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Rodan (1956)
is a
science fiction
movie made at
Toho Studios in
Japan. It is one of a series of "giant monster" movies that found an
audience outside of Japan (especially in America). The first "giant
monster" movies of the
1950s, called
kaiju, were filmed as serious horror and adventure stories,
before the genre devolved to the level of "kiddie" entertainment in the
1960s and
1970s.
Rodan follows in the footsteps of other Japanese monster
movies, such as
Godzilla, which involve a giant monster being awoken from an
ancient hibernation by human beings. In this story, miners digging far
into the earth stumble across a clutch of giant caterpillar-like insects,
which viciously attack several of the miners and prompt a government
investigation into the matter. The giant bugs turn out to be little more
than food for two gigantic flying beasts (similar to the
pteranodon, except they are far bigger and far more powerful), who
hatch from giant eggs and proceed to terrorize the entire world.
Rodan is notable for its action scenes, which are filmed
surprisingly well and which still excite audiences today. Unlike most of
the Toho monster movies, which featured "action" scenes consisting of
roaring monsters lumbering across the landscape at a stupefyingly slow
pace, the battle scenes and monster rampage in Rodan are
thrilling, exciting, and fast-paced; it is much easier for the audience to
suspend disbelief and accept the typically mediocre special effects
here. The emphasis on action, thrills, and willingness to scare the
audience makes Rodan one of the superior films in the kaiju
series.
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