‘Professor, we have a file on transitional saurian forms…’
A mysterious underground flood leaves a miner dead and another missing. The authorities blame the missing man but the emergence of a giant insectoid creature from the tunnels causes them to revise their opinion.
Ishirô Honda’s Kaiju feature begins slowly as it prioritises credibility over SFX and outlandish monster mayhem. There is actually some early character work for the principals before the dramatic action takes over and we’re sitting around a large table with a bunch of military and scientific types. But it’s still a good half hour before Rodan himself makes an appearance and then it’s just a fleeting glimpse. These efforts at plausibility mean it’s a much better picture than the Toho Studio’s later monster smackdowns but, of course, it’s not nearly so much fun.
The SFX are variable with some nicely detailed and intricate miniature sets as the main standout. The model vehicles are not nearly so convincing and Rodan himself is rather inflexible, despite the presence of Haruo Nakajima (the original Godzilla!) inside the suit. Our prehistoric hero also seems to need wires to get airborne but he’s still having a fine time pushing over Tokyo when the Missus turns up. She’s obviously none too pleased that he’s stayed out all day on the lash and drags him back off to their volcano home. Sadly, it’s all downhill for the big bird from there.
‘You never take me anywhere anymore…’
I’m not one for pushing product but I got this on a double DVD set with ‘War of the Gargantuas’ (1966) that featured subtitled cuts of the original Japanese films and the U.S. release versions. You also get an excellent hour long documentary on the SFX narrated by film director Alex Cox and featured input from many of the technicians and model makers who were originally involved. And three generations of actors who have played the Big G himself! And all for just £5! Recommended.
Mark David Welsh 