One of the weirdest kaiju flicks ever created, this drug-fulled surrealist epic mixes in some very bizarre GODZILLA action with a plot that recalls the original '54 GODZILLA and experimental scenes to give it a very daft look. While not an easy movie to watch by any means, this unfortunately tends up being rubbishy rather than a work of genius, although it does have its moments and its never boring. The film's annoying theme tune is about saving the earth (yep, more unwanted environmentalist messages - nearly as bad as in Seagal's ON DEADLY GROUND) and resembles a Bond intro more than anything else.
Things start off on a high note, as we witness the pollution of Japan's seas and the problems it causes. The "heroes" of the film are a very typical nuclear family rather than the investigating police force or intrepid reporters as in most of these films. Basically there are no other main cast members, just this family of four (five?). The scientist father discover that tadpoles taken from the sea now have the ability to merge together to create a bigger beast, and immediately decides that this is what has happened with the monster he calls "Hedora". After doing a bit of deep-sea diving to investigate, half of his face is burnt off by acid! Eventually Hedorah emerges from the ocean to wreak havoc as per usual, although he's rather more fond of murdering people than smashing buildings. As well as the acid rain he emits, he also spits huge globs of sludge, one of which goes on to attack people in a crowded nightclub in an unexpected homage to THE BLOB! It's not long before Godzilla arrives (here he has his very own theme tune) and engages the pollution-spawned fiend in a number of battles.
Although Godzilla here looks like rather a tatty and disappointing monster, Hedorah more than makes up for his weakness. Hedorah is basically an animated pile of rubbish, complete with glowing red eyes. He's one of the more inventive monsters from the series and has to be seen to be believed. Unlike most kaiju films, there's a high death toll and we get to watch loads of people flashing and dissolving into skeletons as a result of Hedorah's carnage. Along with the slimy and disgusting Hedorah, this gives the movie a darker, more adult subject matter than before - but it's all so silly and obviously aimed at kids that you can't take it seriously anyway.
The action scenes are adequate, but most of them are poorly-lit (perhaps to hide Godzilla's ratty appearance?) and there's nothing classic here as there was in previous multiple-monster bashes. The cast is instantly disposable, with the unfortunate exception of the annoyingly cute Japanese boy (in braces!) who leads it...it's a shame the acid sludge never gets him. What is most amusing in this film are the various experiments that director Yoshimitsu Banno tries out through it's running time. We have an unexplained black and white segment (complete with folk song!), weird animated interludes that make no sense, and the repetitive "save the earth" theme song that plays at various inappropriate moments. These bits certainly add to the "what the hell am I watching?" factor and make this a one-off kaiju feature. Although never boring, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH is a hard film to watch and should be seen only by those who have very bizarre tastes. The final result is of some bizarre, cheese-fuelled nightmare.
Things start off on a high note, as we witness the pollution of Japan's seas and the problems it causes. The "heroes" of the film are a very typical nuclear family rather than the investigating police force or intrepid reporters as in most of these films. Basically there are no other main cast members, just this family of four (five?). The scientist father discover that tadpoles taken from the sea now have the ability to merge together to create a bigger beast, and immediately decides that this is what has happened with the monster he calls "Hedora". After doing a bit of deep-sea diving to investigate, half of his face is burnt off by acid! Eventually Hedorah emerges from the ocean to wreak havoc as per usual, although he's rather more fond of murdering people than smashing buildings. As well as the acid rain he emits, he also spits huge globs of sludge, one of which goes on to attack people in a crowded nightclub in an unexpected homage to THE BLOB! It's not long before Godzilla arrives (here he has his very own theme tune) and engages the pollution-spawned fiend in a number of battles.
Although Godzilla here looks like rather a tatty and disappointing monster, Hedorah more than makes up for his weakness. Hedorah is basically an animated pile of rubbish, complete with glowing red eyes. He's one of the more inventive monsters from the series and has to be seen to be believed. Unlike most kaiju films, there's a high death toll and we get to watch loads of people flashing and dissolving into skeletons as a result of Hedorah's carnage. Along with the slimy and disgusting Hedorah, this gives the movie a darker, more adult subject matter than before - but it's all so silly and obviously aimed at kids that you can't take it seriously anyway.
The action scenes are adequate, but most of them are poorly-lit (perhaps to hide Godzilla's ratty appearance?) and there's nothing classic here as there was in previous multiple-monster bashes. The cast is instantly disposable, with the unfortunate exception of the annoyingly cute Japanese boy (in braces!) who leads it...it's a shame the acid sludge never gets him. What is most amusing in this film are the various experiments that director Yoshimitsu Banno tries out through it's running time. We have an unexplained black and white segment (complete with folk song!), weird animated interludes that make no sense, and the repetitive "save the earth" theme song that plays at various inappropriate moments. These bits certainly add to the "what the hell am I watching?" factor and make this a one-off kaiju feature. Although never boring, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH is a hard film to watch and should be seen only by those who have very bizarre tastes. The final result is of some bizarre, cheese-fuelled nightmare.