Rodan (1954) starring Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata
In Rodan, in the Japanese mining village of Kitamatsu, miners are starting to disappear deep inside shaft number 8. Some of the men sent to investigate are killed but one who has managed to escape brings back a tale of a giant insect.
Review
Rodan begins with two miners, Goro and Yoshizo, fighting with each other. And later, they both go missing. A search party is able to find and rescue Yoshizo. But he’s unconscious, and unable to tell what happened. In the meantime, rescue teams are looking for Goro … and they’re attacked by something in the mines.
Something in the mines
Since the men killed in the mines were Goro’s friends, he’s not a likely culprit. And then we see clearly for the first time the strange monsters from the mines. Something like a giant caterpillar/slug with pincers, that’s immune to hand gun fire.
The miners and guards bravely chase the creature away, and chase it into the mines. Where they discover that light machine gun fire does little more than annoy the creature. So, they try ramming it with the coal wagon. And it works! Until more of the creatures show up! Thankfully, a mine collapse causing the roof of the mine shaft to kill the creatures.
The hypothesis is that prehistoric eggs were at just the right temperature, etc. to hatch — releasing the monsters. The creatures are identified as Meganulon. But there’s strange seismic activity near the mine …. And a survivor of the mine collapse, Kawamura, is found, but with amnesia.
Something in the skies
Then, there’s an eruption on Mount Asu. And something‘s doing supersonic flight, with a pilot pursuing. But the mystery ship is 1.5 times faster than the pilot’s ship. Until it turns around and destroys him. And more planes are going missing …
Our unidentified flying object is going around the world and causing devastation, but can’t be identified because of it’s speed. And an unfortunate couple provide the first partial photo of it — posthumously. Is it a Pteranodon?
Now I remember
Back at the hospital, a nurse named Kiyu shows Kawamura a bird nest, with an egg hatching. And that triggers his memory from the mines. He remembers seeing Meganulon hatching. But then, a larger creature hatches, and begins eating the Meganulon as food. And growing larger …. So he leads the people back to the cavern where he saw them.
Hello, Rodan
Soon, the military — along with their scientific advisors — meet Rodan in the flesh for the first time. And experience the devastating wind produced by his flight. Jets are scrambled in pursuit, and are helpless.
Rodan lands in a heavily populated area, causing massive damage. The military attacks with tanks, to no effect. And, to make matters worse, there are two Rodans to contend with.
Towards the end, the humans have a daring plan to stop the Rodans … which actually work. And when one of them is dying in a volcano, the other won’t abandon it’s mate. A sad, tragic ending.
Trivia
- Rodan’s original Japanese name, Radon, is actually short for the Japanese word for Pteranodon (“Puteranodon”).
- First Japanese monster movie filmed in color.
- Even back in 1954, they were trying to push the “global warming” mantra.
- In his autobiography, George Takei says that this was his first professional acting job, and all dialogue voices were provided by himself, Keye Luke, “another man” (Paul Frees) and one woman.
Product description
WHEN A SMALL MINING VILLAGE STARTS TO EXPERIENCE STRANGE DEATHS IN THE NEARBY MINES, THE AUTHORITIES DISCOVER THAT THE CAVES ARE BESIEGED BY GIANT CATERPILLARS WITH AN APPETITE FOR HUMANS!
If this isn’t bad enough, a more horrifying discovery is made in their underground home…a giant flying creature that resembles the prehistoric pterodactyl. Soon after, a second Rodan appears and the two monsters begin to wreak havoc across the world. Flying at supersonic speeds, Rodan and his mate cause hurricane force winds that spin fighter jets out of control and anything that moves on the ground has become potential “lunch!”
Leave a Reply