Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) Saturday Monster Movies

Following the unfortunate last three movies of the 60s, Godzilla returned in 1971 with a fresh approach. In 1954, Godzilla was born out of the concern about nuclear weapons. In 1971, it would be the worries about pollution that would motivate the Kaiju story.

Hedorah might just be the strangest adversary Godzilla has faced. Starting out as a microscopic, tadpole-like creature, it grows into a monster much larger than Godzilla. It goes from aquatic to terrestrial to airborne forms, and then back to a more traditional, man-in-a-rubber-suit-style creature. It has acidic and poisonous smog effects on people. It is an all-around apocalyptic vision of ecological disaster.

The movie is also a typical product of its time. We have swinging-sixties teens and rock music, psychedelic art direction, and end-of-the-world cults. All in all, a fun ride and one of the better Godzilla movies, even if it is stranger than most.

The moral of the story is, big problems often start out small.