Rodan
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.68 You Save: $3.30 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.22 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Rodan
Movie Review: The Most Misunderstood Monster...
Summary: 4 Stars
Rodan has always been a misunderstood monster, who suffers in comparison to Godzilla, Mothra, and Gidorah. After all, Rodan doesn't really have any powers per se, such as Godzilla's radioactive fire breath. Rodan's chief weapons (other than sheer size), are flapping his wings to cause powerful gusts of wind, and flying around at supersonic speeds. As a result, Rodan comes off as a weak sister compared to the other monsters. At least Mothra can spray silk at his enemies! I did note that, in the close-ups, it looked as if Rodan had some sort of gas spray coming from his mouth, which may have been an element abandonded by the director, or simply cut from the US release. This really is a shame, because the lack of monster power has doomed Rodan to cameos and second stringer status in the Toho monster line-up.
In any event, I like the fact that Rodan is played as a villain here, albeit a half-hearted one. The later Godzillas are fun, but to be honest, they got campier and campier as the series progressed. Here we have a big old monster wreckin' stuff just because, and teaching Mankind not to mess with Mother Nature.
The effects range from good to fair. There are numerous shadows from the miniature Rodans that appear on the backdrop used for the "sky", as well as obvious wires to help flap the wings of the Rodan creatures.
Then there's the inexplicable scene where a Rodan just stands around and squawks while the Army blasts away at it with tank fire. Other than that, the mystery behind the emergence of the flying monsters was very well handled, beginning with the strange deaths in the coal mine, and the appearance of the giant killer incects. The thoughtful voiceover throughout and at the end helps to tie up any loose threads, especially for those of us in the American audience who may not be clear on the finer points of Japanese culture or philosophy.
It really is too bad that the unedited Japanese version of "Rodan" is not currently available. And wouldn't it be nice to see a new, modern Rodan feature, like the 1990s Godzillas? Sadly, this seems very unlikely. Rodan fans will have to wander over to the Gamera camp and check out the first installment in the newer Gamera movies ("Guardian of the Universe"), in which a sinister Rodan-like monster fights the big turtle and wrecks Tokyo.
Movie Review: From the Depths of the Earth Lurk Terrible Monsters!
Summary: 4 Stars
Following the success of the "Godzilla" monster movies, Toho Productions of Japan created another giant nuclear-age menace in the form of a giant pterodactyl known as "Rodan". However, in this early color film from 1956, there wasn't just one Rodan terrorizing Japan, there were two! Beginning in the quiet mining village of Kitamatsu on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, the miners who are digging very deeply inadvertently open a passage into a cavern where frightening giant insects dwell. After several miners are mutilated, one of the giant insects enters the village and frightens mining engineer Shigeru Kawamura (Kenji Sahara) and his girlfriend Kiyo (Yumi Shirakawa). Determined to stop the giant insects, Shigeru, Police Chief Nishimura (Akio Kobori) and several miners go down into the mine; but a cave-in traps Shigeru in the cavern. When the nearby volcano suddenly becomes active, several giant sinkholes form around the mine. Unsure if Shigeru is still alive, he is found wandering in one of the sinkholes but is suffering from amnesia. While recovering from his ordeal, UFO's begin to terrorize the skies over Japan and several nearby countries. Finally, Shigeru remembers having witnessed the hatching of a Rodan in the cavern; but when the military tries to take them out, they discover that there are two them! Will Japan (and the rest of the world) be saved from these giant supersonic pterodactyls? You'll just have to watch this fun Japanese monster movie to find out!
"Rodan", a.k.a. "Sora no daikaijū Radon" in transliterated Japanese, has been one of my favorite Japanese monster movies since I was young. Though the color quality has aged and was not restored for the DVD, it is still a very entertaining film to watch. Other memorable characters in "Rodan" include the honeymooners (Kiyoharu Onaka and Yasuko Nakata), Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi (Akihiko Hirata, 1927-1984) and Professor Isokawa (Mitsuo Matsumoto). Overall, for being a wonderfully campy and very entertaining film, I rate "Rodan" with a resounding 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it any monster movie aficionado.
Movie Review: Above Average Creature Feature
Summary: 4 Stars
If you are a fan of Godzilla or Gamera or any "kaiju"/giant monster movies, you have to add "Rodan" to your DVD collection. This is a fantastic little movie, with a pretty original story, and top notch special effects.
The basic premise of "Rodan" is that a mining operation in Japan busts through a wall flooding the lowest tunnels of the mine. Two men are sent in to investigate, one of them turns up horribly mutilated and it's presumed he was murdered by the second man who has gone missing. More death and destruction follow, and it's learned that the culprit is actually a group of giant caterpillars. While trying to stop the caterpillar menace, a new force is unleased....two giant, prehistoric birds that destroys everything in their path.
For most of the film the Rodans are portrayed as little more than high flying vapor trails. The final half hour is wall-to-wall Rodan vs. Army mayhem and lots of fun, but that doesn't mean the first hour is lacking. The giant bugs, known here as Meganulon more than carry the film. There are some pretty suspense-filled scenes as miners walk in waist deep water searching for the hungry critters. I actually preferred the first half of this film before Rodan even makes an appearance.
This is a fun movie that seems to have been relatively forgotten. If you are only familiar with Rodan as a nemesis/ally to Godzilla, give the big bird a chance to win you over with his own story.
Movie Review: Long-overdue for a proper rerelease
Summary: 4 Stars
Love this film. In fact, while Godzilla will always be my favorite Toho titan, in many respects Rodan is a superior film to the classic that preceeded it, in terms of sheer visual audacity (take a close look during Rodan's attack on the city and you'll see tiny, rear-projected office workers in the windows, cowering in fear while their miniature building collapses around them) and the dogfight sequence, featuring military fighter jets pursuing the soaring reptile in a truly impressive example of what could be done with toho's tried-and-true combination of "suitmation" actors and intricately-detailed sets. Here's hoping Sony will release a remastered edition, in widescreen and in the original language. As an aside, I realize that there is a sub-genre of folks who actually PREFER to see old monster movies on DVD with scratched, faded, deteriorating prints, hacked, panned and scanned, as fondly remembered from their youth. As I was a little kid at the very tail end of the whole "creature features" late-nite movie phenomenon, I can appreciate the desire to relive the golden age of monster movie classics on the late-late show, and for those folks, this DVD is probably they're best bet (the print is perfectly acceptable, but compared to other recent Sony Toho releases, leaves a lot to be desired), however, here's hoping a remastered rerelease is on the horizon.Movie Review: Mmmm... Crunchy Bugs!
Summary: 4 Stars
Coal miners dig deep into the earth under Japan, releasing hordes of gargantuan bug monsters! These loathesome larvae go on a rampage, killing scores of miners and helpless villagers. Great flick, huh? But wait! That's just the beginning! A miner named Shigeru (Kenji Sahara) is trapped in a cave-in. When he is rescued, he suffers from amnesia. His fiancee' shows him some bird eggs and Shigeru snaps out of it. He tells the story of his survival. He describes the hatching of an egg about the size of Rhode Island. The "chick" inside begins munching on the giant bug monsters like so many wiggly snacks! Yes, RODAN has arrived! Soon, a wave of destruction begins. The airforce tries to stop the flying reptile, but their jets can't get close to the super-sonic creature without exploding into pieces. Then, if things weren't bad enough, a second Rodan (the mate of the first) emerges! The two lovebirds annihilate anything / everything in their path, sending cars and buses tumbling, roofs flying, and buildings crumbling! Can the military defeat these ptwin pterodactyls of pterror? Can their lovenest be found before they procreate? My 8yo son and I were on the edges of our seats! Buy this one, it's the only movie where RODAN actually looks pretty cool...