Rodan

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.