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This was always a fun film.  A bit of trivia:  "Hedorah," according to Michael Weldon's Psychotronic Encyclopaedia, means "pollution" in Japanese.

Now I love the Big G but OH how I hated the way they made godzilla out to be a big pet in the 70s movies!
In every one of Godzilla's 70s movies where there was some dumb little kid in it I would find myself praying that Godzilla would crush the little creep now as for Godzilla vs the Smog Monster there was one thing that made me sick(beside that damn kid)Godzilla flying on his own power!
Oh give me a brake but other then that a fair film!

Just one thing that crossed my mind.  When the Big G gets knocked into the pit and Hedorah stands there and dumps all that thick black mud on him, it runs out from the monster's bottom side.  I am beginning to think that this is tantamount to Hedorah taking a dump on Godzilla.  My son agreed.  Whenever we get to this part he points to the screen and yells "The Pod's going black peep-pee on Godzilla!  Yech!"

Yes, the "hedora=pollution" myth is prevelant (because of the overly-polite dubbed dialog in the movie) but wrong--sort of. In fact, the Japanese word "hedo" means vomit or puke, and the standard 'monster-suffix' "ra" is added by the kid. How's THAT for gross? I've never seen any movie so devoted to yuck.

One of the all time goofiest movies ever made, and a sterling example of what has made the Big G a laughing stock: you have the somewhat serious scenes where the Hedorah is spewing gaseous sulfuric acid over cities, but that's balanced out by the bizarre hippie video and the insane scenes of Godzilla figuring out that "action-reaction' thing.

Though credited to be the worst in the Godzilla series (the worst credited ones were also GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND and GODZILLA VS. MEGALON), GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER is actually a good film in a fun way. Let's be honest, a film does not have to be straight forward all the time. The destruction of Japan is very limited and the fight sequences are very slow, but it is still entertaining. The scene in which Godzilla was flying was very impressive and was amusing as well. Distributed by American International Pictures (AIP), this film was originally available for video by Orion Pictures (a subsidiary to AIP). But it is now missing and has not been out since. I prey it will be issued in it's original Widescreen Letterbox because the panned-and-scanned Orion print is just horrible. The dubbing was also convincing too.

This is a fun fun movie.  People who whine about how Godzilla was turned into a super hero in the 70s obviously weren't kids then, or they would love all of these movies.
This is also one of the more interestingly directed Godzilla films.  While I wouldn't call Banno a "brilliant" director, he sure made a visually appealing film.
"Save the Earth", indeed.
And now there is the widescreen version that Sci-Fis shows, which truly proves there is good dubbing and bad dubbing.
The out of print home video may be pan and scan, but the dubbing is very nice.

Here is some interesting trivia for Godzilla fans: When GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER was in production the producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was in the hospital. Tanaka left the whole film for director Yoshimitsu Banno to finish on his own. When Tanaka was released from the hospital the film was finished. Tanaka reviewed the film and said to Banno, "You ruined the Godzilla series!" GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER was Banno's first and only film.

This movie is screwey!!! Tanaka was obviously not present during this one.

And the Medved brothers' special award of a year's supply of LSD for those creative geniuses in the Japanese film industry (see The Fifty Worst Films Of All Time) was put to good use, I see.

That final fight goes on and on and on, doesn't it?  And what exactly were those suspicious spherical objects Godzilla pulled out of Hedorah's stamped and flattened carcass at the end?  It makes me wince just thinking about it...

I loved the part at the end where Godzilla rips all the guts out of the Smog Monster and then throws it all over the place...!  Then he performs a free abortion by ripping out it's eggs and smashing them!  LOL!  Enjoyable, but goofy movie.  :-)

A masterpiece of crap. One of my fave G flicks (hell, I love em all). THis one's the cheesiest with the worst enemy. I give it a 4.5/5

Still my favorite movie of all time.  Yes this just goes to prove once again you should NOT use drugs while filming a movie!  ....I still try to watch this baby once a week if possible.   This one ranks up there with "Plan 9 from Outerspace".  Classic Cheese!

Sorry, but I just can't take the 70s movies where Godzilla is a cute little defender of Japan.  Godzilla, if not outright evil, is an awesome, perhaps immortal, force of nature.  He does NOT fly, jump, drop-kick, dance, roll his big puppy eyes, clap his hands or play with kids!  Aarrrgghhh!

I saw this thing while in the Air Force in the 70s. It was then that I came to the conclusion that Japan still blaimed us for WWII. I still remember another airman saying to the screen (When 'Big G' took off while COMEDY music played) "You have got to be kiddin' me!"

Now I have to admit the Green guy takeoff scene IS something to behold. Hedorah is another one of those 1 hit wonders whom to appreciate.Personally,I wish Toho would put this bad guy in a Destroy All Monsters II(just wishful thinkin')along with Gigan,Titanosaurus,Kong,Jet Jag,MechaKong,MechaGodzilla,Mechagodzilla'93,king seesar,megalon,BOTH mothra twins(1 moth;1 larva)and the 2 gargantua bros.plus the rest of the original cast-even the giant mantises. And hey,and while I'm wishfully thinkin'--whut 'bout a nice cameo of Gamera for a historic crossover of 2 greatest japanese monsters of all time..!!!

I am still trying to count all the bong and other drug refferences, and times when blaring insane whino music has been played.

I was about 7 or 8 years old when I saw GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER. I loved it then, I love it now. When I was a kid I loved it because I'd NEVER seen ANYTHING like it before. It was NOTHING like all the american monster movies I'd watched. GODZILLA even tought me a few fighting moves, witch I subsequently used on a school bully that was picking on me at the time. [I whooped him too!]           When I grew up and saw this movie again, I was once more DELIGHTED with it. But for a different reason than when I was young. NOW I love it because it IS CRAPPY! I know it's crappy, YOU know it's crappy..., And you know what...? when the producers at TOHO made the film THEY knew it was crappy. It is supposed to be! ...why? you ask.            well, THINK about it.!

Yes I agree Hedorah was smoking stack.One of the worst Godzilla movies ever made. They should of quit after this garbage was made a real disapointment.The theme song was the best thing about this movie.  

When i was a kid I once tried to make my own smog monster by filling some teflon thingy up with water, throw a empty can in it and chocolate syrup.
It didn't work.

I just LOVED the music going with the Godzila lift-off clip. It sounded like something straight from 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines' (and shame on you if you don't know that flic)
*ROFL*

the version the person who runs the site saw,was the best one of the 2.the version sci-fi shows has different dubbing, and the women sings in japanese!can you believe it!?!?!?rare film.worth lots of cash!i need it to add it to my other g-movies!

Best line from the movie is when the kid is in the phone booth and then there's an explosion.  He crouches down, and then when he gets back up and talks on the phone, he doesn't act traumatized at all and says something like, "there was an explosion, but I'm still here."  Like ho-hum explosions happen all the time around here so let's continue our phone conversation now.  There's other places where he's not traumatized at all by seeing dead or slimed people.  Ok, maybe once or twice he does a quick McCauly Caulkin face and then continues on as if everything is normal.

What we need here is those tiny singing twins from Mothra's island. I remember going to see this on a Saturday afternoon when I was in Jr. High School...(ouch) There were five of us, girl watching, sick joking, perverted, smart assed, and bored. What a perfect movie for background noise. Today when I catch it on TV, I see it for what it really is...a piece of s**t. The giant lizard sushi burners are fantastic little films as a rule. Made for next to nothing and imported here once upon time when the Japanese would do anything for a western buck. Godzilla was a monster movie, plain and simple. The American importer shot new scenes with an Anglo actor (Raymond Burr) and spliced them in...he feared that American audiances wouldn't pay to see short Asian people with squinty eyes and a giant lizard alone. He was proven wrong soon afterwards. The first Godzilla movies were serious attempts at monster thrillers that seemed to get cheaper and flimsier as the series proceded. I know, speaking not just for myself, that this is one of the things that made the earlier films so endearing to so many. By the time this one was cranked out and imported into the States, the giant fire breathing lizard had become a Japanese Culturial Icon. And just like Icons in any culture, the powers that be had to screw with it to get the most political and economical milage out of it as they could. Now Godzilla is a benafactor to all mankind. He fights evil and tries to clean up after man's carelessness. He's a product of man's terrible disregard for nature and his fellow occupants of spaceship Earth...but he has found tolerance and forgiveness and now defends all that is right and good...(For the moment anyway...till public opinion swings the other way for awhile.) Godzilla is a lizard...he breaths fire...he hates the Japanese...especialy the ones that live in Tokyo. He comes, stomps thier town, thay manage to kick his ass one more time, he staggers away to lick his wounds and return to stomp and barbque another day. End of story, all of them, untill this one and the others that would follow. This one was a turning point for me and my fellow sushi burner brethen. Flying around with smog monster testicles ripped from a pile of burnt goo...(call 'em what you want, I still choose to believe in was the puke monster's balls)...to save mankind from itself just ain't natural for our radiation pumping gigatigator. I hope that someday he'll return to form and toast those little school boys with thier tight little shorts and book satchels. His place is melting plastic tanks and smacking firecracker loaded model airplanes from thier wires, not whoreing himself out for the rightwing or leftwing political preaching that happens to be in favor at the given time. This is a sad little lizard movie...shame on you Toho...shame on you.

I do not recomend the ingestion of any LSD or like substances before viewing this film, it's crazy enough sober.

Absolutley hysterical analysis of the movie, yet never so accurate existed a movie review anywhere. I send you nothing but the finest of accolades!

I now that this has nothing to do with this movie,but I have purchased the original uncut japanese version of GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN!This version is ALOT BETTER than the american version.(GIGANTIS:THE FIRE MONSTER.)The reason why Godzilla's name changed to GIGANTIS is because WARNER BROS. did not whant to pay for using the name godzilla from the company that distrubuted GODZILLA:KING OF THE MONSTERS.My friend is going to let me copy his version of G.raids again,And G.versus the smogmonster.HA!

GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER was a fairly good G-flick, but the gory scences of melting people just don't jive with the juvinile script and Manabe's horrid 'Godzilla theme'.
One the plus side, I like the idea of pitting the big G, himself a by-product of man's destructive technology, against an oppoent that even he couldn't defeat, the evil
of pollution in the form of a larger, indestuctable monster.
Banno could have gotten his anti-pollution message out a little better if he had made this a serious drama and not a kiddie movie.

The highlight of the movie was the groovy eco-friendly song "Save the Earth!"  I would really like to find those lyrics, it belongs in the Bad Movie Song Hall of Fame.

I thought this film was hilarious for a monster movie, but as a Godzilla movie I despise it and many other G-fans do and yet they continued degrading Godzilla all through out the 70's.
I was more than pleased when the Gojira films were reborn in the 80's and 90's.
Oh and Hedorahs transformations kinda remind me of Destoroyah, a bigger, better G foe.

I now have all of the old godzilla movies. I now only need the new ones on dvd.Yes.my collection only needs 3 of the brand new flix.

The smog monster looks a little like a jellyfish without its stingers on and two big eyes and it eats smog(buuuurrrrp)and is godzila luaghing at it?

This and other Godzilla movies are the first movies I ever saw. I saw them with my older sisters when I was about 4 years old. They were all re-releases in the mid-70s.

I can't believe anybody even remembers the Smog Monster, LoL! I love it!

   If only Godzilla could fly in the millenium and hesini series. Then it would be really funny.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (that's what I like to call this movie) is not only the best but the most scariest. Hedorah looked so hideous and scary his heat ray from his eyes melt people to skeleton, can Godzilla destroy this Hideous Smog Monster. Godzilla vs. Hedorah has great effects and good music, one famous scene when Godzilla uses his fire Breath as a rocket taking off was amazing and very funny. the folks of Toho of done it again with a very amazing Godzilla Film.

HEDORAH was the star monster in this movie in my opinion he was beating the crap out of GODZILLA in this movie he even burned out one of his eyes.I like the scenes of HEDORAH smoking stack and getting high off of it.Other then that a very fun movie

Just got done watching this with the kids (4 and 7) for the first time.  This was a fun movie.  The scene where groovy guy and chick were out in the country playing music ("C'mon, blow you minds!") with their friends and the scene where Godzilla was flying were hilarious.  The comments on this site are great, too.  "Monsters use factories for bongs" - awesome!

Well now,this environmenttally controled Godzilla film was A.I.P.s last monster movie,they had a choice,either this or Gamera vs. Zigra,well it was this anywho Godzilla's a comfirmed good guy now trying to show us and Gamera something,yea after two years and the awful Godzillas Revenge thing we can kind of see why,Godzilla fights pollution,in the early 70s our worst enemy in the fourm of what I'd refer to as a mutated WoodysOwl gone bad,anyway can Godzilla Dr.Yana and the military defeat him or will we die at the hands of this new horror?!,watch the sceen where Godzilla flies,yea you think you can take Gameras place, but I don't think so,just think if A.I.P. had helped Daie make Gamera vs. Zigra,there might of been a Gamera vs. Garrahship.

Be sure and get a hold of the original VHS so you can hear the song "Save the Earth" in English. The DVD is a different dub.

A classic in the 'so bad its good' category.  :thumbup:

Another G film i wish Joel and the Bots had taken a wedgie to.
But, yeah, weirdly enjoyable.

I love this film from the series.  I remember watching early one morning and having an absolute do-it-myself MST3K ball! The music video bits that suddenly pop in are just hilarious.    I'm one who only has a few of the DVDs of these.  I really need the whole collection. 

For everyone who's been looking for the Great AIP Classic of this movie with the girls sing the awesome Save The Earth Song in English. Fantastic news,your search has ended, Keith Picozzi of Showa Video has it!, I got mine and have already seen it, so get from him and enjoy!.