Originally titled Sora no daikaiju Radon (Giant Monster of the Sky Radon) in its native Japan, Rodan tells the tale of Kitamatsu, a coal mining town that is reeling from the apparent murder of a miner and the disappearance of the likely culprit.
The missing perpetrator, Goro (Rinsaku Ogata), is thought to be hiding in the deep recesses of the mine. When several men go in to the mine to bring him to justice, they are attacked by a creature resembling a car-sized caterpillar. This creature is later identified as a Meganulon, a prehistoric insect long thought extinct.
Another expedition into the mine results in one man, Shigeru (Kenji Sahara), becoming separated from the other members of the group as they are attacked by multiple Meganulons. Following Shigeru’s disappearance, an earthquake causes a sinkhole to appear near Mt. Aso, an active volcano near the town. From this hole appears Rodan, a large pterodactyl-like dinosaur. As the Japanese Self-Defense Force struggles to cope with the destruction the large creature can create with its wings, they soon learn that another Rodan has emerged from the same area.
Rodan, the movie, is a strange combination of kaiju (giant monster) action and the lengthy mystery-oriented introduction to the Meganulon creatures, which do serve a purpose in the overall story — albeit an off-handed one. For those who watch kaiju films expecting large drawn-out scenes of destruction and mayhem, Rodan is relatively disappointing as the majority of the monster’s screen time is comprised of a chase sequence involving a squadron of F86 Sabre jets. When Rodan does attack a city, it’s relatively brief and unsatisfying.
The special effects work is also disappointing as many scenes involving the unwieldy Rodan awkwardly flying (or gliding) around plainly show support wires most of the time. There also are a large number of effects-based sequences that are repeatedly re-used either to hide the fact that the Rodan costume and models were poorly done or to pad the running time which eeks out at just over 80 minutes. I realize that the effects in these early kaiju films are known to be relatively cheap-looking but these are bad even by that standard.
For those looking to relive the nostalgia of their youth, however, Rodan serves up a great time. The movie is also suitable for kids, so if you’re looking to introduce your children to an alternative to today’s CGI-infested fare, don’t hesitate to give the American version of Rodan a spin in the DVD player. The original Japanese version — which is also available on the same disc — would be a harder sell to kids due to the subtitles.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
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