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Rodan

Original title: Sora no daikaijû Radon
  • 1956
  • Approved
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
Rodan (1956)
A mining engineer investigates the death of his fellow coworkers and discovers prehistoric nymphs emerging from the mines. As he heads deeper into the mines, he makes a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature.
Play trailer2:09
1 Video
99+ Photos
DisasterKaijuActionSci-Fi

A mining engineer investigates the deaths of his colleagues, discovering prehistoric nymphs and a creature capable of flying - and wreaking havoc - at supersonic speeds.A mining engineer investigates the deaths of his colleagues, discovering prehistoric nymphs and a creature capable of flying - and wreaking havoc - at supersonic speeds.A mining engineer investigates the deaths of his colleagues, discovering prehistoric nymphs and a creature capable of flying - and wreaking havoc - at supersonic speeds.

  • Director
    • Ishirô Honda
  • Writers
    • David Duncan
    • Takeshi Kimura
    • Ken Kuronuma
  • Stars
    • Kenji Sahara
    • Yumi Shirakawa
    • Akihiko Hirata
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    6.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • David Duncan
      • Takeshi Kimura
      • Ken Kuronuma
    • Stars
      • Kenji Sahara
      • Yumi Shirakawa
      • Akihiko Hirata
    • 91User reviews
    • 59Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:09
    Trailer

    Photos165

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    Top cast61

    Edit
    Kenji Sahara
    Kenji Sahara
    • Shigeru Kawamura, colliery engineer
    • (as Kenji Sawara)
    Yumi Shirakawa
    • Kiyo, Shigeru's lover
    Akihiko Hirata
    Akihiko Hirata
    • Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi (biology)
    Akio Kobori
    • Police Chief Nishimura
    Yasuko Nakada
    • Female Honeymooner
    Minosuke Yamada
    • Colliery Chief Osaki
    Yoshifumi Tajima
    Yoshifumi Tajima
    • Izeki, reporter of Seibu Nippou
    Kiyoharu Onaka
    • Male Honeymooner, Sunagawa's friend
    • (as Kiyoharu Ohnaka)
    Hiroshi Akitsu
    • Reporter
    Ichirô Chiba
    • Chief of police station
    Mike Danning
    • American Soldier Typing
    • (as Mike Daneen)
    Kazuo Hinata
    Tsurue Ichimanji
    • Haru, Kiyo's neighbor
    • (as Tazue Ichimanji)
    Saburô Iketani
    Saburô Iketani
    • News Reader
    Saburô Kadowaki
    • Sunagawa's colleague
    Yoshio Katsube
    • Correspondent
    Tateo Kawasaki
    • Tsunesan, miner
    Kanta Kisaragi
    • Suteyan, miner
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • David Duncan
      • Takeshi Kimura
      • Ken Kuronuma
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews91

    6.26.5K
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    Featured reviews

    6utgard14

    Fun Monster Movie

    Japanese miners are killed by giant prehistoric insects awakened by nuclear testing. After dealing with the bugs, the military discovers an even bigger threat has been awakened by the tests. Yup, it's Rodan, a pterodactyl-like monster that flies at super-sonic speeds. Soon another Rodan shows up and the two wreak havoc. What in the world will Japan do?

    Great Japanese giant monster movie with anti-nuke message; a classic of its type. Not on the level of the original Godzilla (or Gojira, if you insist) but better than many of the cheesy sequels that came out later. It's cool that it was filmed in color. The special effects and action scenes are lots of fun. Love the music. It's a good way to pass the time.
    8Hitchcoc

    Another Couple Weeks of Hell for the Japanese

    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.
    6AaronCapenBanner

    Rodan Emerges

    Ishiro Honda directed this film, which starts off in a small Japanese mining community beset by mysterious killings and disappearances that turn out to be caused by giant insects who are later found to be sealed up in a cavern with Rodan, a giant flying prehistoric bird/lizard that escapes, then attacks Japan(still recovering from Godzilla!) It proves difficult to kill, and as it turns out, isn't alone, and has an egg it's guarding to boot... First film appearance of Rodan(and it's only solo film) has an imaginative opening sequence with the mine subplot, though picks up when Rodan finally appears, even though it's just an airborne version of Godzilla. The surviving Rodan would make return appearances in the Godzilla series, starting with "Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster".
    giatime

    Rodan rules.

    This is a really well made movie. The colors are great and the effects are pretty coll for 50 years ago. I love to watch these sort of movies with my six year old. Todays kids cannot see horror movies anymore because of the gore. So I have introduced him to the classics and as such enjoy the hell out of watching these sort of movies with him. The modern world has really lost that special something that comes with engaging the imagination as many of us did in the sixties and even the seventies. Rodan is probably the best of all the old toho movies. At least I know it's my favorite. Now soon comes the last in the series this Christmas and it should prove to be waesome.
    Sargebri

    The Japanese Them

    This film is one of the best of the kaiju eigas that Toho ever made. The reason for this is that it is played much like the movie that in a way inspired it, "Them". The way the film begins plays almost like them did, the police and mine workers wondering who, or what, is responsible for the deaths of four men. The tension builds and builds from the first appearance of the giant insects to the destruction of Fukuoka (for some reason called Sasebo in the American version). Even though Rodan the monster did not become as successful as Godzilla, the film is more of a thrill ride and definitely should be hailed as a great science fiction film.

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    Related interests

    Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in Twister (1996)
    Disaster
    Haruo Nakajima in Godzilla (1954)
    Kaiju
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The cable supporting Rodan over Sasebo Bridge snapped, causing suit actor Haruo Nakajima to fall 25 feet into the water. The incident is left in the movie as the scene where Rodan dives into the water near the bridge and submerges. The cables were re-attached for the scene where Rodan lifts off out of the water, but they almost broke again because the suit became waterlogged and doubled in weight.
    • Goofs
      The opening title says "Rodan © COPYRIGHT MCMXXX1V TOHO CO. LTD." This 1956 film was not copyrighted in 1934.
    • Quotes

      Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi (biology): Judging from a piece of its eggshell that we discovered, this one, which we've named Rodan, has a wingspan of 270 feet and weights over 100 tons.

    • Crazy credits
      In the U.S. version, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya's name is misspelled "Eiji Tsuburya."
    • Alternate versions
      In the original Japanese version, there is no dialogue prior to Rodan's attack on the two honeymooners. The American version later added dialogue in which the young woman was joking about her husband taking pictures of the volcano rather than her. Also, in the original version the scene plays a little longer with Rodan making a pass above the couple, with his shadow passing over them, before he swoops in to carry the couple off.
    • Connections
      Edited into Valley of the Dragons (1961)

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 6, 1957 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • Mandarin
      • Tagalog
    • Also known as
      • Rodan. Los hijos del volcán
    • Filming locations
      • Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, Japan
    • Production company
      • Toho Film (Eiga) Co. Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $500,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $500,000
      • Aug 6, 1957
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 14m(74 min)
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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