Being an early Toho monster film, I was particularly disappointed by this one which, despite the addition of color, is a definite comedown from GOJIRA (1954). To begin with, it's padded with irrelevant scenes (involving mine accidents and grieving widows but, especially, the presence of another monster in the form of a clutch of giant caterpillars!). Also, it seems to me that Rodan's look here differs from the pterodactyl's later incarnations (judging from its appearance in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS [1968], which I've just watched); besides, its capacity to achieve supersonic speed in flight is rather laughable!
All things considered, the monster's inevitable rampage on a Japanese city is spectacular enough but, then, the film resolves itself in a frustratingly blah ending with the pterodactyls (yes, we get two for the price of one) deciding to commit hara-kiri during a volcanic eruption! The version of RODAN that I've watched features the original Japanese dialogue: at 83 minutes, it's longer than the 72-minute release prepared for U.S. consumption; even so, the accompanying Italian subtitles seem to have used the English version as source, since several lines of translated dialogue appear on screen (usually during longshots) when no one is actually speaking!
All things considered, the monster's inevitable rampage on a Japanese city is spectacular enough but, then, the film resolves itself in a frustratingly blah ending with the pterodactyls (yes, we get two for the price of one) deciding to commit hara-kiri during a volcanic eruption! The version of RODAN that I've watched features the original Japanese dialogue: at 83 minutes, it's longer than the 72-minute release prepared for U.S. consumption; even so, the accompanying Italian subtitles seem to have used the English version as source, since several lines of translated dialogue appear on screen (usually during longshots) when no one is actually speaking!