Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Starring: Akira Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki Kawase, Toshio Shiba
Directed by: Yoshimitsu Banno
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
1971

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Out of the rampant toxic slug and pollution, a new monster emerges, giving Godzilla his greatest challenge yet.

Review:

Tim: So, the Godzilla franchise was in dire straits. It closed out its second decade (1960s) with Godzilla's Revenge, by far the worst film in the franchise. By my account, it hadn't put out a film that was better than the previous one since 1966's Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, four films ago. It felt to me like I watching a franchise's slow death. And then, to start its third decade, we get 1971's Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Miraculously, the downward trend was reversed. This might not quite be a good movie, but it is the best Godzilla film since Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster in 1964. It's no small feat that the 11th movie of the franchise was better than the previous 5 to come before it (the bar was set low, but what can you do?)

Here's the thing I cannot understand- Godzilla vs. Hedorah was generally regarded as a failure and the producers were very unhappy with the finished product. Are you kidding me? The movie might not be good, but beggars can't be choosers. The 1960s took the frightening Godzilla and turned him into a silly children's movie character. This movie doesn't completely reverse the trend, but it gets the franchise at least back on the right path. That is massively important.

Yes, this film still features a child prominently in the cast to appeal to children. However, the movie as a whole is actually quite dark. First off, we once again have a deeper theme in a Godzilla movie. Part of the reason I liked the original Gojira so much is that the whole thing connected with Japan's psyche after the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagaski. It was a story about the terrible consequences of nuclear fallout by a nation struggling with the exact same thing. Subsequent films moved away from having any deeper meaning. This film addresses a different problem- the rampant spread of pollution that is wrecking this beautiful planet upon which we live. The antagonist here is Hedorah, the smog monster- a creature that comes to life due to the unchecked polluting and destroying of the planet by humanity. I loved that they used a contemporary problem to tell a fantastical story.

Speaking of Hedorah, man, what a creepy monster. The fact that he consumed smog and sludge, the fact that he could dissipate into smoke, transform his shape at will- these are all disturbing aspects to the character. And, how about those creepy red eyes? He's the most disturbing, memorable monster in recent memory. And, he may be the toughest opponent Godzilla has faced. I'm sure hardcore Godzilla fans may disagree, but I can't remember the last time Godzilla took so much punishment in a film. Hedorah absolutely demolishes our familiar monster throughout the film. I loved the darker tone of the film and the fact that Godzilla really gets beat down. This movies are naturally silly and when they embrace the absurdity, it ventures into farce territory. This franchise is so much better when it tells a darker, serious story.

Now, while this film is an improvement, it is still deeply flawed. Remember, everything we're talking about here is relative. There are some truly awful moments. I probably groaned at least a dozen times throughout the film due to incredibly terrible, lazy writing. There are so many plot holes in this film that I almost couldn't believe it. I hated towards the end of the film, how Godzilla knew to shoot his atomic breath directly into a dishes set up on either side of Hedorah. It just makes no sense how this giant monster would know to do that. I don't think he speaks Japanese, so I'm doubting he overheard people discussing it. It was an incredibly lazy thing to include in the script. It has no basis in reality. I also hated how Godzilla used his atomic breath to propel himself through the air. What?? Are you kidding me? This is the 11th Godzilla movie and he never did this before. First off, it's incredibly stupid. Secondly, it has no scientific basis. Even a moron who flunked high school science would understand that what is depicted on screen was physically impossible. I know the director purposely included those scenes to lighten the mood in an otherwise dark film, but it was a terrible, terrible choice.

The human characters are once again poorly written and too one-dimensional. I like the idea of the scientific family, but I laughed at how the father was so badly hurt but kept getting up to do his research, etc. This, combined with a myriad of absurd moments really hurts the film.

While I have complaints, they are minor compared to some of the terrible films that preceded it. I know this wasn't a popular movie upon release, but I truly believe it's one of the most underrated Godzilla movies. Godzilla vs. Hedorah did something pretty miraculous- it infused me with hope for this franchise for the first time in a long time. This franchise started in the 1954, lost its way in the 1960s, and at least for one film, in the early 1970s, seems to have found its way back to the path. Now, if we could just actually have a legitimately good Godzilla movie, that would be great.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gojira, Godzilla Raids Again, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, San of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla's Revenge