| Rodan (1956) |
| Rating: 4 Severed Heads |
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| Synopsis: In the mining community of Kitamatsu, miners start showing up dead in the caves, mauled to death by an unknown creature. That creature turns out to be a bunch of giant insect creatures that are living deep inside the mining caves. When a group goes to investigate the giant insects, they are trapped by a cave in caused by a massive earthquake and the only survivor, Shigeru, is left with amnesia. After the earthquake, reports come in from around the globe of a giant flying creature. It is soon determined that there is not one, but two monsters which are determined to be from a prehistoric race of creatures known as the Rodan. The Rodans come back to Japan to wreak havok destroying buildings and newlyweds with their destructive supersonic blasts. And to make matters worse, a volcano, dormant for years, is coming back to life. Toho, best known for the Godzilla movies, created this film and it definitly exhibits the usual characteristics of a Toho film. One or another of the Rodans would, as many of you know, appears again to fight with and alongside of Godzilla in several of his later films. But Rodan's sole starring role is this film, which introduces the monster very well and follows a great story line and introducing a lot of the types of things that later Toho monster movies would be known for. While not as brooding as the first Godzilla pictures, it's still not a silly monster slapstick like the films Toho would go on to make. Rodan stands as arguably one of the best non-Godzilla Toho films. |
| What Has This Movie Taught Us? -Being tied to your friends to not get lost is a good idea till one of them gets eaten -Pistols make small explotions in the ground when shot -Mining carts are more effective against monsters than machine guns -Rodan leaves contrails -Cameras are apparently heavier than a human body -Rodan is to a volcano like a moth is to a lightbulb |
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| Memorable Moments: 05min- This is a boring amusement park ride 15min- Nothing like a giant earwig to spoil the mood 17min- Ahem, your strings are showing 29min- Watch the background after the pilot dies, the film is in reverse and then normal, so the plane in the background goes backward then forward in one movement. Hilarious to watch! 35min- So their bodies blew away, but the camera and shoe stayed put? 37min- That egg could make one tasty omlette I reckon 51min- Is anyone else remined of the original Star Wars movie right now? 62min- Operation Rodan, where did you think up that original title? |
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| Don't Quote Us On That: Shigeru: "Even in death there was a look of horror on his face, as if in those last moments he had seen something dreadful and terrible beyond words." Military Guy: "If this thing you call Rodan is extinct, how come it is still alive?" |
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