Rating: NNN
Rodan/War Of The Gargantuas (Toho/Alliance, 1956, 66) D: Ishiro Honda, w/ Kenji Sahara, Russ Tamblyn. Rating: NNN DVD package: NNNN.
That triple-n rating is strictly for Japanese monster fans who hunger for more of that rich, cheesy goodness.
War Of The Gargantuas (supersized humanoids inexplicably called “Frankensteins”) opens with the best giant octopus attack I’ve ever seen. Flying dinosaur Rodan gets a tragic, fiery send-off.
The big prize here is the doc on the Rodan disc: 69 minutes on Eiji Tsuburaya, the father of Japanese special effects, and his cohorts, highlighted by interviews with the three men who played Godzilla. Turns out it’s difficult, dangerous and requires acting. Who knew?
EXTRAS Effects doc (Rodan disc). Japanese and American versions. Full-frame. Japanese, English audio. English subtitles.
