Rodan - A Kaiju Love Story

With Godzilla on ice for the next few years, Toho wanted to try something new. After establishing themselves as the monster movie makers in Japan, they thought "Why stop the gravy train now?" So, they didn't. The fact of the matter is, making a kaiju film is a lot easy and not as problematic as making any other kind of movie, and fresh of the heels of Godzilla Raids Again, Toho really knew this best. So, in hopes of exploring new monsters and trying to fill the void left by Godzilla, it's back to the drawing board for Toho. And what they came up with next was actually really great: simple yet effective, while also being entertaining and scary enough to be able to get people in seats and people telling their friends "You have to see this movie!" Because the next monster movie on this list is the 1956 classic, Rodan.

The mining town of Kitamasu is under a lot of stress recently, with one miner going missing, only later to be found dead; cut and slashed all over. A prehistoric threat emerges from the below as an ancient nest of dragonfly larvae known as the Meganulon come to terrorize the town, causing another miner named Shigeru Kawamura (played by Kenji Sahara), to go missing. When he does reemerge, the Meganulon are missing, and what seem to be two giant UFOs start terrorizing towns all across Asia, only later to be discovered to be two giant ancient pterosaurs named Rodan. It's now only a matter of time before the Rodan reunite and begin to attempt the revival of their species.

Where this movie really succeeds is in MASTERFUL tension. The Rodan don't actually appear for a really long time, as it seems this movie might have actually taken some notes from Godzilla in its plot execution. What Rodan does that is really interesting however is its subversion of expectations. If you looked at the poster and then saw the movie, you'd feel like you were lied to in the first half. The Meganulon, while an interesting problem, are definitely not worthy merit of being in a giant monster movie. So because of how much time is dedicated to the Meganulon, it's almost shocking when Rodan enters the picture. In a brilliantly executed scene, Shigeru, suffering from amnesia and returned from his trip below ground sees his lover Kiyo (played by Yumi Shiragawa)'s birds hatching. Only when he sees them hatching however does he fully regain his memory and see a flashback of what he saw in the cave: a massive pterosaur egg eat all the Meganulon as he could only watch and realize that the issue at hand wasn't as big as what was coming next. This movie does everything in its power to keep raising the stakes and make every scene more intense than the last, and it does a brilliant job.

Outside of the tension, my favorite thing about the movie is of course: the effects. Godzilla Raids Again really wasn't a bright spot for Toho or this series. But this movie REALLY steps it up, especially after Raids Again. This is the first movie in this review series that will actually be in color, and I'm glad they saved filming in color for Rodan. The two Rodan both look fantastic, their red color scheme making them easy to spot in any frame of the movie, even with the young Rodan hatchling that was born in a really dark cave. Their entire design is really just perfect. Earlier I used the phrase simple but effective, and it really shows. The design is enough that it is not too complicated to make a suit for, but their distinct horns and roar make them distinctly Toho in the best way. The wonderful effects aren't just limited to the Rodan, however. The miniatures used for the destruction scenes look really fantastic, the only downside being that of course, they had to be destroyed. The only downside to a lot of these movies is they unlike other set pieces, they're really hard to preserve. Outside of just the fact that the city models and miniatures all get destroyed, even the costumes tend to fall apart within a matter of years. It's a shame, but, that's just life, I guess. Back to the movie, I know they left discussion awhile ago, but I wanted to mention the Meganulon one last time. Because even though I can see why one might say they look a little silly, they still don't look very bad at all. They aren't menaces, that's for sure. They aren't going to fill a poster or get an audience terrified over giant bugs, because Lord knows people get terrified of giant bugs anyway. But the Meganulon and all the effects just look really great, and are another testament to the amazing work and care that went into these films from every aspect of production. Except Godzilla Raids Again. It must be a bummer being that movie, being stuck between two classics like it is. Well, hey. It happens sometimes.

In short, there's a lot to love about Rodan. You get three great monsters for the price of one, a genuinely enthralling story that keeps you wanting to watch, and in general, you really get what you paid for. I wanted to write about the ending, but I'm not gonna go anywhere near it. I'll leave you on the note that the film is very worth your time, and make sure to stay till the end for an ending that's sure to stick with you.

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BOOM! Movie number three is in the books! Next thing you know, it's gonna be May and King of the Monsters is already out. Tomorrow's gonna be an interesting one: the Mysterians, an enjoyable flick that you might like. Thank you for reading, and see you tomorrow for THE MYSTERIANS!