Godzilla vs Hedorah or Godzilla vs the Smog Monster was the 11th feature length Godzilla film. Hedorah is a microscopic alien life that travels to earth on a meteorite. It feeds on Earth’s pollution, growing and evolving into a smog-spewing, poisonous, destructive force that threatens all life on earth.

Aside from the obligatory monster-wrestling at gigantic scales, this Godzilla film offers snapshots of the countercultural movements that were alive in Japan in the late 1960s and late 1970s. We bear witness to the destruction of the smog monster through the eyes of hippies, with an opening song ‘Save the Earth’ and an animated sequence typical of the protests of the time.

The film also blends fiction with reality, showing shots of Tokyo covered in thick smog to remind viewers of the very real threat that pollution presents. Godzilla vs Hedorah is noticeably more violent than many entries in the Godzilla series as well, with several civilian casualties pointing out the potential horrors of environmental disaster.