Rodan (1956) Review | Godzilla Island Archive

The Plot

In a small mining village in Japan near a volcano, two miners go missing after hitting a pocket of water that floods the mineshaft. A search party discovers one miner’s body floating in the shaft. An autopsy reveals that the miner’s death was not an accident he was killed, though the weapon cannot be identified.

A group of three miners and a police officer return to the shaft to find the other missing miner. As they explore the flooded shaft, strange noises emerge. One miner is pulled underwater, followed by the officer and a second miner. The third miner manages to reach a phone to alert mine headquarters but is also killed. When their bodies appear at the hospital, it becomes clear that the victims were not killed by a human.

Shigeru, the main character, arrives to comfort his girlfriend (the sister of the missing miner), who is being threatened by townspeople over her brother’s disappearance as he is suspected to be involved with the murders of the miners. Suddenly, a massive insect creature (Meganulon) the size of a bear breaks through the back of her house. The town evacuates as police attempt to stop the creature, but their bullets fail. Military intervention also fails, and the insect retreats into the mine shaft.

Shigeru pursues the creature and drops a filled mine cart on it, killing it. Unfortunately, he discovers his girlfriend’s brother dead and, while attempting to recover the body, uncovers more of the creatures in the cave. A massive cave-in buries Shigeru along with the Meganulon.

A few days later, an earthquake strikes near the mine. Shigeru is found walking on the rubble and is taken to the hospital with no memory of what had happened. Strange UFOs begin appearing worldwide, moving at incredible speeds and causing destruction. The volcano overlooking the town becomes active, creating widespread fear.

Shigeru’s girlfriend discovers a bird’s nest with two eggs. When one egg hatches, Shigeru’s memory returns. Inside the cave, he found a massive Rodan egg, which hatched a Rodan that ate the Meganulon from the mine. Shigeru alerts the police and army, who suspect Rodan is responsible for the UFO sightings.

The military locates Rodan in a large cave and attacks with tanks and jets. Two Rodans emerge and wreak havoc, leveling cities in retaliation for the assault. Eventually, they stop attacking after consuming enough food. Weeks later, the army attempts to destroy the mountains around their cave to bury them. Ignoring warnings about the volcano’s activity, explosives trigger an eruption. Both Rodans die in the lava, bringing the movie to a fiery conclusion.

My Thoughts

Rodan is one of the most incredible kaiju films that focuses on a single monster. While the Meganulon appear, they are not true daikaiju-sized threats more like bear-sized insects serving as Rodan’s food supply.

It’s surprising that Rodan never had a direct sequel. Although it appears in many Godzilla films, it rarely takes center stage. When Rodan was released in the United States it was the first film of its kind to receive such a massive TV campaign.

The two Rodans represent one of the most devastating kaiju duos ever. Their presence makes you wonder how different the Godzilla universe would have been if both had appeared in subsequent films. If both Rodans existed, King Ghidorah might never have survived past Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.

For fans, the DVD of Rodan is a must-have, as it comes as a double feature with War of the Gargantuas and includes a Godzilla documentary essentially a triple-feature experience. In my opinion, this is one of the top kaiju films ever made and an essential watch for any kaiju fan.