JLRVancouver The third of Toho's 'kaiju' films (and first in colour), "Rodan" finds Japan besieged by two immense prehistoric flying monsters. The film opens with a series inexplicable (and bloody) deaths at a flooded mine, later shown to be due to an immense, predatory insectoid that is identified as a larval Meganulon, a gigantic, fictional primeval dragonfly. One of the miners, trapped in the caves by an earthquake, witnesses the hatching of an enormous egg, from which a bird-like creature emerges and begins to eat the Meganulon. Not long after (the time scale in the film seems inconsistent if the hatchling was the adult Rodan), a Japanese fighter pilot reports a mysterious object flying at supersonic speeds, which suddenly turns and destroys the pursuing plane. People and cattle begin to disappear near Mt Aso, an active volcano and evidence points to a giant pteranodon-like creature, who is promptly christened 'Rodan'. To make matters worse, a second Rodan appears in the vicinity of the mountain (a well done scene). Determining that the colossal creatures may be nesting near the volcano, the military mount a massive missile and tank offensive, triggering a climatic volcanic eruption which leads to the film's surprisingly poignant ending. For a 60 year-old suit-mation kaiju epic, the film has aged remarkably well: the Rodan costume is quite good (much better than those used in later Showa-era kaiju films) and the miniatures used in the destruction of Fukuoka are excellent. The cables suspending the flying monster were occasionally visible (apparently they have been removed in some of the Blu-ray releases) but that (IMO) doesn't detract from the effectiveness of the scenes. The music by Akira Ifukube is good (although not as good as his work in Godzilla or Mothra). I watched a sub-titled version (I am unsure of the date of the subtitles, the language was more 'adult than I remember and the term 'global warming' was used) but the acting and 'subtitled' script was fine for a genre picture. Like the original "Godzilla" (1954), "Rodan" is a straight-out monster/horror film (albeit a little more affecting than Godzilla) and is an excellent example of the suit-mation kaiju genre pioneered by Toho in the 1950s. Rodan reappears (as a co-star or cameo) in nine more Godzilla outings (as of this writing), making the giant flying saurian one of the more active members of Toho's kaiju stables (but the Meganulon appeared to remained 'dormant' until 2000, when they reappeared in the excellent "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus", although with a different backstory).

Hitchcoc When I was in fourth grade (around 1957), I had seen ads for this movie on television. I cut out a movie ad from the newspaper, and put it on my wall. There was no way I could see the movie because we would have had to go to the big city. I was surprised when I finally viewed it late at night, many years later. It's not a bad film There is a good deal of suspense, A romantic plot. A man falsely accused of murder. And some pretty neat monsters. Now, Pterosaurs weren't all that big, not like this, but these are mutants from messing with nuclear material. The movie has a nice pacing to it. When we get to the destruction scenes, we don't feel like they just threw all that at us like they did in future films (all those Godzilla versus whatever films). There is a kinship between the monsters (a mated pair) that would be a fact in the animal kingdom. The most creative thing is that the Rodans use the hurricane force of their enormous wings to level the city. I may just watch this again.

Scarecrow-88 While mining further under the earth, a giant Prehistoric insect is unearthed from the deep, going on a brief rampage through the Japanese village nearby. A giant earthquake capsizes the earth on top of the humongous insect—which certainly reduces the Japanese populace before its demise—but a much scarier creature is released from a very large egg, a massive Prehistoric bird called Rodan. A miner, missing for a period of time, returns with amnesia, soon reliving that horrific event where he watched Rodan hatching from its egg, actually eating those giant insects, like snack treats to the beast (remember, just one of the insects sent the decent-sized Japanese village into a panic, imagine the scale of terror and population decimation when Rodan is free to fly about, sweeping down to snatch humans for tasty treats).Even worse there's a *second* Rodan to contend with. Rodan have a wingspan, while in flight, that causes a shockwave with the deadly force of a Tsunami; even their breath can topple buildings! If you love Toho Studios, rubber monsters destroying toy tanks and army trucks, along with a giant model city full of buildings to wipe out, then RODAN is ideal for you.The story once again condemns the Americans for the H-bomb disaster by including in the storyline an experimental bomb, its effects tested in the ocean, responsible for the earthquakes which free the Rodan from captivity."Operation Rodan", where missile explosions into a mountain cause an avalanche, that trap the Prehistoric birds into their resting places, may be the Japanese only hope for survival. The film also has the military conducting strategy sessions with scientists and those associated with the mining disaster; fighter squadrons are sent on missions of flight to combat the Rodan. The film was narrated in a very serious tone throughout by Star Trek's George Takei! RODAN was directed by kaiju eiga specialist, Toho legend, Ishirô Honda. Future Toho monster movies are more concerned with mayhem and destruction than stories (which is why so many of the story lines are so preposterous, childish, and juvenile).

Aaron1375 Not quite up to Godzilla or some of the other Toho monsters, Rodan is still a rather cool creature created by said company. Rodan basically a type of flying dinosaur though much different than the most known one a pteradactyl. No this one is a bit more bird like in both its looks and the way it lives. The film starts out with a small town overrun by giant caterpillar type bugs. It soon is discovered that there is a giant flying dinosaur that can cause a lot of damage as it flies the skies, destroying buildings and such and knocking airplanes out of the sky. However, wait there is more! It is soon discovered that there may be more to worry about than the one Rodan creature! The film is rather good and I enjoyed it as a child and it is to me anyway, a better film than Mothra. I never liked Mothra and I never understood the appeal of the giant moth. Rodan is a bit more exciting to watch as it flies at supersonic speeds through the air. There is also a good deal of mystery of this movie as it builds up to what is causing the town so much grief. First, revealing the strange bugs, then revealing Rodan who makes the bugs not look quite so big anymore. The ending is typical for this type of movie as there is always some unique and different way for them to dispatch of said beastie which is probably why so many of us hated the pedestrian way fake Godzilla was killed in the U.S. version of "Godzilla".