| Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1972, aka Godzilla vs. Hedorah),
				Director: Yoshimitsu 
				Banno, rated PG 
				Out of 
				Pollution's Depth's It Slithers! Breathing Poison... Leaving a 
				wake of deadly slime... Destroying all in its path! 
				
				  Starring: Akira 
				Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki Kawase, Keiko Mari, Toshio 
				Shiba, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Toshie Kimura 
				DML Rating: 
				★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 
				- good 
				"The atomic and hydrogen 
				bombs cast their fallout into the sea. Poison gas and sludge got 
				dumped into the ocean. 
				Even sewage. I bet Godzilla would be mad 
				if he saw this." - Ken Yano, 
				second grader 
				Why watch this? 
				This Godzilla film has some of the best Kaiju fight scenes in the 
				franchise. 
				Plot Summary: 
				A young boy and his scientist father discover a strange, 
				pollution-eating monster known as Hedorah, which continuously 
				evolves into increasingly dangerous forms as it consumes the 
				world's waste. Godzilla, as the Earth's protector, rises to 
				confront Hedorah in a desperate attempt to save humanity from 
				the growing environmental threat. The fate of the world hinges 
				on a climactic battle between Godzilla and the smog monster at 
				Mount Fuji, as mankind also strives to find a way to defeat the 
				seemingly invincible creature. Dad's Preview: 
				This is a Godzilla film that I treasured as a young boy. After 
				several "team-up" films, it was refreshing to have my favorite 
				behemoth square off alone against a new, deadly foe, Hedorah. 
				This shape-shifting space oddity feeds on Earth's pollution. Its main diet is toxic smoke spewed from Japan's 
				many factories. The film's not-so-subtle message is that humans 
				will suffer for 
				polluting our world. As a bonus, we learn that Godzilla can fly... 
				What? 
				This famous (more like infamous) moment is so campy, I know... but 
				hey, I unapologetically love it! ... so sue me! As a 
				ten-year-old, I was cheering! 
				 Toho Co. Ltd.
 |