History Film / Rodan

%%* ClearMyName: A man is accused of murdering a man who he is feuding with. Killer insects are at fault.

* GiantEqualsInvincible: Averted. Both monsters die by falling into a volcano while the JSDF bombs the area with an air strike.
* GravitySucks: Rodan merely flying over your city displaces his weight downward. It's not quite a ColonyDrop, but it does the job.

%%* ImmuneToBullets: The Meganulon. Except for their undersides.

It's basically ''Film/{{Gojira}}'' with two {{Kaiju}}.

%%* PteroSoarer: Rodan. [[JustifiedTrope Justified, in that he isn't supposed to be realistic in the first place.]]

Ever since his debut in this film, Rodan has become a frequent part of the Godzilla franchise, having appeared in many films alongside the Big G. He's usually portrayed as an ally of Goji out of sheer convenience, and as such doesn't have as much of a friendly interaction with The King of the Monsters as other kaiju like Anguirus. Easily recognizable on his own, the big, angry pterosaur has successfully cemented his place as one of the most iconic kaiju from Japanese pop cultue.

As it turns out, when he got trapped in the mine, Shigeru fell into the nest of the killer insects. Inside this nest was an egg, which promptly hatched, revealing a [[GiantFlyer giant flying reptile,]] which ate the remaining bugs before taking off. A scientist who hears Shigeru's story and examines all the collected evidence about the mystery of the UFO, realizes that the monster and the UFO are one and the same, a mutated descendant of ''Pteranodon'' called [[CharacterTitle Rodan.]] Army guys show up, and discover that Rodan is living in the volcano, and what's more, it's not alone. A second, female Rodan flies out of the mountain, and joins her mate in leading the military in a chase across Japan, finally landing in, and leveling, Fukuoka.

As it turns out, when he got trapped in the mine, Shigeru fell into the nest of the killer insects. Inside this nest was an egg, which promptly hatched, revealing a [[GiantFlyer giant flying reptile,]] which ate the remaining bugs before taking off. A scientist who hears Shigeru's story and examines all the collected evidence about the mystery of the UFO, realizes that the monster and the UFO are one and the same, a mutated descendant of ''Pteranodon'' called [[CharacterTitle Rodan.]] Army guys show up, and discover that Rodan is living in the volcano, and what's more, it's not alone. A second, female Rodan flies out of the mountain, and joins her mate in leading the military in a chase across Japan, finally landing in, and leveling, Sasebo.

* GenreShift: The first third of the film plays out like a Japanese version of ''Film/{{Them}}'', with the claustrophobic horror of men facing Meganulon down in the mines. Then the Rodan creatures awake and it becomes a {{Kaiju}} film proper.

* GenreShift: The first third of the film plays out like a Japanese version of ''Film/Them'', with the claustrophobic horror of men facing Meganulon down in the mines. Then the Rodan creatures awake and it becomes a {{Kaiju}} film proper.

* DestructiveSavior: The vast majority of the damage inflicted in the battles against the Rodans is caused by the JSDF, due to [[ATeamFiring their utter inability to hit a moving target]]. The Rodans don't actually do any intentional damage, all the destruction they cause is from the downdraft of their wings as they pass by.

* RealityEnsues: Rodan merely flying over your city displaces his weight downward. It's not quite a ColonyDrop, but it does the job.

As it turns out, when he got trapped in the mine, Shigeru fell into the nest of the killer insects. Inside this nest was an egg, which promptly hatched, revealing a [[GiantFlyer giant flying reptile,]] which ate the remaining bugs before taking off. A scientist who hears Shigeru's story and examines all the collected evidence about the mystery of the UFO, realizes that the monster and the UFO are one and the same, a mutated descendant of ''Pteranodon'' called [[TitleDrop Rodan.]] Army guys show up, and discover that Rodan is living in the volcano, and what's more, it's not alone. A second, female Rodan flies out of the mountain, and joins her mate in leading the military in a chase across Japan, finally landing in, and leveling, Sasebo.

It's basically ''Film/{{Gojira}}'' with two {{Kaiju}}. No relation to French sculptor Auguste Rodin, whose last name is pronounced the same way.

* CanonImmigrant: Rodan eventually made his way into the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films.

* ClearMyName: A man is accused of murdering a man who he is feuding with. Killer insects are at fault.

* EasyAmnesia: Sort of. The amnesia happens after a terrible head injury and it takes several weeks to recover, but once Shigeru does he remembers everything he's seen.
* GiantFlyer: Rodan flies so fast as to use his sonic boom as a weapon.

* ImmuneToBullets: The Meganulon. Except for their undersides.

* PteroSoarer: Rodan. [[JustifiedTrope Justified, in that he isn't supposed to be realistic in the first place.]]

* RecycledInSpace: It's a tragic love story, with Kaiju as the two ill-fated lovers. In the original release very little emphasis is placed on the female Rodan, and it is not made clear if that the two creatures are mates.
** If both Rodans hatched from the same location, it would probably make more sense that they were both from the same clutch, and therefore would be siblings, rather than mates. The original Japanese version doesn't clear this up either way, however.
* {{Slurpasaur}}: A very creative example. The scene of the baby Rodans eating the Meganulon? The bug monsters were crayfish dressed in tiny costumes!

** Additional stock footage is used elsewhere, such as the fighter jet take off sequence.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Used in a more realistic sense. The male Rodan is of a dark, reddish color scheme while the female is more brown.

* TooLongDidntDub: Almost every instance of the Japanese honorifics "san" and "chan" are retained in the English dialogue.

As it turns out, when he got trapped in the mine, Shigeru fell into the nest of the killer insects. Inside this nest was an egg, which promptly hatched, revealing a [[GiantFlyer giant flying reptile]], which eats the remaining bugs before taking off. A scientist who hears Shigeru's story and examines all the collected evidence in the mystery of the UFO, realizes that the monster and the UFO are one and the same, a mutated descendant of ''Pteranodon'' called [[TitleDrop Rodan]]. Army guys show up, and discover that Rodan is living in the volcano, and what's more, it's not alone. A second, female Rodan flies out of the mountain, and joins her mate in leading the military in a chase across Japan, finally landing in, and leveling, Sasebo.

Ever since his debut in this film, Rodan has become a frequent part of the Godzilla franchise, having appeared in many films alongside the Big G. He's usually portrayed as an ally of Goji out of sheer convenience, and as such doesn't have as much of a friendly interaction with The King of the Monsters as other kaiju like Anguirus. Easily recognizable on his own, the big, angry pterosaur has succesfully cemented his place as one of the most iconic kaiju from Japanese pop cultue.

After the attack, when the Rodans have gone back to the volcano, the military comes up with a final, desperate plan to defeat the monsters. The plan: Set off the volcano, with the Rodans still inside. As the mining village is being evacuated, Shigeru finds Kiyo near the volcano, and tells her that he loves her, and that they should probably get out of the way of the volcano. Not a moment too soon, either, because as they leave, the army moves in. Bombers attack the Rodans' nest, and ground-launched missiles set off the volcano. When the Rodans fly out of the erupting volcano, all hope seems lost when, suddenly, one of the reptiles succumbs to the volcanic fumes. As the military, Shigeru, and Kiyo look on, the other Rodan flies into the eruption, choosing to die rather than be separated from its mate. As Shigeru ponders the implications of such actions in supposedly "vicious" monsters, he wonders whether he could ever make such a sacrifice for Kiyo, and we fade to black.

* StockFootage: Much like the U.S. release of ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'', the distributors felt the need to add a prologue with stock footage of Hydrogen Bomb blasts and FauxlosophicNarration. This emphasizes Rodan's origin, for even in the original Japanese cut, it was explained by Professor Kashiwagi (the military's biologist) that Rodan may have been awakened by radioactivity from bomb testing seeping through the cracks of its mountain home.

As it turns out, when he got trapped in the mine, Shigeru fell into the nest of the killer insects. Inside this nest was an egg, which promptly hatched, revealing a [[GiantFlyer giant flying reptile]], which eats the remaining bugs before taking off. A scientist who hears Shigeru's story and examines all the collected evidence in the mystery of the UFO, realizes that the monster and the UFO are one and the same, a species of Pteranodon called [[TitleDrop Rodan]]. Army guys show up, and discover that Rodan is living in the volcano, and what's more, it's not alone. A second Rodan flies out of the mountain, and joins its mate in leading the military in a chase across Japan, finally landing in, and leveling, Sasebo.

* CanonImmigrant: Rodan, into the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films.

* GreenAesop: The creatures are disturbed by over-zealous coal mining.

* MeaningfulName: Rodan's Japanese name "Radon" is a reference to what it is, a mutated "pter-RA-no-DON."
* PteroSoarer: Rodan. [[JustifiedTrope Justified, in that Rodan isn't supposed to be realistic in the first place.]]

* RecycledInSpace: It's a tragic love story, with Kaiju as the two ill-fated lovers. In the original release very little emphasis is placed on the second Rodan, and it is not made clear if that the two creatures are mates.

* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Used in a more realistic sense. The male Rodan is a different shade of brown than the female.

* MeaningfulName: Rodan's Japanese name "Radon" is a reference to what it is, a [[CaptainObvious mutated "pter-RA-no-DON."]]

As it turns out, when he got trapped in the mine, Shigeru fell into the nest of the killer insects. (Remember them?) Inside this nest was an egg, which promptly hatched, revealing a [[GiantFlyer giant flying reptile]], which eats the remaining bugs before taking off. A scientist who hears Shigeru's story and examines all the collected evidence in the mystery of the UFO, realizes that the monster and the UFO are one and the same, a species of Pteranodon called [[TitleDrop Rodan]]. Army guys show up, and discover that Rodan is living in the volcano, and what's more, it's not alone. A second Rodan flies out of the mountain, and joins its mate in leading the military in a chase across Japan, finally landing in, and leveling, Sasebo.

After the attack, when the Rodans have gone back to the volcano, the military comes up with a final, desperate plan to defeat the monsters. The plan: Set off the volcano, with the Rodans still inside. As the mining village is being evacuated, Shigeru [[OutOfFocus (Remember him?)]] finds Kiyo near the volcano, and tells her that he loves her, and that they should probably get out of the way of the volcano. Not a moment too soon, either, because as they leave, the army moves in. Bombers attack the Rodans' nest, and ground-launched missiles set off the volcano. When the Rodans fly out of the erupting volcano, all hope seems lost when, suddenly, one of the reptiles succumbs to the volcanic fumes. As the military, Shigeru, and Kiyo look on, the other Rodan flies into the eruption, choosing to die rather than be separated from its mate. As Shigeru ponders the implications of such actions in supposedly "vicious" monsters, he wonders whether he could ever make such a sacrifice for Kiyo, and we fade to black.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Meganulon go on the rampage...then the Rodans emerge and eat them as HATCHLINGS.
* ATeamFiring - Although the Tank corps manages to land a few hits on the grounded Rodan during his raid on Fukuoka, every single missile truck manages to completely miss the giant creature standing barely a thousand yards away!

* ClearMyName - A man is accused of murdering a man who he is feuding with. Killer insects are at fault.
* CosmicHorror - Being an early Kaiju film, there is a distinctly Lovecraftian influence on the monsters.
* DestructiveSavior - The vast majority of the damage inflicted in the battles against the Rodans is caused by the JSDF, due to [[ATeamFiring their utter inability to hit a moving target]]. The Rodans don't actually do any intentional damage, all the destruction they cause is from the downdraft of their wings as they pass by.

* DubNameChange - The City of Fukuoka is changed to Sasebo, Nagasaki for the U.S. release. The volcanic Mt. Aso was changed to "Mt. Toya" for whatever reason. Rodan's name is actually pronounced "Radon" as in Pte'''ra'''no'''don''' in the original release.
* DugTooDeep: Both the Meganulon and the Rodans are awakened by a mining operation.
* EasyAmnesia - Sort of. The amnesia happens after a terrible head injury and it takes several weeks to recover, but once Shigeru does he remembers everything he's seen.
* GiantFlyer - Rodan flies so fast as to use his sonic boom as a weapon.
* GiantEqualsInvincible- Averted. Both monsters die by falling into a volcano while the JSDF bombs the area with an air strike.
* GreenAesop - The creatures are disturbed by over-zealous coal mining.
* ImmuneToBullets - The Meganulon. Except for their undersides.
* MeaningfulName- Rodan's Japanese name "Radon" is a reference to what it is, a [[CaptainObvious mutated "pter-RA-no-DON."]]
* PteroSoarer- Rodan. [[JustifiedTrope Justified, in that Rodan isn't supposed to be realistic in the first place.]]

* RecycledInSpace- It's a tragic love story, with Kaiju as the two ill-fated lovers. In the original release very little emphasis is placed on the second Rodan, and it's not even implied that the two creatures are mates.
** If both Rodans hatched from the same location, it would probably make more sense that they were both from the same clutch, and therefore would actually be more likely to be siblings, rather than mates. The original Japanese version doesn't clear this up either way, however.

* TertiarySexualCharacteristics- Used in a more realistic sense. The male Rodan is a different shade of brown than the female.
* TogetherInDeath- The male Rodan chooses to die alongside his mate after she dies in a volcano.
* TooLongDidntDub- Almost every instance of the Japanese honorifics "san" and "chan" are retained in the English dialogue.

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: The Meganulon are destroyed...only for it to turn out their predators have awakened as well.

Classic {{Kaiju}} film directed by Creator/IshiroHonda, [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 who knows a little more about Kaiju films than you do, pal, because he invented them]]! This page is based on the dub by the King Brothers.