"Never A Horror Like It!"	Rodan (1956) Directed by: Ishir� Honda Approx. Running Time: 82 minutes Rating: Not Rated Listing on the A.K.A. Page: CLICK HERE A Second Opinion: Eccentric Cinema Buy it on DVD at: Amazon.com or Movies Unlimited Buy the Uncut Japanese Version on DVD at: Video Daikaiju My Rating:

The Rodans - Two prehistoric flying reptiles that have hatched from ancient eggs. These two massive monsters bedevil the Japanese airforce, wreck the city of Sasebo, and meet a fiery end in their volcanic home.

Following the success of 1954's Gojira and it's sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, Toho's dream team of film maker's banded together again to bring a new terror to the screen. Rodan (Actually Radon in Japan. The name change came about because a soap brand of the same name was being sold in Great Britain at the time.) was released in 1956 and was the first kaiju film to be shot in color. (Sadly it was not filmed in widescreen. King Kong vs. Godzilla had the distinction of being the first kaiju film shot in "Tohoscope.") I had originally reviewed the Americanized version of Rodan several years back and had always longed to see the film in it's uncut form. Thanks to the fine folks at Video Daikaiju, I was able to obtain the "unsoiled" version of Rodan.

The movie begins in the mining village of Kitamatsu where strange things begin to happen. After a sudden flood in Mineshaft 8, Shigeru, a safety engineer, arrives on the scene. Apparently two miners were trapped by the flood waters and are still in the mine. Shigeru and several volunteers wade through the water and soon come across the badly mangled body of Yoshi, one of the missing men. Everyone immediately thinks that he was murdered by his missing counterpart, Goro, especially since both men were quarreling earlier that day. Shigeru as fate would have it is dating Goro's sister, Kyo, and arrives at her home that night to console her. As he assuages her fears and doubts about Goro's whereabouts and well-being, an enormous caterpillar waddles in through the open back door! (You certainly don't see that every day!). Shigeru and Kyo escape certain death and alert some nearby police officers and miners. The men enter the house and are soon besieged by the large insect. Seeing as how small arms fire is useless, the men flee for their lives allowing the creature to escape.

This part of the movie contains some of the biggest differences between both versions of Rodan. The Meganurons (giant caterpillars) get a more screen time in the original Japanese version. While this is great news to all of you kaiju purists, I have to admit that the extra footage of the Meganurons is often unconvincing and laughable. However, this does indeed add to the charm of the film and creates a little fun and laughter for what was intended to be a serious movie. Getting back to the action, the officers and miners manage to regroup under the leadership of Police Chief Nishimura and chase the offending insect across town and eventually back to it's lair within Mineshaft 8. The entrance is blockaded and the Japanese Self-Defense Force is called in by Nishimura to handle the major pest problem.

Shigeru has lost several friends to this ravenous creature and decides to lead the military into the mineshaft. Once they are at the end of the mineshaft, they discover Goro's mangled body and that pesky Meganuron. Machine guns and pistols prove to be completely ineffective against the prehistoric critter so everyone quickly retreats to the mine's entrance. Along the way, Shigeru has a brainstorm and decides to send a volley of minecarts at the advancing Meganuron. While the caterpillar's dense armor may be able to deflect bullets, it can't stand up to the collision of nearly a dozen mining carts! With the creature slain, Shigeru and the soldiers continue onward. They soon find an opening in a wall and enter into a huge cavern. Shigeru goes through first and is soon cornered by yet another Meganuron. The soldiers fire their guns at the creature and end up causing a rockslide that kills the monstrous insect and traps Shigeru in the cavern.

Days later, an earthquake occurs near the crater of Mount Aso, near Kitamatsu. Chief Nishimura, Professor Kashiwagi, a group of reporters, and some soldiers arrive on the scene and discover a huge hole in the ground. Suddenly, one of the reporters notices a man stumbling through the newly created fissure in the ground. Well I'll be damned! It's Shigeru, and he has amnesia! (I guess a good chunk o' rock hit him on the noggin?) While everyone, including Kyo, tries to jog Shigeru's memory, strange events are taking place all over the Pacific. An object flying at super-sonic speeds has been sighted in several countries and has evaded radar and jetplanes. Could the appearance of this U.F.O. have anything to do with recent events? Soon enough, we learn that the object in question is in fact a living creature with an affinity for destroying military jets and eating unsuspecting humans.

Back in Kitamatsu, Shigeru finally regains his memory when Kyo shows him two hatching lovebird eggs. At the sight of the breaking shells, Shigeru recalls what he saw when he was trapped deep underground. A young Rodan hatched from an enormous egg and ravenously devoured all of the Meganurons in the cavern. The creature then took flight, leaving a disgusted and amnesiatic Shigeru behind. After his sudden recovery, Shigeru tells his story to the authorities and press and identifies the flying reptile with the aid of Professor Kashiwagi. Afterwards, a search for Rodan's roost is carried out in the Kitamatsu area. During the kaiju hunt, Shigeru and his allies discover Rodan digging out of the ground several miles from the mine. Moments after the creature takes to the air (and wrecks a jeep), the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force springs into action and attacks Rodan.

As is the case with most Japanese kaiju films, the military attacks on the monster prove ineffectual and several jets are lost in battle. There is a great scene here worth mentioning, in which Rodan dives into the water beneath a huge bridge. The pursuing pilots think they've wounded the mighty monster and caused it to crash. They fire their weapons into the foaming water and make a few passes until Rodan comes dashing out of the waves. It then makes a pass back over the bridge and causes the structure to collapse. (This scene showcases some great effects work on the part of the late Eiji Tsuburaya who's work extends throughout the majority of the Showa Godzilla series.) After laying waste to the bridge, Rodan makes it's way to the city of Sasebo and tears up the town. Using it's wings to create hurricane force winds, Rodan blows away buildings, vehicles, and people across the city streets.

The Japanese Self-Defense Force sends out a division of tanks to attack the creature and once again, it all proves futile. As if things didn't already look bleak for the Japanese at this point, a second Rodan suddenly shows up and aids it's mate in the destruction of Sasebo. (Wait, how can a second one just appear now with only fifteen minutes left of the movie?!) Eventually both creatures become weary of the constant volley of gunfire and rockets and depart for their home back at Mt. Aso. What's truly odd about this sudden appearance of a second Rodan is that there's really nothing leading up to it, save for a few vague hints during the "U.F.O. sightings" portion of the film. In the Americanized version, the movie was re-edited and the existence of two Rodans is revealed early on.

After the attack on Sasebo, the military discovers that the two great beasts are nesting within the crater of Mount Aso. The army decides to bury the marauding creatures alive by blasting the volcano with tank shells and ballistic missiles. Though there is a risk of causing a volcanic eruption, they continue onward with their plan. Things nearly go awry when one of the Rodans actually escapes the assault, but luckily the volcano erupts at that very moment. The fleeing beast is engulfed by the heat and fumes and it falls into the boiling lava below. It's mate takes off into the air but refuses to leave it's fallen comrade and the two great beasts, "masters of the air and land," are consumed by fire together. (The moral of the story kids: If your true love is engulfed in flames, run away and save yourself! Better to have loved and lost than died in a raging inferno!)

The uncut version of Rodan is a very good kaiju film but takes itself far too seriously. For that reason alone, the Americanized version actually manages to be more entertaining, despite the re-edits, cut scenes, and horrendously dubbed dialogue. Despite the serious and somewhat somber tone of the uncut version, it's a lot of fun to watch and has many unintentionally funny moments. A lot of this is due to the effects work, which was top notch at the time. The miniatures and puppets of the Meganurons are completely unrealistic and executed poorly as are the rubbery Rodan models used in several scenes. Despite that though, the monster suits look great and the miniature cities and final eruption of Mt. Aso are testament to the skill of effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya. The music in the film was composed by Toho favorite, Akira Ifukube. Though I have great respect for this man and his musical talents, I have to say that his score for Rodan was definitely not his best work. There was just something missing in the film's music, I just can't seem to put my finger on exactly what.

So you may be wondering after all of this, which version of Rodan do I officially prefer? The jury is still out on that one I'm afraid. I've watched both versions back-to-back and I can't decide which one I like better. The kaiju purist within is telling me to choose the Japanese original but truthfully I found it easier to watch the Americanized release in one sitting. Either way, Rodan is a great addition to your kaiju film library so don't hesitate to rent or buy it. If you do buy it however, I would say to get the uncut version from Video Daikaiju. The picture and sound is clean, the subtitles are fairly accurate, and the DVD-Rs come with chapter stops and usually a trailer before (and sometimes after) the movie. However, if you want to go the cheaper route, Classic Media (a division of the evil Sony corporation) has released the shorter Americanized version of Rodan on DVD. The print on it is a bit worn but watchable and it's best watched without the "Dolby 5.1 Surround." For some reason, the 5.1 surround sound echoes as if it were recorded in a cave.