Runtime: 86 minutes
Directed by: Yoshimitsu
Banno
Starring: Akira Yamauchi,
Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki Kawase, Toshio Shiba, Keiko Mari
From: Toho
Last night this played on Turner Classic Movies and I am not surprised that this has always gotten a mixed reception at best from even franchise fans. It being on “Worst Movies of all Times” list was never fair (even in its American Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster version) and the condescending intro and outro that Ben Mankiewicz delivered last night was really not necessary; while incredibly blunt, this movie actually has a message and lamentably, is more relevant now than it was back then.
Due to pollution (and also because it's an alien... I guess) Hedorah is formed, and shape-shifting is the name of the game here. Realism is not the movie's strong suit, despite its serious overarching theme .
Anyhow, Godzilla doesn't like pollution either-this is his planet too, after all-so he tries to do battle but smog and other toxic chemicals affect him too. The movie is rather dark, especially for this coming during the era where the franchise was centered towards kids and the previous entry was the silly All Monsters Attack. As I've heard it, director Yoshimitsu Banno made this while Toho's president while in the hospital; once he got out and saw the final product, he wanted to put Banno into the hospital. The rest of his life Banno attempted unsuccessfully to make a sequel; while he passed away two years ago, he was one of the people responsible for Hollywood making Godzilla pictures again.
The most memorable aspect of this movie... it is very strange. You get the idea right away when you hear the opening credits song... whether it's the English Save the Earth or the original Return! The Sun, it's an upbeat ditty about the poor shape the Earth is in. From there, random animated sequences happen, along with acid rock, psychedelic images, weird editing, youths having an end of the world party at Mt. Fuji, and a little boy having a telepathic connection with Gojira, as why the hell not?
Various aspects can be nitpicked (for example, some of the kaiji action consists of the creatures standing around, not doing much) but overall I appreciate how this was different from the usual and this felt fresh compared to a standard Godzilla flick. Plus, the kaiji action was still fun, w/ some rather unexpected moments; furthermore, it had a message that I wish humanity would have listened to-especially those giant corporations-as if what is being said about the environment now is true... perhaps I need to buy a ticket to Japan and have an end of the world party at Mt. Fuji.
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