Customer Reviews

Godzilla Vs the Smog Monster [VHS]

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

It's wonderful that American home video distributors have finally started taking Godzilla seriously and releasing excellent DVDs of the Big Guy's flicks. This DVD of the 1971 "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" (originally released in America as "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster") may not offer much in the way of extras, but it lets you see the film as you've never been able to: in a beautiful widescreen image (enhanced for 16:9 TVs) with the option to watch it in Japanese with English subtitles or dubbed into English. For older viewers, I definitely recommend watching it in Japanese; it will change your whole perspective on Godzilla and makes the film seem less cheap and campy. However, the English dub is a good feature to have for younger children, who will definitely want to watch the film as well.

Although watching "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" in Japanese will tone down the camp somewhat, this remains the weirdest, oddest, most mind-bogglingly bizarre of all Godzilla movies. In the 1970s the Japanese film industry entered a steep decline because of competition from television, and the Godzilla films suffered from severe budget cutbacks. One of the guiding fathers of the Godzilla films, special effects wizard Eiji Tsubaraya, died in 1969 and the effects work on the Godzilla films suffered an additional drop in quality. "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" therefore came at a time when the Godzilla films were changing, and not always for the better. A new director, Yoshimitsu Banno, helmed this film and purposely set out to make a completely new kind of Godzilla film: a weird mixture of serious environmental message, frightening horror sequences, rock 'n' roll party scenes, cartoon montages, kiddie antics, and surreal monster fights. This is one strange film! The shift between the often grisly horror sequences (Hedorah the Smog Monster does some nasty things to his human victims) to animated "bumper" sequences and Godzilla actually flying (!!!) will make you wonder if somebody put the reels out of sequence! For all these problems and the film's silliness, there's something endearing about this monster mash: compared to the next few films, which are so cheap and uninspired, "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" feels like a project that the people working on it actually cared about. The environmental slant also provides a real message, the first time since the original "Godzilla" (1954) that the series approached such a heated topic.

Godzilla steps into full superhero mode here. Hedorah (the name comes from the word 'hedoro' meaning 'sludge'), a monster born in the waters from humanity's pollution, rapidly mutates into a jelly-like giant that comes ashore in Japan and starts wreaking havoc and turning humans into skeletons. Godzilla answers the call to save humanity. But Hedorah is a fearsome foe, armed with laser eyes, poison gas, and toxic spit-balls! Godzilla won't have an easy time, but maybe the scientists and the military can lend a hand with their electrode device. In between scenes of monsters battling, you can hang out with Japanese teens at a disco and watch the psychadelic acid pattern show on the wall. Or just listen to the wah-wah-wah soundtrack music -- guaranteed to make you want to buy a lava lamp!

Yeah, this is a weird film. But it's a cult classic, and resembles no other Godzilla film. (Apparently series producer Tomoyuki Tanaka hated the final product and director Banno consequently never directed another film.)

Note about the English dub: Viewers who remember seeing this film on TV in the 1970s and '80s may notice that the English dub on this film is different than the one they remember. This is because there were two English soundtracks made for the film back in 1971. American International Pictures released the film as "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster" and did their own dub through Titra Sound in New York, composing cool English lyrics for the theme song, "Save the Earth." Toho studios made their own English dub in Hong Kong for use in other English-speaking territories. In the early 1990s, the rights to the picture in America returned to Toho, and the Toho dub has now replaced the American International one. This DVD therefore contains the Hong Kong dubbing job, and that means "Save the Earth" is now in Japanese instead of English. Fans of this classic camp song might be a bit disappointed!

This review is for the October 19 DVD release of Godzilla Vs. Hedorah, and this film is the eleventh movie in the long-running Godzilla series. The movie is also known as Godzilla Vs. the Smog Monster. Watching this film as an adult, I was surprised how good this film is. I recall it receiving the infamous Turkey Award as one of the worst movies ever made, but this is far from being the worst Godzilla movie ever made. The plot (what little there is) is interesting and the special effects hold up rather well by Seventies standards. Hedorah would be a monster best realized by modern CGI but the costume works well, even if the sludge which oozes from beneath him is so digusting as to be laughable at times. Here Godzilla is a friend to humanity; however the movie is nowhere near as campy as subsequent releases which resulted in the temporary death of the series. One negative aspect of the story, Godzilla does fly in this movie -- embarrassing indeed.

The quality of this DVD is impressive. The image is a 2.35:1 widescreen, and the image is allegedly anamorphic. There are many night sequences in this film which are beautifully rendered on this transfer -- contrasts are terrific, and it's clear to see what is occurring, whereas videotapes of this film made it hard to tell what was going on. Colors are bright and lifelike, but do sometimes look slightly washed out in special effects sequences. The film has been impressively restored, but there are still occasional bits of dust which appear throughout the film. For what it's worth, the image quality of this DVD is far better than ADV Films' DVD release of the 1995 Gamera film.

The disk contains the usual badly dubbed English language track, but more impressively it contains the original Japanese track with English subtitles which appear in clear, large yellow type beneath the widescreen image on an analog television. Sadly there are some musical numbers in this film which are not subtitled or dubbed into English. The transfer also features the opening titles and credits in English rather than Japanese.

There are no bonus features on this DVD aside from a few trailers for other Columbia Tristar DVDs. Still, this is easily the definitive version of this film on home video. Also look for two other Seventies Godzilla movies available in widescreen, restored and having a Japanese track: Godzilla Vs. Gigan and Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla.

THIS is the Godzilla movie I had always wanted to get my hands on as a little kid. THIS is the one I always heard about, but could not find anywhere. THIS is the one that piqued my curiosity, due to all the controversy directed at it. And now, thanks to the powers that be at Sony, it is finally available again in the States . . . . . . . . on DVD, no less! And having finally seen it after all these years, I must say that GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH, though not one of the *best* G-films ever, is definitely among the better entries.

Director Yoshimitsu Banno was obviously trying to do something (VERY) different with the Big G, and for the most part he succeeds. On the surface, the film is about the effects of pollution, and how it may very well destroy us in the end. Rather than relying totally on the characters to get this across by talking (and it does become a bit heavy-handed whenever they try), the filmmakers rely on often haunting imagery. Visions of unclear objects floating in huge clumps of sewege in the middle of the ocean are used quite often (the sight of a mutilated human body is especially effective). As Hedorah flies around, he spews sulfuric gas, melting buildings and leaving a trail of bodies whose flesh have been dissolved and rotted down to the bone. Banno's techniques are disturbingly/beautifully brought to life by effects maestro Teruyoshi Nakano.

However, whatever Banno was trying to get across with the psycadellic imagery, short animated segments, and musical/dance numbers fails miserably. They're not thought-provoking, they don't enhance the atmosphere, they don't add to the anti-pollution message . . . . . they really serve no purpose. They're just distracting, and pretty jarring at times. I'd only count this complaint as a small nit-pick, if it didn't happen so often. But then, that's what the fast-forward button is for.

Now I come to the actual monsters. Effects-wise, here's where the film slightly falters again, mainly with Hedorah. When it moves on all fours, for instance, it moves too much like a dog rather than slithering as it should have. I was expecting a lot more, but I guess for the time it was the best they could do. Godzilla looks good, but one can kind of see that the suit is getting rather old. (Indeed, by the next film GODZILLA VS. GIGAN the suit would literally fall apart on screen!)

The battles in this movie do NOT disappoint!! Director Banno allows for plenty of stare-downs between the monsters, establishing a splendid rivalry and bitter hatred that one rarely feels between Godzilla and his foe(s). Once they actually duke it out, it is nothing short of spectacular! There's none of the crappy "beam-fighting" to be found in other 70s entries (a.k.a. Godzilla's "Dark Age"), or the boring "monsters-bumping-against-each-other" of the Heisei Era. When these kaiju get at it, they really get at it! The fights are brutal, with Godzilla being pummled, drowned in a pool of sludge, getting his skin melted off and his eye burnt shut, and Hedorah getting holes punched right through him! Hedorah is without a doubt the greatest and most powerful foe of the Showa Series (and maybe even ever), which makes for some of the best G-battles in history.

All in all, despite its flaws, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH makes for superb kaiju-eiga entertainment. That said, this one is definitely not for the kiddies; previously mentioned imagery of death and decay will not sit well with very young children, and even left me (a high school student) surprised.

Here, I come to the DVD quality. Though I wouldn't call it stunning as other people have, this is definitely the best I have ever seen a classic G-film look and sound E-V-E-R. Picture is slightly soft in some shots, but there was no grain or scratches to be found. The color is muted and dull, but I don't count this as a fault; this was intentional and adds to the film's look. Don't expect this one to be bursting with bright colors. Audio-wise, it's fine, with everything coming off crisp and clear. As with all of these recent G-DVDs, extras extend as far as trailers for everything else BUT the actual film! Thanks to this, I wish these discs didn't cost so much a piece. But having these classics on DVD with such awesome presentation is definitely worth it.

Do not let this one pass up the chance to sit on your DVD shelf!

Okay folks, this is the one where I toss aside journalistic integrity (or whatever code online reviewers of DVDs have to abide by) and revel in pure, brazen fanboy love! Yes, I know the movie plays like a psychedelic mish-mash of 70s movie cliches and worn-out kaiju eiga conventions. Of course the music score is terrible. I am well aware that Hedorah looks (and sounds) like he is taking a hit off a titanic bong when he inhales the smoke from the smoke stacks(all red eyed & laid back even). Yep, those are electric instruments being played miles from any electrical outlet by hippies so concerned about the environment, they light a bonfire big enough to burn down a house. Yes, yes... All of this is true. However, I love this movie. Why? Because it's fun in its own weird way. Perhaps it helps that I saw this film every year around Thanksgiving as a child. I would spend hours entranced by WOR's Thanksgiving marathons of King Kong & Godzilla films. Hedorah was always the capper. I have many fond memories of watching scenes of Godzilla battling a giant pile of sludge set to a groovy 70s soundtrack. No, it's not a great movie but, you know what? I still love it. And, while I am confessing... I really like Hedorah as a monster. Yes, I know. I should be ashamed but.. I'm not! This is one crazy G film. See it. Dig it. Groove on it, man!

Most people don't understand how Godzilla films became so campy in the '60s and '70s. As a long-time fan, I can admit that some of these films were hard to stomach (Megalon and Gigan, I'm talking to you) and some are just weird (Godzilla vs the Sea Monster). But Godzilla vs the Smog Monster (a.k.a. Hedorah) gives us a rare peak into the late-60's Tokyo scene: go-go dancers, tight pants, wakka-chakka pop music, and groovy hair styles...what a happenin' place to be! This is a Godzilla movie with an enviro-political message: get rid of pollution before it gets rid of you! The Smog Monster is created from Man's own industrial waste. Godzilla is awakened, presumably by the screaming citizens on the mainland, and proceeds to open up a Fuji-sized can of whupass on the ever-changing Hedorah. Sure it's campy, but the average audience member back then was a 13-year old boy. So sit back and enjoy it. I like mine extra campy, with a little cheese on the side.

As much as some G-fans may call this the worst G-film ever, it is really one of the best. The film has absolutely no stock footage in it at all like other G flicks have. Ya, the part where Godzilla flies does kinda ruin it a bit but the film up until then is awesome, very good kaiju action, decent actors, funky music, and a little bit of horror. Most people don't know but this film was the only Godzilla flick that was put on rental shelves as a horror flick not a sci-fi flick for good reason. For small children(under 8) this is not a film they need to be seeing even though I saw it when I was 4.

Video: crisp remastered widescreen, absolutely fantastic.

Audio: wasn't able to test the 5.1 since I don't have a 5.1 system but the regular audio sounded pretty darn good.

Dubbing: Ok, my only problem with this version. Some reviewers either haven't seen the AIP cut or don't think there is a difference. There IS! This DVD has the horrible Toho International dubbing which at this time their dubbing was just bad, in later films they start doing a better job but here it's just horrid. The AIP cut sounds so much better, the voices fit much better and the "Save the Earth" song is translated! "True" kaiju fans will say just use the Japanese audio track, but I grew up on the AIP cut, and to have it ommitted and potentially cast into oblivion is just wrong.


Sony, please, please, please release the AIP cut with the remastered widescreen video!!!

This Godzilla movie rocks!Hedorah is made from Japans air pollution.(You probaly already know that)........I thought Godzilla was really cute in this movie.At the beginning of the movie.......it was freaky.....You know......When the kids papa(as he would call him)went under water and saw Hedorah.....Woah........
HEDORAH ATTACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is a really good movie.You should buy it!

This movie is just funky but good at the same time. Someday i doubt we are going to be attacked by a 60meter walking piece of our own sh*t, but this movie is good enough for my bid. Special effects are OK, action is cool and story is original. Its a wonder Godzilla didnt just keel over from wrestling with that fruitloop. I liked it when Godzilla gave Hedorah a black eye. Point is that this movie is weird as h*ll but still good.

(previous film "Godzilla's Revenge")

Summary: Godzilla must fight to protect the citizens of Japan from the terrifying, pollution-spawned monster Hedorah!

The 11th, and certainly strangest/wildest, entry in the original Showa series of G films is truly an ode to the '70s, complete with Japanese hippies, sexy go-go dancers, out-of-this-world animation segments, discotheques and an all important "Be Kind to the Environment" storyline/message. And who can forget the ultra groovy theme song "Save the Earth", as heard in the original English dubbed version!! We're really talking WILD here, man!!

This G film, along with "Godzilla Raids Again", is by far the hardest of all G movies to find on video, so if you're a fan you definitely need to pick this one up if given the opportunity to do so ... you'll really be missing out on a truly wild G rush if you don't!!

(next film "Godzilla Vs. Gigan")

THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE NOW OUT OF PRINT ORION HOME VIDEO VHS VERSION.

I was really surprised to see this listed on Amazon because it's been out of print for a long time. I would really suggest picking this up because it is the original A.I.P. version, including the infamous "Save The Earth" song, sung in English. This was the one we 70's kids grew up with on TV as opposed to bland "international English version" seen on cable and forever more.

For all the tiresome jokes about bad dubbing, this film received one of the best jobs of the series courtesy of Titra Sound Corporation here in the U.S. Some of the dialogue even seems to match what the actors are mouthing (which is basically impossible) so I think they did a commendable job.

Next; the film itself... This really is the black sheep of the series but it was also the darkest entry, of the original series, since the 1954 original. The anti-pollution theme might seem a bit heavy handed today but for 1971 it represented a growing concern in Japan and a nascent ecology movement worldwide.

But what really sets this film apart is its style. From it's inner-city, industrial, settings (a more somber continuation from the previous "Godzilla's Revenge") to it's many night scenes (a departure from much of the daylit entries shot in the 60's) to it's experimental cinematography (watch for the sudden yet totally subtle color change as the rave on Mount Fuji begins!), complete with the short, psudo-political/protest, animation segments that are inventively woven into the film. The visual style reflects not only the "psychedelic generation" in which it was made but also borrows a few new techniques, of the day, which may seem more at home in a European art film! I'm refering to the crazy split screen segments, macro close-ups on pollution, filming through mirrored reflections, etc. This movie really looks beautiful in a way that the rest of the series never even attempted. Dated but beautiful!

Also inventive is the wonderful fractured jazz score by Riichiro Manabe that gives the whole film an off-kilter menace. This replaces the usual symphonic marches by Akira Ifikube that became synonimous with Godzilla. Though Ifikube is a wonderful composer, I don't think his style would've been as appropriate for this film.

Godzilla himself becomes much more animated in this film. He really has a strong personality and is fun to watch. He is undoubtedly the hero but remains a threatening monster as well.

A lot of purist fans can't take this one seriously (not that anyone should take these too seriously!) but this movie took a lot of risks. Not all of them pay off but, over-all, it's a much better made film than the rest of the films to come in the 1970's. And it's much more interesting to me than the technology-obsessed Godzilla films of the 1990's and now 2000's.

I don't know about today's ten year olds, but if you grew up with this movie, it's definitely worth getting the right version before it's gone forever.