Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining movie, bad DVD
Review: "Rodan" remains one of the most entertaining of all Japanese monster movies, with nice color photography and more consistent special effects than the original "Godzilla". This DVD, though, is a disappointment. The film is presented full-screen rather than widescreen, and the print that was used is by no means the cleanest you'll ever find--lots of scratches and dirt on the image. No effort appears to have been made to find better source material, and that makes for a less-than-stellar DVD experience. They could have done better.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Monster Debut
Review: "Rodan" is frequently compared to studio-mate Godzilla in many ways. I think that "Rodan" is at least as well made and in some ways superior to any of the Godzilla films. For starters it is in color, which was a bit rare for a film made in 1956; furthermore, the color is vibrant and well preserved in this modern print. The acting is better than most of the Toho films, as is the script. The biggest difference is the sets, with the "Rodan" sets far and away more realistic looking than the Godzilla counterparts. The blending of real shots and miniatures is far above average for a film of this age as well. The 'bridge' set featured near the end of the film is probably the best miniature set in the history of Toho productions. Rodan is a message movie, and, of course, cautions us about the use of nuclear weapons. The use of these weapons causes first the release of some just plain wacky looking caterpillar monsters, followed by two Rodans. The Rodans terrorize Japan until eventually they are engulfed by a man made volcanic eruption, in one of the best endings in any of the films of this genre. Of all the Toho monster films, I think that "Rodan" is my favorite. Buy it today and see what monster movies are supposed to look like!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining movie, bad DVD
Review: "Rodan" remains one of the most entertaining of all Japanese monster movies, with nice color photography and more consistent special effects than the original "Godzilla". This DVD, though, is a disappointment. The film is presented full-screen rather than widescreen, and the print that was used is by no means the cleanest you'll ever find--lots of scratches and dirt on the image. No effort appears to have been made to find better source material, and that makes for a less-than-stellar DVD experience. They could have done better.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a Bird...it's a plane...it's RODAN
Review: Actually its TWO (2) Rodans! Kenji Sahara leads the cast of Toho stalwarts in battle against GODZILLA's main competitor in Japanese monster mash film lore. The result is pretty good. First the movie is in color. Second, like the original Godzilla, it's sort of a pterodacyl didactic. That is: a monster morality/anti-BOMB fable. RODAN opens with stock footage of Los Alamagordo weapon's test. Then it shows the classic Bikini Atoll H-bomb blast.( Rodan is vengeful Nature's freak fruit of mankind's atomic loom) Third, judicious employment of Toho "Monsters-are-Us" models and miniature military accouterment (missiles; rocket launchers; jeeps, jets and toy soldiers)contrive to make RODAN's FX and "battle scenes" enjoyably realistic...or at least not "hokey-in-the-sky-with diamonds". The touch of RODAN and mate (2 Rodans for the price of 1) succumbing "together" adds what would now play as PC-environmental pathos: BAD MAN...GOOD RODAN! The Rodan himself comes-on like a mach-3 SR-71 Blackbird (complete with jet contrail). Its thunderball jetwash wrecks havoc like a living tornado; flattening buildings, bridges, and blowing countless, hapless extras off to OZ. RODAN is no Godzilla(King Kong or Gorgo). But it is fun 50's sci-fi monster stuff that used to play well at drive-ins or matinee. With today's hyped-up Jurassic Park raptors vengefully devouring viewers hungry for hysterical pre-historics, RODAN is unpretentious adventure in cool Creature Feature.
Rating:
Summary: Rodan- One of the best monster movies of all time.
Review: As a kid, this blew me away, and it still does now! Great special effects, a good human story.
Rating:
Summary: Mmmm... Crunchy Bugs!
Review: Coal miners dig deep into the earth under Japan, releasing hordes of gargantuan bug monsters! These loathesome larvae go on a rampage, killing scores of miners and helpless villagers. Great flick, huh? But wait! That's just the beginning! A miner named Shigeru (Kenji Sahara) is trapped in a cave-in. When he is rescued, he suffers from amnesia. His fiancee' shows him some bird eggs and Shigeru snaps out of it. He tells the story of his survival. He describes the hatching of an egg about the size of Rhode Island. The "chick" inside begins munching on the giant bug monsters like so many wiggly snacks! Yes, RODAN has arrived! Soon, a wave of destruction begins. The airforce tries to stop the flying reptile, but their jets can't get close to the super-sonic creature without exploding into pieces. Then, if things weren't bad enough, a second Rodan (the mate of the first) emerges! The two lovebirds annihilate anything / everything in their path, sending cars and buses tumbling, roofs flying, and buildings crumbling! Can the military defeat these ptwin pterodactyls of pterror? Can their lovenest be found before they procreate? My 8yo son and I were on the edges of our seats! Buy this one, it's the only movie where RODAN actually looks pretty cool...
Rating:
Summary: One of Toho's best!
Review: Following the release of Gojira (Godzilla, King of the Monsters, before Raymond Burr was cut in) and it's sequel, Toho made their first color giant monster movie: Rodan(aka Radon, and Rodan ,The Flying Monster).Unlike most creature features of the time Rodan doesn't make you wait 2/3's of the movie for a monster to show up .Meganurons, giant prehistoric dragonfly larva make their appearance rather early in the film.It's this part of the film that's often compared to "Them".However,in Rodan the giant insects are only the set up.In the most memorable scene, when the character comes out of shock, he not only remembers being trapped underground with the Meganurons but also the hatching of a Rodan chick from it's egg.Having the audience already in on the size of the larva provides instant scale, as the hatchling devours the Meganurons.To add to the excitement of the rest of the picture we learn that in fact two Rodans have hatched. The film is played straight, unlike later entries in what's become known as the Godzilla series. Although Rodan has appeared in other films, Gidorah,the Three Headed Monster,Godzilla vs Monster Zero(Invasion of the Astro Monsters),and Destroy All Monsters, the look of Rodan was never as good as in this, the original.
Rating:
Summary: From the Depths of the Earth Lurk Terrible Monsters!
Review: Following the success of the "Godzilla" monster movies, Toho Productions of Japan created another giant nuclear-age menace in the form of a giant pterodactyl known as "Rodan". However, in this early color film from 1956, there wasn't just one Rodan terrorizing Japan, there were two! Beginning in the quiet mining village of Kitamatsu on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, the miners who are digging very deeply inadvertently open a passage into a cavern where frightening giant insects dwell. After several miners are mutilated, one of the giant insects enters the village and frightens mining engineer Shigeru Kawamura (Kenji Sahara) and his girlfriend Kiyo (Yumi Shirakawa). Determined to stop the giant insects, Shigeru, Police Chief Nishimura (Akio Kobori) and several miners go down into the mine; but a cave-in traps Shigeru in the cavern. When the nearby volcano suddenly becomes active, several giant sinkholes form around the mine. Unsure if Shigeru is still alive, he is found wandering in one of the sinkholes but is suffering from amnesia. While recovering from his ordeal, UFO's begin to terrorize the skies over Japan and several nearby countries. Finally, Shigeru remembers having witnessed the hatching of a Rodan in the cavern; but when the military tries to take them out, they discover that there are two them! Will Japan (and the rest of the world) be saved from these giant supersonic pterodactyls? You'll just have to watch this fun Japanese monster movie to find out!
"Rodan", a.k.a. "Sora no daikaijû Radon" in transliterated Japanese, has been one of my favorite Japanese monster movies since I was young. Though the color quality has aged and was not restored for the DVD, it is still a very entertaining film to watch. Other memorable characters in "Rodan" include the honeymooners (Kiyoharu Onaka and Yasuko Nakata), Professor Kyuichiro Kashiwagi (Akihiko Hirata, 1927-1984) and Professor Isokawa (Mitsuo Matsumoto). Overall, for being a wonderfully campy and very entertaining film, I rate "Rodan" with a resounding 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it any monster movie aficionado.
Rating: 
Summary: DVD not too bad, for the price.
Review: For the first time in the US, Rodan has hit the DVD market! Presented in full frame (that is how it was filmed, contrary to what some may say) with it's original mono & a really bad 5.1 mix soundtrack (i'd stick with the mono as the 5.1 has an echo-y type of noise to it). If you like monster movies, this will not disappoint. The dvd doesn't have any special features, just a commercial for the Godzilla Gamecube video game. The video quality is not the greatest as I'd rate it a C. But for $..., it's not too shabby. If you have never seen Rodan, pick this up as it may be the only time this movie gets released on Region 1 DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Creature Feature
Review: I aways loved rodan. I liked Godzilla the original, but this movie has better effects, such as the scenes when the guys are going after Rodan in the jets. It does not look like minatures. The Rubber suit in this movie, looks pretty good and does not look fake. This was the first japanese monster movie in color. It was also one of the monster movies of all time to be in full color. The effects surpass Godzilla in a way. The film had a better story than Godzilla. I also reccomend Godzilla to be bought. Get this film the last time i tried to get it, it was last year, it was out of print and now it is back on DVD
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