Hedorah, an alien lifeform, lands on Earth and begins feeding on pollution. Thanks to his toxic nature, as well as his acidic, poisonous body, Hedorah very nearly puts an end to Godzilla in their struggle. Godzilla finally destroys Hedorah by dehydrating him using electrical generators set up by the military and his own atomic ray. The film contains several strange impressionistic animated scenes portraying the smog monster at his evil work.
On a side note, this was the first (and only) time we see Godzilla fly under his own power. He uses his atomic ray as jet propulsion. Director Banno reportedly added the scene to provide a light moment in what is otherwise a fairly dark film compared to many of those which preceded it.
Kenpachiro Satsuma, the actor who played Hedorah, was struck with appendicitis during the production. Doctors were forced to perform the appendectomy while he was still wearing the Hedorah suit, due to the length of time it took to take off. During the operation, Satsuma learned that painkillers have no effect on him.[2]
Tomoyuki Tanaka, who produced the first 22 Godzilla films, was in the hospital during the time the film was made. Upon recovery and actually seeing the film, it is said that he told the director of the film he ruined the Godzilla series and that he would never direct at Toho again. Despite this claim, however, Banno is slated to produce and direct the soon-to-be released film Godzilla: 3D to the Max, featuring the Hedorah-like monster Deathla.
The film was released in April 1972 by American International Pictures under the title Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. There were several small alterations: dialogue was dubbed to English, the song "Save the Earth" (based on a song in the original Japanese version of the film) was added. This version was rated PG by the MPAA; however, a home video edition was cut to earn a G rating.
The AIP version has been replaced in the North American home video and television markets (including Sony's DVD) by Toho's 'International Version,' titled Godzilla vs. Hedorah. This version features a different English dub track that is considered inferior by many fans, and also lacks the "Save the Earth" song.
Critical reaction to the film has been mixed, with some embracing its eccentricity and others deriding it.
Japan Hero said the film is "recommended for Godzilla fans, but don't expect much out of it," adding that while "the special effects appear to be pretty good" and "watching it in its original [Japanese] language does make the movie more tolerable," "the character designs ... are bad" and "the music ... really kills the movie."[3] Monster Zero criticized the film's production values and said that it "succeeds in carrying the series over the edge into strictly kid's stuff" and "begins the series' inexorable slide into oblivion."[4] Stomp Tokyo said the film has "many obvious, crippling flaws" but added that "there are some good things," praising the monster action in particular.[5]
American Kaiju called the film "a confused Godzilla non-epic that doesn't seem to be sure just who it was made for in the first place."[6] DVD Talk said it "earns points for trying something new, to break away from what was fast becoming a tired formula. The film isn't as entertaining as Godzilla vs. Gigan or Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, but it is more original and daring, and ... fans will want to pick [it] up."[7]
In Japan, the film sold 1,740,687 tickets.
Sony Pictures DVD
DigitalDisc DVD
Orion Pictures VHS
After Yoshimitsu Banno finished directing Godzilla vs. Hedorah, he began work on creating another installment in the Godzilla series. Like his first Godzilla movie, Banno had wanted the next film to have a strong message against pollution. The initial idea was that a mutant starfish-like monster battles the king of the monsters. However, he scrapped this idea and wrote what was going to be Godzilla vs. Hedorah 2. In it, Godzilla was to fight another Hedorah, this time in Africa. Due to Tomoyuki Tanaka's reaction to Banno's first Godzilla film, this was never realized.
Director Yoshimitsu Banno will make Godzilla 3D: Godzilla vs. Deathla which is set to be released in 2011. This film features the monsters Godzilla and the new, chlorophyll-eating, Hedorah-like monster Deathla.