We first saw this one on "Million Dollar Movie" way back when, and the superbly claustrophobic mine scenes scared the bejesus out of us. We loved it! "Rodan" (nee' "Radon") was the first Japanese monster movie shot in color, and an instant hit for Toho Productions. Although some reviewers have panned the movie as being boring (well, ya can't please everyone) and with poor effects, we beg to differ. The effects were no worse than in "Godzilla", replete with toy tanks and rocket launchers, the soundtrack was at least as good - sharp eared viewers will recognize the voices of Paul Frees and George Takei - and the film has enough quasi-indestructible monsters to satisfy nearly anyone. The film moves along reasonably well, and the acting is about par for this sort of thing. Look, you can pick apart any film if you try hard enough: obviously, such colossal creatures are patently impossible, as is their apparent invulnerability to modern weapons. But if one persists in this line of thought, then the film quickly disintegrates. Where's the fun in that? After all, this isn't exactly "The Robe"; it's lighthearted, brain-in-neutral fun. Take it at that. Make some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy!
Review of Rodan
