Movie Name: Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster
Rank: 2 1/2 godzillas
 

Review:
This is a very strange movie, which can't make up it's mind whether it wants to be a "message" movie, a horror movie, or just a silly movie. The "message" is that all the pollution in Japan has attracted the title monster [i.e. "pollution is bad -- it attracts monsters"]. The Smog Monster itself is a constantly mutating creature which flies around belching, farting, and otherwise excreting, sulphuric acid all over the place. There are some truly horrifying scenes where people are completely skeletonized as the Smog Monster passes overhead. Interspersed with these scenes, however, are scenes of Japanese hippie-types singing "Save the Earth" and even the odd cartoon or two! Plus the musical score is very goofy, indeed. Overall, I liked the fact that, for the most part, the Smog Monster didn't look like your typical "guy in a rubber monster suit" monster for which Toho films are so [in]famous. Also note -- the way in which the Smog Monster keeps metamorphizing between different "stages" is very similar to the way "Destroyer" acts in the later "Godzilla vs. Destroyer". Coincidence? I don't think so!

Oh -- and did I mention that this moivie features a scene where Godzilla flies by breathing fire at the ground and lifting off like a rocket?


CREDITS

Gojira tai Hedora [Godzilla vs Hedorah] (1971)
Released in U.S. as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1972)

CAST
Ken Yano............................Hiroyuki Kawase
Toru Yano...........................Akira Yamauchi
Toshie Yano...........................Toshie Kimura
Yukio Keuchi.......................Toshio Shibamoto
Miki Fujimiya.............................Keiko Mari

CREW
Director...........................Yoshimitsu Banno
Screenplay.........Yoshimitsu Banno & Kaoru Mabuchi
Special Effects....................Teruyoshi Nakano
Music...............................Riichiro Manabe

Running Time: 85 minutes

U.S. VERSION:
Released by American International
Running Time: (85 min.)