rare on DVD and VHS, and I really wish it wasn't that way. This film was made more or less to prove a point, that pollution was beginning to become a major problem for much of Japan. With unique music and scenes, and a monster who obviously doesn't fit in with Godzilla's other enemies, it's a one of a kind film. It's a pretty awesome one, I've seen it again and again. It has a few scenes that seem a bit unnecessary though, groovy hippy like music and scenes of flashing colors don't really bring a lot to the plot or feel of the film. The monster though, is totally massive, nearly twice Godzilla's size when it's full grown. It's one of the best in my opinion, I really like it. I would say this is one of the must sees of the Godzilla franchise.

jefuab This is a surreal experience and the strangest Godzilla film I've seen... I laughed so hard at this film out of pure enjoyment rather than mockery.It serves as a warning to children (and, of course, everyone who watches it) of the dangers of long-term pollution. There are amazing scenes highlighting environmental problems that are served in a variety of creative ways.Godzilla is hilarious in this film.Do not make the same mistake I did and watch the film with the brightness on half, I actually watched it the first time thinking you weren't supposed to see anything in the night time scenes... turned the brightness up and realised!

William Samuel Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster is the kind of movie that doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be. It must be a kid's movie, because the protagonist is an annoying kid who idolizes Godzilla. Yet some scenes would be more at home in a horror film; as when crowds of people are asphyxiated and skeletonized by the smog monster's noxious emissions. At other times there are signs that this movie wants to be a drug fueled exploitation flick. There are weird cartoon sequences that seem inspired by Yellow Submarine, and at one point a character in a dance club starts hallucinating, for no apparent reason, that his fellow party-goers have paper Mache fish for heads. There's also a perfunctory astronomy lesson with no real connection to the rest of the film, plus a shot where Hedorah, the titular Smog Monster, flies through a construction site, and the structure collapses, but with no sound. Was the recording track for scene damaged at some point? If that were the case, you would think the filmmakers could re-record the sound effects, or substitute a clip from the studio's library.But I'm forgetting what this movie is all about, which is Godzilla- and the need to protect the environment. In 1971, when the film was released, this message had not yet become a cliché in children's movies. It was also a very relevant at a time when there was little to no regulation of factory emissions and hazardous waste disposal, and when rivers in downtown Cleveland could suddenly burst into flames.But Godzilla makes a very odd environmental spokesman, to say the very least. When he first appeared in 1954's Gojira, he was the embodiment of the death and destruction that nuclear weapons could, and had, unleashed on Japan and on the world. Now however, he is Tokyo's savior, a completely benign figure who doesn't knock over a single building, even by accident. Godzilla doesn't always have to play the villain, but he should at least be an anti-hero, dangerous to man even when he's protecting us from other monsters. Godzilla also makes one of his least dramatic entrances in this film. Instead of slowly rising from the sea, or bursting out of an iceberg, he ambles out of the sunrise as annoying trumpet music blares. Regrettably, this score will be repeated in most scenes where the big guy appears. As for Godzilla's opponent, Toho has come up with one of its cooler ideas here. Hedorah is not a single organism, but rather colony of billions of rapidly splitting microorganisms. This means that it can change form at will, and can repair almost any damage suffered by producing new cells. Unfortunately, the idea just didn't work. What we end up with, at least in the monster's final form, is a giant, misshapen blob of rubber under which the actor can barely move. This brings us to the battles between the monsters, usually the high point of any Godzilla film. Some of the earlier fights aren't too badly staged, but once Hedorah learns to fly, Godzilla's main tactic seems to be standing around and failing his arms angrily. And as for the final battle near Mount Fuji, having the military build a pair of giant electrodes to dehydrate the Smog Monster is a fairly good idea, since by this point it's clear that Godzilla can't do it on his own.But why oh why did this have to mean a protracted sequence in which our hero rips apart his now helpless opponent piece by piece (twice!), to make sure that every drop of moisture is evaporated? Wouldn't it have been more effective for Hedorah to instantly dry out and crumble to dust, like a vampire exposed to sunlight? This isn't Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, it's Godzilla vs. the giant mud pie.There's also the question of how Godzilla knew the purpose and operation of the electrodes, and why his atomic breath provided power to them, rather than blasting them to bits like everything else it touches. But this isn't where our suspension of disbelief is really tested. I mentioned earlier that Godzilla had to go through the process of drying out Hedorah twice. This is because the first time, there proves to some life still left in the blob of filth, and its prior flying form escapes into the sky. So how does Godzilla catch up to his rival and bring him back? Simple, he flies after him. That's right; Godzilla actually flies by using his atomic breath as a form of jet propulsion. This may be the single most ridiculous sequence in the history of Japanese cinema.I'm not recommending that no one ever see this movie. It achieves a sort of campy grandeur, almost to the point of being so bad that it's good. I would suggest viewing this film just once, so you can gawk in amazement at its sheer awfulness. Or, if that's too much for you, just type in "Godzilla flies" on YouTube. You won't be disappointed by the result.

TheBlueHairedLawyer Earth has become heavily polluted from factories, litter and hazardous chemicals. In an Asian city, a strange creature made of hazardous pollution called Hedorah has shown up and is wreaking havoc on the city, changing its form as it consumes more and more of the environment around it. Who will stop Hedorah? A little boy, with his chemist father and gym teacher mother, writes a letter to Godzilla asking for help. Godzilla comes to the rescue, ready to fight a war with Hedorah and save the city.I was rooting for Hedorah, I love pollution and am happy to pollute the environment. The 1960's on filled movies with environmentalism hippie propaganda and it would have wrecked this classic for me if it wasn't such a funny and lovable movie. I love Godzilla and was able to ignore the enviro-crud messages while enjoying the suspense, creative characters, funny scenes, bad special effects and amazing soundtrack. Godzilla vs. Hedorah features some very catchy music that has never been redone in English, but the translations from Japanese to English in text are available.One thing this movie included that I loved the most were the little cartoon interludes showing Hedorah's polluting. The first one shows him drinking diesel from a boat like a Coca-Cola, the second one shows Hedorah terrorizing a poor little chemical factory. The third one shows a note which I couldn't read, dangling from Hedorah's body as he floats above the city, burning the citizens below. Eath of these cartoons is comedic, creative and provide an element of surprise (I certainly wasn't expecting them to be there). I'm not sure I liked the English voice actors, the voices were really badly dubbed. Aside from that and the environmental stuff, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is a movie anybody can enjoy. Surprisingly it's kid-friendly, there is no profanity, no sex or sexual comments and very little gore, unless you include the skeleton glowing rainbow colors.