Day 18- Movie 18. Rodan (1956)

In the last year or so, I've grown to really appreciate the Japanese monster movies that started in the 1950s. The films are completely and totally ridiculous, but if you can embrace that, they can be pretty entertaining as well. It is stunning what they were able to do visually. All of the films display miniatures being destroyed, but the camerawork is impressive enough that it is easy to get involved in the destruction happening on screen and you tend to forget the silliness of it all.

I started with the Godzilla movies, and I've seen the first 8 films in that franchise. They are all ridiculous, but they are pretty fun to watch, too. Rodan was a spin-off from the main franchise, but is still one of the earlier films. Like you would expect, the movie offers up bad acting, cheesy dialogue, and absurd situations. And yet, there's something fun about watching cities be destroyed by giant deadly pterosaurs.

This movie actually features some pretty exciting scenes. Among the many flaws of those Japanese monster movies are that the climactic battles don't always live up to the built up expectations. Many times, they are over far too quickly, and disappoint. This film featured some good aerial battles, and a (unintentionally humorous) 4 minute rocket launch scene at the end. Yes, this movie is completely stupid, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. It is fun to sit back, watch the ridiculousness, and just go along for the ride. This is not a good movie, but I'd give this film a generous 6/10.

If you haven't seen any of these movies, they are pretty interesting to watch. I recommend starting with 1954's Gojira. It is the original godzilla movie, and by far the best (it's available on Netflix Instant Viewing, fyi). It is one thing to watch these movies as monster movies. However, there is also a subtle underlying message that is pretty powerful. The context helps. As you know, Japan was hit with two atomic bombs in 1945. I can't imagine the destruction and the damage to the national psyche that occurred as a result. Nine years later, we have a movie about a giant lizard created by radioactive fallout from atomic bombs that destroys Japan. Watching Godzilla as a nuclear allegory is fascinating. Gojira was the film that did it best. I was amazed by that movie, and seeing how it reflected the thoughts and fears of a people trying to make sense of something so horrible and frightening. Movies are a great tool to understand how people deal with the various events of our lives. Gojira reflects the mentality of the Japanese culture less than 10 years after they saw two cities decimated by atomic weapons (by the way, if you do watch it, make sure it's in Japanese. There was an American dubbed version that isn't as good, and doesn't as clearly discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons.)

So, it's really up to you. Watch these movies as an allegory of the dangers of nuclear weapons, or watch them to see giant monsters destroying cities. Either way, the films are fun, despite being completely and totally absurd.