Rodan (1956)

[RVDDP2501]

Hi, quick question, I was very happy to learn the Showa era Godzilla movies were being released by The Criterion Collection but I'm confused that Rodan (1956) was absent, I heard that when the Criterion Collection got the rights for the Showa Era Godzilla movies, Rodan was included. Is Rodan going to be released separately/later?

[futureblu]

Hopefully, along with the other Toho kaiju titles in a box set.

[Zinthos]

The Criterion box set for the Showa era films only contains films in the Godzilla series, which explains the lack of Rodan’s inclusion. There has been speculation that the non-Godzilla Showa era films might be released later on in a “part 2” collection, but nothing has been announced.

[Bandit Tajomaru]

Do you think Criterion could get the banned film The Half Human from Toho?

[SpaceBlackKnight]

The Half Human was banned in Japan due to portrayal of what they call "outcasts" with fears of protest by the Buraku Liberation League. Toho probably has US rights but may not licence it out due to legal issues alongside being weird with the US getting stuff Japan doesn't.

[JMDiaz718]

Technically, it’s Radon. Can’t wait!

Also, Matango Fungus of Terror and Gappa!

[Dragon78]

Darn, and here I thought this was an official announcement for Rodan.

[Splatterpunk]

Seeking to capitalize on the success of GOJIRA (aka GODZILLA), Toho Studios unleashed a brand new kaiju on Japan in 1956 with RODAN. The father of Godzilla, Ishiro Honda, was tasked with directing this new creature feature, and while the film hits many of the same beats as his more famous creation, it’s nevertheless an entertaining flick. I was able to check it out thanks to TCM, as the DVD is long out of print and there’s no domestic blu ray release. However, the Janus logo did come up before the movie started so maybe we will be getting a Criterion release, soon.

After a coal mine is unexpectedly flooded, and workers and investigators start turning up dead, it’s discovered that giant prehistoric bugs are responsible. After a few confrontations with the creepy beasties, airborne disasters that may be linked to the emergence of the bugs baffle the authorities. Soon, it becomes apparent that massive irradiated Pteranodons have emerged from a long hibernation as well. Nicknamed “Rodan,” the military has little success against the flying behemoths as a swath of destruction is cut across Japan. A plan involving the monsters’ nest is hatched, but the cost is high. Can humanity prevail?

RODAN replicates the somber tone of GOJIRA and is not played for light entertainment. Takeshi Kimura and Takeo Murata’s script, based on a story by Ken Kuronuma, touches on climate change and hydrogen bomb testing as possible reasons for the emergence of the various prehistoric menaces, lending light environmental messaging to the thrilling visuals. Though appearing dated to modern eyes, the trademark miniature work is still impressive in its scale and complexity. Watching tiny trucks and buses get blown through the air to crash into meticulously detailed tiny buildings is still a treat. The sequence involving a huge bridge collapse is possibly my favorite example of the miniature work. It does take a while for the Rodans to show up and for the spectacle to begin, but the final 20 minutes or so are truly entertaining. Much of the rest of the runtime is devoted to a storyline concerning an amnesiac worker and the response of the authorities to the mysterious threats. Thankfully, it’s pretty engaging, which isn’t always the case with these kaiju films. It helps that the film is only 74 minutes long and moves along at a pretty good clip. The creature design on the giant bugs is a little hokey, but I’ve always had an appreciation for Rodan’s look. It’s all man-in-suit stuff, but Honda and his performers play everything straight enough and don’t go overboard, staying just this side of cheesy. Honda’s GOJIRA composer, the legendary Akira Ifukube, also returns here and delivers a nicely thrilling and militaristic score.

Ishiro Honda’s RODAN may be a little derivative compared to the iconic GOJIRA, but it’s still a whole lot of fun. Though the titular kaiju would never again headline a standalone film, it would go on to share the screen with Godzilla in multiple franchise entries. With effective and entertaining, if dated, action sequences, and a serious though not dour tone, RODAN is one of the better kaiju flicks of Toho’s Showa Era.

[Dragon78]

I hope we get Rodan for Blu Ray, ether as a single release or box set.

[BuraddoRun]

I'll buy any Toho monster film that Criterion releases. Rodan is a really solid film, and deserving of a quality BD release.

[brooklynne]

Originally Posted by Splatterpunk

It does take a while for the Rodans to show up and for the spectacle to begin, but the final 20 minutes or so are truly entertaining. Much of the rest of the runtime is devoted to a storyline concerning an amnesiac worker and the response of the authorities to the mysterious threats. Thankfully, it’s pretty engaging, which isn’t always the case with these kaiju films. It helps that the film is only 74 minutes long and moves along at a pretty good clip.

For this kid, watching RODAN time and time again on Million Dollar Movie (and I think this was MDM's first color broadcast), the first 20 minutes are absolutely terrifying -- those trips into the mine, etc. The full Japanese version, which would undoubtedly be part of any Blu-ray release, runs 82 minutes, and is sequenced differently. Plus, of course...it ain't (badly) dubbed into English, but rather has subtitles. Much better than the 72 minute version we grew up with.

[jman89]

So I gotta ask. Criterion have the rights to Rodan right?

[vertigop1ayer]

Originally Posted by jman89

So I gotta ask. Criterion have the rights to Rodan right?

Rodan and War of the Gargantuas, yes. However, they have not specified what they may or may not do for putting either on disc. Seems logical that they'd do something though.

Originally Posted by Bandit Tajomaru

Do you think Criterion could get the banned film The Half Human from Toho?

Weirder things have happened, but it's rather unlikely. For reasons someone noted above, Toho has self-imposed a "ban" of sorts on the movie, and they tend to be protective of their titles, not allowing a better format, for example, to be brought out in another region first. Both of these factors lead me to think it'd be quite unlikely they'd make a deal with Criterion unless they planned something for the local market too, which would be a surprise.

[Godzamera]

Originally Posted by Bandit Tajomaru

Do you think Criterion could get the banned film The Half Human from Toho?

It would be a miracle if Criterion could also pry Prophecies of Nostradamus and Varan from Toho's cold hands. It would be a double-miracle if Toho let them do new restorations.

[sa5150]

Any updates to any of these getting a USA blu-ray ?
Rodan
War of the Gargantua's
Attack Of the Mushroom People
Varan
Frankenstein Conquers the world

[Mikezilla3k]

Originally Posted by sa5150

Any updates to any of these getting a USA blu-ray ?
Rodan
War of the Gargantua's
Attack Of the Mushroom People
Varan
Frankenstein Conquers the world

All depends if Criterion will do an Ishiro Honda set.

Considering Godzilla: The Showa Era sold very well, there's a very good chance that they will.