An ever-evolving alien life form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity or Godzilla may be a... Read allAn ever-evolving alien life form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity or Godzilla may be able to defeat this toxic menace.An ever-evolving alien life form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity or Godzilla may be able to defeat this toxic menace.
- Dr. Toru Yano
- (as Akira Yamauchi)
- Directors
- Yoshimitsu Banno
- Ishirô Honda(earlier film clips) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Five Godzilla Movies You Need to Watch
Five Godzilla Movies You Need to Watch
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Yoshimitsu Banno has mentioned that Hedorah's eyes in the film were deliberately made to resemble female genitalia, with Banno joking that the vaginally inspired look made it more unsettling. During Godzilla's battle with Hedorah, strange white orbs are ripped out of Hedorah's dried-out body. According to Banno, they are meant to be Hedorah's eyes, which he considered the most important part of a person's body. The film has a running theme of eyes being injured with several of its characters. However, the reason they do not resemble Hedorah's actual eyes is due to rushed production and a smaller budget. Banno mentioned that not only had Toho given him less than half of the budget of the prior Godzilla films, but he was also only given 35 days to shoot the entire film (both the drama scenes and the special effects scenes). Making matters even more challenging for Banno was the fact that he had to make do with a single film crew.
- GoofsWhen Hedorah throws some sludge at Godzilla during the Mt. Fuji scene, it hits Godzilla's right eye - but after Hedorah gets done laughing, Godzilla's left eye is the one that is damaged.
- Quotes
Yukio Keuchi: There's no place else to go and pretty soon we'll all be dead, so forget it! Enjoy yourself! Let's sing and dance while we can! Come on, blow your mind!
- Crazy creditsIn the AIP version of this film, its entire cast is mysteriously uncredited.
- Alternate versionsThere are two distinct versions of the American International Pictures version of this film, which is titled "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster." The first version, presumably the original 35mm theatrical version, features an English language cartoon sequence (reworked from a similar Japanese language one in the Japanese version). A similar insert replaces a shot of a newsreader with an English language map of Fuji City. In addition, AIP removed all of the Japanese text from the scenes of various "science lessons" given by Dr. Yano. This is the version that was released on VHS and LaserDisc by Orion Home Video in 1989. The second version, however, has none of these unique shots. The Hedorah cartoon and newsreader scene are unchanged from the Japanese version and Dr. Yano's science lessons feature onscreen Japanese text. This version seems to have been the standard 16mm release for television distribution and can be seen mostly in unlicensed home video releases of the film, such as the 1990 Simitar VHS release from the U.S. and the Digital Disc DVD release from Canada.
- ConnectionsEdited into Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
- SoundtracksKaese! Taiyô wo
("Return! The Sun")
Main Title Theme
Music by Riichirô Manabe
Lyrics by Yoshimitsu Banno
Sung by Keiko Mari, the Honey Knights and the Moon Drops
At the same time a funky teenage assistant of the professor gets drunk at an absurdly psychadellic disco and has visions of all the party-people being mutated fish. Hedorah inhales polluted smoke from factory- chimneys and seem to get high, the kid is psychic and has visions of Godzilla coming to save the world, and the Professor is attacked by the Hedorah underwater and his face gets malformed. Godzilla and the "Smog Monster" (as it is sometimes referred to as) start fighting only 25 minutes into the movie. The Hedorah mutates from ocean- dweller, to reptile to flying creature, and experts conclude that "He" is probably from a distant Nebula in outer space. Scenes of havoc and the Professor's family is intercut with cartoon- style sequences with strong enviromental messages.
One scene has the Hedorah flying over a group of people working out, and they turn blue-faced and ultimately into gushy skeletons. A man at a construction site screams out (extremely) loud, and then falls to his death. Hedorah has the ability to corrode metal, and people on TV quarrel intensely on the fate of the planet. The Professors assistant knows the end is near, and has a hippie-styled party on top of a mountain; "- Let's have fun as we die!!" The party is interrupted by the space/pollution freak, and most of the kids are melted by its poisonous vomit/droppings when they try to set it on fire.
The Professor's kid has found the solution to defeat the grotesque beast: "- Dry it - it's only sludge!", and with the aid of the friendly Godzilla it finally works. Some scenes, as well as the sounds the Hedorah makes are beyond description; like the scene were it's covering Godzilla with its tons of toxic puke, and at the same time "laughing" diabolically. There are weird crosscutting throughout, the kid yells "Papa" alot and the groovy rock score helps to its remarkably insane mood. The PG- rating should be reconsidered. This one is too dark and demented in so many ways, I don't think a ten year- old should watch it. It's mad nightmarish, art-cinematic style could cause damage.
A TV- reporter calls the Hedorah "a freak organizm" - much like this movie itself.
- BrunoMatteisNumberOneFan
- Nov 22, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $250,000 (estimated)