classicsoncall Right behind the 1956 monster epic "Gojira" (Godzilla) came this tale of huge flying monsters called "Rodan". The back story explains that Rodans were a carnivorous prehistoric species and members of the snake family. Over twenty million years old, they have the destructive power of a typhoon, but even though the Rodan in the movie managed to topple over a bridge with the force of it's wind shear, it had no similar effect on the Japanese Air Force planes sent to intercept it. As Spock would say - "Fascinating".Well look, there was a time and a place for these kinds of flicks back in the Fifties when movie monsters took center stage and kids of all ages would marvel at their exploits. Watching today, the dated effects and miniature toy props lend a comically surreal aura to this tale of reawakened monsters from the depths of their underground home. The first of these to make their appearance, the wide-eyed gigantic caterpillars, have a certain pre-Star Trek sensibility to them. I was reminded of that Horta episode where the rock creature was defending it's eggs against the intruding humans.Part of this story is told in flash back style with narrator Shigeru (Kenji Sahara) explaining how the caterpillar monsters were originally discovered. Later on he relates how he came across a gigantic egg in an underground coal mine, precisely at the moment one of the Rodans was hatching. I thought it rather creative that when examined by scientists, the egg shell proved to be a good half foot thick. Obviously, there was some thought put into this at just the right spots.I guess it would be pretty easy to come down hard on this picture for it's cheesy special effects and goofy looking monsters, but you have to keep in mind this was put together almost sixty years ago with no technology to speak of. The film makers managed to tie the monster angle in with the world's fascination with UFO's at one point by describing the yet unseen creature as traveling at supersonic speed with immense destructive power. If you've got a little over an hour to kill, this trip back in time might be worth your while to check out the origins of the Japanese monster genre (along with Godzilla), leaving me with only one question - how does Rodan manage to leave a vapor trail?

jacobjohntaylor1 The R.O..D.A.N sequels all have Godzilla. They are all very good movies. This is the first R.O.D.A.N movie. It is the only R.O.D.A.N movie that does not have Godzilla. This is the best R.O.D.A.N movie of all. Mind you I can think Godzilla movies that did not have R.O.D.A.N that were better then this movie. The plot is that a nuclear bomb wakes up two ancient fire breathing dragons. They mean to destroy the world. This is a great movie see it. It is very scary. See it. See all the R.O.D.A.N movies. There are great movies Great movies Great movies. This is the beast one. See it. see it see it see it see it see it. Great movie great movie great movie. Old monster movies are so very very cool.

gavin6942 When a village is besieged by giant caterpillars, a more horrifying discovery is made in their underground home... a giant flying creature that resembles a prehistoric pterodactyl. Soon after, a second Rodan appears and the two monsters begin to destroy Japan.I turned this movie on for a little cheese to enjoy after dinner. I find that films in the Japanese monster genre tend to be short and are easy to watch casually, with very little need to focus on details. A monster shows up and destroys things. And the reason is connected to atomic bombs.I found this to be a bit better than average. It had a slower start, with the caterpillars not being particularly interesting to me. But once the Rodans showed up, all heck broke loose. Is Rodan better than Godzilla? Possibly so. Certainly he seems to be more powerful and is more mobile. I look forward to seeing more of them on screen together.Oh, and George Takei lends his voice to the American dub.

preppy-3 The first movie to introduce rodan--a giant flying reptile. At a deep mine in Japan large prehistoric insects appear and start attacking a nearby town. To make things worse two giant flying reptiles appear also. They can fly at supersonic speed and fly all around Japan destroying cities and killing people. How can they be stopped? The first Toho monster movie in color and considered by some to be its best (next to "Godzilla"). I liked some of it but this film has some huge problems. First the lousy dubbing really hurts the film. Second are the dramatic tone shifts--first it's a horror movie, then a love story, THEN a war movie! It never settles on a consistent theme. Third, the special effects are pretty bad. The large prehistoric insects are laughable. The rodans (who don't appear until almost an hour in) look somewhat impressive but their flying sequences are so obviously rubber dummies held up by strings it's more funny than scary. Fourth, the same war footage and flying footage of the rodans is used again and again and AGAIN! It gets boring.On the plus side this film is fast-moving and pretty exciting and filmed in BRIGHT color. Also it's only 72 minutes long so it goes by quickly. All in all this is best for kids. I give it a 5.