Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
Toho's third Kaiju Eiga (giant monster movie), Rodan was the first not to feature the mighty Godzilla, and was the first such film to be shot in colour. Released in Japan in 1956, Rodan would prove to be another of Toho's immensely popular monsters and would cross over into several of Godzilla's movies, sadly never sharing his name in the title though.
After Godzilla Raids Again didn't prove as successful or popular as the King of the Monsters debut picture, for Rodan Toho put Ishiro Honda in the director's chair again, to see if he could work the same magic.
The movie opens with powerful atomic weapons being tested in two separate parts of the world. A narrator ponders if Mother Nature will always let us away with doing this to the Earth, or if it will strike back.
We then go to a small mining village on an Island off Japan, where we meet a chap named Shigeru Kamura (Kenji Sahara - Gojira). Shigeru is engaged to a woman named Kiyo (Yumi Shirakawa - Gorath), whose brother works with Shigeru, and most of the male village populace, in the local mines.
When several miners go missing down Mine 8, the deepest mine in the place, the bodies are discovered to be horribley mutilated. Kiyo's brother is still missing, and after a search nothing is found. That night, a giant insect attacks the village before retreating into Mine 8. The next day a military supported search is led deep into Mine 8, which uncovers the giant insect, known in the Japanese version of the movie as a 'Meganuiron', Shigeru kills the creature with a mine cart, but is lost in a rockslide in the mines. The army and fellow miners continue to search for him in the mines to no avail.
Meanwhile, there have been a number of unusual happenings out by the local volcano, Mount Toya. Inspecting a huge caved-inn land area next to the volcano is Professor Kashiwaga(Akihiko Hirata - The Mysterians), who is surprised to see a man crawling out of the pit. The man is suffering from amnesia, but it turns out it's Shigeru, who is taken back to the village to attempt to cure his amnesia.
The Japanese Air force have been having some problems as well, one of their best pilots reports a UFO flying at super-sonic speeds and pulling moves that should be impossible, before this UFO flies past him and the sonic boom it creates destroys his plane. This mysterious UFO has been sighted all over Asia the past few days, and it has everyone stumped.
Shigeru finally remembers what happened when witnessing Kiyo's pet bird's egg hatch. He remembers finding himself in a cavern surrounded by Meganuirons, with a giant egg in the corner. The egg hatches into a giant winged Dinosaur, which Professor Kashiwaga declares is like a Pteranodon, but carnivorous, and is known as a Rodan. Things get worse for the Japanese public when it turns out that there are actually two Rodans, and the Meganuirons were just their food. To make matters even worse, the Volcano is due to erupt. The military doesn't get a plan in order in time, and before they know it, Rodan is laying waste to Sasebo (or Fukuoka in the Japanese version) city.
The creatures both retreat to their cavern between the Volcano and the mine and the Army formulate a plan to bury them alive, however, things don't go well, as the monsters wake up, but before they can do any damage the volcano erupts, fatally wounding one of them. The other monster then commits suicide to die with it's mate, and humanity is spared, Rodan wasn't stopped by their weapons or plan, but because it wouldn't live without it's mate.
The plot of Rodan is often something it's either criticised for, or praised for. You see, the US version of the movie, which I am reviewing, apparently cuts out some of the monster footage, and you don't actually see Rodan until about the 50 minute mark, and it only lasts 72! however, it is also one of Toho's best films in terms of telling a story. We don't just have "monster, attacking city,plot to kill it, the end". It builds up a bit of mystery concerning the UFO and such, and the Meganuirons, while dropped a bit abruptley, are effective while their, adding a straight up horror element to proceedings without going over the top. Apparently the original version features more characterisation as well, so I will have to track it down at some point, but on the whole, even in US form, Rodan is above average in terms of story. No big faults other than Rodan's rapid growth and where the second one came from, but it's a 50s Japanese Sci-Fi monster movie, I did come with suspension of disbelief intact.
While I ,as I've stated on countless occasions, am not a reviewer keen on beeing all that harsh on acting in a movie that is dubbed or subtitled, my version of Rodan is dubbed only, and for the most part the acting seems to be of a decent to good standard, with nobody hamming it up and going overboard.
The dubbing isn't the best a Toho flick has seen, and while only 4 (4!) people provided the voices, it's decent enough and doesn't annoy me.
The music score has sadly been for the most part replaced with generic schlock monster fare, which is decent enough if nothing special, but on the few occasions the work of Akira Ifukube is heard it definitely shines, with particular attention being drawn to the score for the death of the Rodan monsters as the people look on. You just have to wonder why they would replace the magnificent work of Ifukube, musical scores are of the same class no matter which side of the Earth you are on, but I am glad the US folks decided to keep his music for the climax.
Special effects in the movie are for the most part spectacular, marred only by the terrible looking scene of Rodan hatching, which is sadly one of the first effects heavy scenes. However, when full grown Rodan is attacking Sasebo, it would take a very harsh outlook on movies and effects to try and criticise it, especially when you consider how impressive it is for the time. One of my favourite effects in the movie, and in Kaiju Eiga history has to be when Rodan flies over an army jeep and the force of it sends the jeep flying as it smashes into a rock. It's just done so bloody marvellous that you have to applaud effects man Eiji Tsuburaya for his work, if only he had got hatching Rodan right.
On the whole, despite it's lack of titular character on-screen presence, I can't help but say I enjoyed Rodan immensely, something that upon looking into it and discovering that the original is supposedly much better really does make me want to track down a Japanese copy. While it lacks the real political punch of the first Godzilla outing, it's certainly a close second in terms of Toho's solo monster movies, and is one of the best examples of the genre not to have a Big G in the title. The suicide of the Rodan monster is one of the most memorable ends to any giant monster movie, as all of Toho's beasts up until now had been soul-less monsters on the rampage, this gave Rodan an almost King Kong quality, where the monster couldn't live without it's lover.
It's few faults, are niggly enough to see Rodan doesn't get full marks, but it can hold it's head up high amongst the best of the giant monster genre, Worldwide, and is a highly entertaining and well made movie.
If you are a genre enthusiast, chances are you already have seen Rodan, and probably enjoyed it. If you haven't, then it's definitely worth a look.
For those who ain't genre fans, Rodan is probably worth a look on TV or so, because it's entertaining, and one of Japan's best giant monster movies.
There is one topic about Rodan that is up for debate, and that is to why the monster's name was changed for US release. In Japan, there is no Rodan. It's Radon. Depending on who you talk to, this was due to there being a US Soap Opera called Radon,a British doll called Radon or the poison. Personally, it makes no difference to me, Rodan,Radon, it's a good movie however you place the vowells.
Year: 1956
Titles: Sora no daikaijû Radon
Rodan
Rodan!, The Flying Monster
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