I really like how Toho stayed with the whole "giant dinosaur" aesthetic when they were making their early monsters. Godzilla? A T-Rex. Anguirus? An Ankylosaurus. Rodan? Pterodactyl. As a massive dino fan, it just brings a smile to my face :)
@Shadowrulzalways4 жыл бұрын
Jay Well sure but now Godzilla is classified as his own species. A Godzillasaurus.
@scado56794 жыл бұрын
then they made Varan, which was a gigantic flying squirrel
@Mariofredx4 жыл бұрын
Rodan is a pteranodon. Pterodactyl is used to refer to any pterosaur which are flying reptiles. You probably know this by now
@brianpaschal54304 жыл бұрын
I feel exactly the same way about these movies myself Jay, they were & still are very good in my opinion.
@mocharger063 жыл бұрын
@@scado5679, but they went too far when they made Camera, a giant turtle, fly like a Frisbee. LOL!
@Manda17716 жыл бұрын
This movie is ambitious for the fact that it not only is the first non-Godzilla movie to be in color. It's TOHO's first movie to feature a flying monster a trend that continues to this day. Question are you reviewing every kaiju movie in order of release within TOHO's catalog?
@UpFromTheDepths886 жыл бұрын
For now just the ones connected to Godzilla.
@marcustv56623 жыл бұрын
TOHO is the first movie from godzilla
@mrmememan79053 жыл бұрын
@@marcustv5662 wait what? Toho is the company who made godzilla so I have no idea how toho is a movie
@mukket6 жыл бұрын
I love how you review these movies, other people think these movies are silly and campy. Great job !
@Lewis_the_raider5 жыл бұрын
i agree with you, there's much more to these movies then just people in rubber suits (and even that is an art)
@wither56734 жыл бұрын
i mean....they are super cheesy (not the origional tho) but that's exactly why i love them.
@Epicgamer-eb7kk3 жыл бұрын
also thinking the new films are much better? Look at the worst sequel award Godzilla 2019 was nominated to
@channelwithout3 жыл бұрын
@@Epicgamer-eb7kk the new films are genuinely good, they get far too much hate from purists
@Epicgamer-eb7kk3 жыл бұрын
@@channelwithout Yes, also I love the new Godzilla film
@HatCreature5 жыл бұрын
Just saw this tonight for the first time, the ending was pretty sad, just two ancient dinosaurs unable to co-exist in a world no longer their own, I really enjoyed it.
@godzillathebestone67792 жыл бұрын
Pterosaurs aren't dinosaurs, they are reptile like me
@icedevilart13794 жыл бұрын
I still wish there was more rodan movies
@ebiros25 жыл бұрын
Compared to the crap like "The Giant Claw" special effects on this movie is really gold standard
@FlyingFocs5 жыл бұрын
0:27-0:32 I will never not love that shot. 63 years later, and it's still amazing.
@SuperSirianRigel2 жыл бұрын
Yes! It's hard to believe that is a practical effect. The detail put into that miniature jeep is crazy. lol
@MrEjidorie4 жыл бұрын
I was born in Japan when Rodan was released in 1956. Thanks to its color image, Rodan describes Japanese customs and manners very vividly at that time. Mining industry played an important role in the Japanese economy before 1960`s.
@Godzilla-tu2cd6 жыл бұрын
yes the king of the sky I can't wait to see Rodan in 2019
@MelnStarscream5 жыл бұрын
If you haven't seen the movie yet, I can tell, he is BREATHTAKING!!! Appart from his original appearance, that's the one I like the most!
@carltonpoindexter20343 жыл бұрын
The fact that they set in Sasebo, Japan: near Hiroshima makes one realize what the victims went thru in the A-bomb with the cyclonic windsand resultant firestorm. Time has been kind and this movie shows the best of practical effects which CGI cannot do.
@treystephens6166 Жыл бұрын
Unfortunately the Atomic Bombs had to be used. The Japanese just wouldn’t stop fighting!
@SuperSirianRigel5 жыл бұрын
This movie is truly a great and under-appreciated kaiju film. And is even little well known among people that I know. I watched this movie as a kid. (Still have the VHS tape from back then.) And I literally felt a sense of dread throughout the mystery parts of this movie. Like, "Who's gonna die next? And how!?" This is one of the best Toho kaiju movies ever. Top 5 for certain. :)
@abhirao85825 жыл бұрын
Watched the Japanese version last night. Really enjoyed it
@willowpingree79335 жыл бұрын
Yes. My second favorite Kaiju after Godzilla himself. I can't wait to see him in all his airborne glory in "King of the Monsters". I ❤ Rodan.
@iamthebaroness81484 жыл бұрын
Me too!
@ajzeg013 жыл бұрын
Fun Fact: George Takei did some voice work for the American dub.
@sirfijoe4502 жыл бұрын
I didn't know that. cool fact!
@johnrobinson69455 жыл бұрын
I have the VHS with the other Godzilla movies from my childhood, but I most recently saw Rodan hosted by Svengoolie two years ago in a New Mexico hotel room after a couple long days of driving and it was a wonderful night.
@dariusq88944 жыл бұрын
I remember in the 80's when they made a Godzilla Famicom/NES game that there was talk about making a Rodan game too. Shame it never came to be.
@BioGoji-zm5ph5 жыл бұрын
There are two things I've always found interesting about the differences between the US cut and Japanese cut of the film. 1. The added prologue for the American cut would have been perfect for the first Godzilla movie, since it made an obvious connection between the giant monsters and the testing of nuclear weaponry. However, it is made very clear later on that the monsters were most likely awakened by the coal mining reaching deep enough into the Earth to disturb the sleeping creatures (both the Meganulon and the Rodan eggs)… and this is in BOTH cuts. 2. The presence of two Rodans is much more pronounced and apparent in the American cut than in the Japanese cut, where it is not revealed that there are two Rodans until AFTER the first one has already begun attacking Fukuoka. And this makes the tragedy of both monsters dying at the end much more impactful, at least in my personal opinion.
@channelwithout3 жыл бұрын
I like both versions tbh, Rodan is just a great film all round.
@Tobascodagama4 жыл бұрын
The scenes with the dragonfly larvae are extremely reminiscent of Them!, particularly inside the cramped mine environments. That's one of my favourite monster movies, so I guess I need to watch this one as well.
@LegionIscariot3 жыл бұрын
I remember watching it so long ago as a child.
@mistergrool39414 ай бұрын
Great review of a fantastic movie. I gave this film my first serious re-watch last year and was stunned by how well it held up. It's absolutely my favorite non-Godzilla Showa era movie.
@bobbenson68254 жыл бұрын
The first part of this movie was a serious freakout for my 9-year old self back in the day.
@scado56794 жыл бұрын
You see?? THIS is how you do a dramatic twist that subverts the audience's expectations while still running along the same track. Rodan is amazing as always, and the Meganulon are legitimately scary. This movie is a prime example of how kaiju other than Godzilla can shine in their own movies.
@AirshipOverWater4 ай бұрын
One of my favorite kaiju! Great review!
@Guyverman015 жыл бұрын
You can get the Japanese cut on the Classic Media double pack with The Gargantuas.
@BioGoji-zm5ph5 жыл бұрын
@WaddleSenpai Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have opened my eyes to a TREASURE TROVE!
@channelwithout3 жыл бұрын
Turner Classic Movies have also had it for a while now.
@treystewart7312 жыл бұрын
Yeah. For $200.
@Krooksbane5 жыл бұрын
That Rodan hatching scene invokes heavy lovecraftian themes of horror. I love it
@mhorram4 жыл бұрын
I agree with your evaluation of Rodan; but I think you left out one important point. This movie was the first of the Kaiju movies to humanize its monster(s). There are two Rodans, a male and a female, and they care for one another. I am referring to the final scene where the male Rodan refuses to abandon the female Rodan trapped in the erupting volcano and ultimately immolates himself thus sharing her fate . . . a very human thing to do. Even as a little kid, back in the 1950s, I understood this and was in tears at the end. Rodan was a monster with whom mankind had to deal but we should have felt some compassion at its demise. [Just as we should have felt for the original King Kong who also died because of his love]. Toho tried to recreate this sentiment but in an almost laughable way in Return of Godzilla (1984). If I recall the movie rightly, the Japanese Prime Minister is crying as Godzilla is falling to his doom but there is no reason in the movie why he should have done so. The script did nothing to connect the Prime Minster (or the audience) emotionally with Godzilla. Worse, Steve Martin (Raymond Burr) launches a soliloquy in which he refers to Godzilla as (that strangely innocent and tragic monster) Worst, Martin's soliloquy has as its backdrop appropriately sad music. The writer of that soliloquy obviously had no idea what the word 'innocent' meant or what the word 'tragic' meant. So, humanizing a monster may not first have been done by Toho, Hollywood's treatment of King Kong and Frankenstein long predate it but in a little kid's heart back in the 1950s no company did that better than Toho.
@MrEjidorie4 жыл бұрын
+Peter Shearer I agree with you. Many Japanese audience was deeply impressed with humanization of Rodans at the last scene. However, it was a matter of coincidence. Due to a high temperature of molten iron as lava, a piano wire was melted, and a female Rodan was dropped. But Mr. Eiji Tsuburaya who was in charge of SFX decided to continue shooting the last scene with his quick wit. This footage depicted Rodan`s death in anguish very realistically.
@mhorram4 жыл бұрын
@@MrEjidorie Wow! Thank you for passing this bit of information on to me. If you think about it, it is almost as if divine intervention took place to give Rodan a perfect ending.
@SpScarletSpider3 жыл бұрын
I'm of the belief that the ending is even more tragic when you think about this: there were actually *three* Rodans in the movie. The male, the female, and the baby Rodan that Shigeru witnesses hatching out of the egg. When they decided to bring back Rodan in Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster, the Rodan that "revives" at Mt. Aso is the baby Rodan, now fully grown years after the death of his parents.
@mhorram3 жыл бұрын
@@SpScarletSpider Kudos on that analysis. I totally missed it. Thanks
@gus4u2c2 жыл бұрын
Ishiro Honda pointed out that the creatures are victims too, because they are coming in a world they didn’t want to be in, they are creatures from another time and place that are gone now.
@clairewatters13043 жыл бұрын
0:28 say goodbye ears.... its been nice knowing you
@KlldbyCuriosity4 жыл бұрын
Rodan is the prince of the monsters in my book
@kaiju1155 жыл бұрын
This movie may not be as amazing as Gojira(1954) but it still holds up really well. Also, am I the only one that wants Rodan to have another Solo movie be it done by Legendary or Toho?
@SuperSirianRigel2 жыл бұрын
Yes! Rodan deserves a new solo movie. And maybe even Mothra again as well.
@Redhand19492 жыл бұрын
The bugs in this thing scared the living daylights out of me as a ten-year-old when I saw it in the theater, and actually gave me nightmares. I think that was due to the scene in the flooded mine. And when one busted into the hospital room, there was a primal terror that there was no escape from them. They were far more terrifying than the two big flying Rodans.
@zappercapper15354 жыл бұрын
This was the very first kaiju film I ever saw and was the movie that introduced me to the world of Godzilla
@Emmanuel-ms8pr2 жыл бұрын
I love this film because the effects are the greatest and the highlight during the destruction of tokyo is the best
@DGCpicturesEntertainment2 жыл бұрын
The Japanese cut of the film is now available for free on KZfaq, so if you wanna make another review of the original (and better version in my opinion), you can now do that. 😁👍
@naturalattorney3 жыл бұрын
Me: watches film The film: PROCEEDS TO SHOW PIKACHU AND CHARMANDER
@ChrisPeteG5 жыл бұрын
The Classic Media Double Feature of Rodan/War of the Gargantuas has both versions of each film. Sadly it is out of print and one must pay 'collector's prices' to get it.....Criterion did acquire the rights to both films last year and rumor has it that they might be cooking up an epic Godzilla/Kaiju Box Set.
@FlyingFocs5 жыл бұрын
Oh please be true.
@rubyestes68045 жыл бұрын
How much will the box set cost tho
@FlyingFocs5 жыл бұрын
@@rubyestes6804 well considering a regular Criterion bluray goes for 35, probably in the region of 300-350. Maybe more
@titanofserpents43155 жыл бұрын
There's a double feature of Rodan/War of the Gargantuas at my public library.
@FlyingFocs4 жыл бұрын
@@rubyestes6804 update: its only contains the Showa Godzilla films, and is $225. Still, fifteen dollars a film isn't too bad.
@SJHFoto3 жыл бұрын
I LOVED this movie-I saw it as a kid, and it was genuinely scary. Imagine that the monsters that were terrorizing the town turn out to be just a light snack for Rodan, and you see how epic it is!
@randquadrozzi12803 жыл бұрын
Rodan was on tv regularly in the 70s then disappeared.had to buy it so my son could see it.just like me he loved it.remember seeing it as a 7 year old for the 1st time and the suspense had me glued to the tv.
@brycevo4 жыл бұрын
We had a Tyrannosaurus Stegosaurus, a Triceratops Ankylosaurus. Why not a Pteranodon?
@saleconomos4733 жыл бұрын
Very good review. The "flash back" scene and the segue to the birds nest is indeed great. A bit surprised you didn't touch on the last scene. A most haunting and tragic ending. Perhaps even more so than the ending of the original Gojira? IMHO
@tarzantabi78453 жыл бұрын
You're movie reviews are the best
@Tenajeh3 жыл бұрын
So, I recently learned - thanks to the Godzilla Singular Point anime - that Rodan's original name is Radon. Like the radioactive element. And it was changed for American viewers, allegedly to avoid confusion. At least that's what most sources say. Buuut, given how badly the first, very nuclear-critical Godzilla movie was censored for the American audience, I can't help but suspect that this detachment from making radioactivity look bad was intentional.
@voronOsphere4 жыл бұрын
Rodan is a great film!
@bigskippa6 жыл бұрын
Toho’s 2nd Big Monster.
@Extra475 жыл бұрын
Technically third because of Anguirus.
@jbeksubk83504 жыл бұрын
Extra not sure is anguirus counts as a big monster
@bobbedell41102 жыл бұрын
I really love your Kaiju films reviews Up From The Depths, They are very poignant and unique, I like it keep up. :)
@connorbrennan4233 Жыл бұрын
Thankfully, the original Japanese version is now available on KZfaq for free and I think on HBO Max as well. This may be a bit controversial, but when I watch a kaiju film, it's either the Japanese version or nothing.
@atomicninjazyuranger54183 жыл бұрын
Rodan 1965 is my favorite Rodan design.
@jbyesterday39593 жыл бұрын
One of the most frightening & exhilarating movies I remember watching in real time as a kid at the movies !
@herodaresfire45124 жыл бұрын
I just signed up for HBO Max, which has the original Japanese version. As always, it's much better than the American cut.
@channelwithout3 жыл бұрын
There are some of the edited US versions that I would say are on the same level as the Japanese originals for me, for example Invasion of Astro Monster and Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster. Then again, for every one of those you get the likes of the US version of Varan.
@D.Z.A.-kp8lf4 жыл бұрын
Rodan.. my favorite Kaiju
@doctajuice7 ай бұрын
Best kaiju film imo
@alexthehunted5 жыл бұрын
here's the thing i think the american cut is better then then Japanese cut it's better based has more rodan action rodan doesn't appear at all until the last 15 minutes
@articleanteater3 жыл бұрын
I rly wish they kept this rodan design. He looks so much better
@articleanteater3 жыл бұрын
@@DerpaTure9503 instead of the goof in ghidorah and invasion of astro monster
@garyreid61653 жыл бұрын
Rodan(Radon, as it is called in Japan). A great monster movie. It was more atmospheric than Godzilla. Actor George Takei did some voice work in this film. The Japanese version is sometimes played on TMC. The Japanese version has more scenes of Sasebo’s destruction from the Rodans.
@SuperSirianRigel9 ай бұрын
I never understood how Rodan looked great in this movie but looked worse in later Showa movies. I just never understood why they wanted to change him the way they did. He did finally look good again when he appeared in the Hesei series at least.
@ipeniemela3 жыл бұрын
If only Rodan got the same kind of bluray release as Mothra did last month from Eureka...
@wallygator922 жыл бұрын
I have a confession the ending made me cry.
@Phantanos9 ай бұрын
The original Rodans looked like hellish Gargoyles; apposed to the ping pong eyes and buzzard beak of the 60's. They were the kings of the skies! Originally they were supposed to be Archaeopteryx; instead of Pterosaurs. There are still shots of feathered models early in production.. The Japanese cut gives away the fact that there are two with shadows chasing the lovers at the volcano. The King Bros version surprises viewers after the first Rodan takes flight. The color of the movie was muted and more creepier. The Japanese version ended with people just watching the Rodans burn. The English one stands better with appropriate narration at the end.
@osamaahmad12383 жыл бұрын
Rodan is awesome. I'll never understand why Toho didn't make any more Rodan solo movies
@TollusRollus4 жыл бұрын
Surprised you didn't mention that the miniature effects were so good, they reused them for over a decade
@surfmorworkless4 жыл бұрын
Love these reviews. You have a new subscriber. 😁
@jaydentroeger9803 жыл бұрын
This year is rodan and mothra’s birthday
@YourLocalGummiBearsFan Жыл бұрын
This is my Favourite Kaiju Movie Flick! Japanese Version: Better Version American Version: *LOUD*
@Shadowrulzalways3 жыл бұрын
You know the Japanese version is available in on DVD and BlueRay by Classic Media.
@au79233 жыл бұрын
@John Reeves ok
@BaldPerspective Жыл бұрын
Hope you're doing well, Brandon, I love your channel!
@JustChadC3 жыл бұрын
But Jesus that ending was depressing
@saleconomos4733 жыл бұрын
Agreed. Even after first seeing it some 45 yrs ago, its still haunting now.
@KlldbyCuriosity4 жыл бұрын
Comet’s been streaming a high def version of the film if you want to watch in high def and in Japanese
@zillagrl243 жыл бұрын
I just saw the Japanese version for the first time, thanks to Comet!
@KlldbyCuriosity3 жыл бұрын
OompaWood Yup, it’s a great film and a clear reason why Rodan is so iconic
@ManahManah773 жыл бұрын
Their names are Rodan and Roseanne.
@GatchamanG4 Жыл бұрын
Besides the original Gojira, this my next favorite.
@crystalbirt13 жыл бұрын
Rodan 1956: ☆☆☆☆
@chreynest5 ай бұрын
a lot of high-speed photography for necessary slow-motion scenes (running camera at 96 frames per second is difficult)
@JH-lz4dh3 ай бұрын
Yeah I really liked this one
@thiscorrosion9004 жыл бұрын
minus the visible wires as Rodan lands on the building....but who's counting? Anyway, I hate being eaten by giant dragonfly larvae. It sucks.
@supremekaizamasu58893 жыл бұрын
Not sure if you already know this by now but the original japanese version is on archive.org with english subs.
@frankrappa6026 Жыл бұрын
I believe the japanese version is on HBOMAX and/or Tubi
@brianlawton81724 жыл бұрын
Great film on every level greater in fact for it starts out like most 50's monster insect movies but then it develops into completely different genre. Rodan never looked better. and the destruction scenes were so well done they would be reused again in later toho films. Sidebar: voice genius paul frees did most if not all the male voices in the U.S version.
@MrAlumni725 жыл бұрын
Curious about the source of your pronunciation of 'subsequent'.
@PointyTailofSatan4 жыл бұрын
It was originally called Radon, but attacks by an invisible cloud of radioactive nobel gas isn't that scary.
@ponyboy24436 ай бұрын
Rodan Rocks!!! Rodan stood toe to toe against Godzilla. People be talking about Kong could beat the original Rodan. Nope ain't gonna happen. Remember the King Kong was dying from conventional bullets. They was dropping bombs and Thanks against Rodan. And just like Godzilla it wasn't doing nothing to him. So no the original King Kong could beat Rodan!
@rod95274 жыл бұрын
Now that criterion released the entirity of the showa Godzilla series, i'm hoping they could release their other kaiju movies, especially Rodan, i love Rodan. both the monster and movie.
@myemimiese5 жыл бұрын
Finally saw this on the Criterion Channel. I really liked it. (Japanese version)
@Metallizombie5 жыл бұрын
You couldn’t get ahold of the dvd 2 pack with war if the gargantuas? That was an excellent pick up. It may be expensive and out of print at this point in time.
@ajzeg013 жыл бұрын
The second half of this movie is great. The first, not so much. What did the giant dragonfly larvae have to do with Rodan???
@SpScarletSpider3 жыл бұрын
They were meant to be a red herring for the characters. They originally thought that their biggest worries were the Meganulons (who come back later on in Godzilla vs Megaguirus), only to realize that the real threat they had to worry about was Rodan. The Meganulons were legitimately just snacks to Rodan, which showed just how powerful Rodan was.
@Jose_Hunters_EWF_Remixes5 жыл бұрын
Did anyone else notice at (0:35) it says "copyright MCMXXXIV Toho Co. LTD." which is 1934? Eh?
@paolowatchesyoutube11525 жыл бұрын
Yup. Maybe 1934 is the year Toho started copyrighting? The studio was founded 1932 and released their first movie in 1935, per Wikipedia.
@MonsieurBig5 жыл бұрын
It's on STARZ as the Criterion Collection. Not sure if it was on there when this was uploaded 5/13/19
@Gojirawars035 жыл бұрын
This movie is pretty decent. Not really a standout, but I’d recommend this one to any people who want to watch some good old classic Kaiju movies.
@callanhutchison18715 жыл бұрын
Just FYI clsssic media has the original rodan with the American version On the same disk it comes on a DVD package that also has war of the Gargantuas
@HighFlyersTagTeam4 жыл бұрын
ShowaVideo is a good place to try
@patrickgreen13505 жыл бұрын
The Japanese version is on the War Of The Gargantuas 2 pack by Classic Media
@GothSwan21095 жыл бұрын
Patrick Green out of print and very expensive now unfortunately
@SaurianStudios12076 жыл бұрын
Ima definitely see this one
@keithklitses64333 жыл бұрын
If by some chance you have the Turner Classic Movies channel, they have played the Japanese version.
@Lord-xy2fr3 жыл бұрын
In the Japanese version rodan apaires in 58:42 in
@Mr_Movie_Fan3 жыл бұрын
Yo, Up From The Depths, don't know if you have HBO MAX, but the Japanese version is on there
@drchristv3394 жыл бұрын
the one dislike is from one of the rodans
@callanhutchison18715 жыл бұрын
Just FYI clsssic media has the original rodan with the American version
@florgamboa69554 жыл бұрын
Rodan 1956 - 2019
@xfinafire5 жыл бұрын
Classic Media sold War of the Gargantuas and Rodan together as a double feature in movie stores, and both were in Japanese and English. How were you not able to get your hands on it?