I watched this because it was in a recommended watch order for early Godzilla films, most likely to provide context when they crossover later. The movie itself is not nearly as good as the first Godzilla film, but it is definitely better than the rushed sequel Godzilla got (Raids Again). The human "ground story" of this kaiju film is not as hardhitting as nuclear armament commentary, but it is definitely just interesting enough to keep you invested. Due to the nature of Rodan being a flying creature, it's hard to say the destruction scenes are super amazing, but it has its moments. If you're into old kaiju films and don't mind obvious practical effects and some corny dialogue/writing, Rodan is a solid film to watch.

To be clear, I watched the Japanese version with subtitles, not the American edited/dubbed version.

"Rodan" was kind of a surprise because it was very serious not unlike the original "Gojira". There is an atomic warning here and there are city-in-flames shots that no doubt recall the atomic blasts of WWII. There are some fantastic effects with miniatures. Rodan's attack of the city is pretty effective and I could have sworn an actual bridge was blown down, the model looked that good. On the negative side there were endless shots of what I think were vapor trails from Rodan in flight and the final scene which features the bombing of Rodan's lair goes on for far too long. That final scene does deliver a respectful end to Rodan though. I was surprised at how well it was done.

I enjoyed watching this again. I'd forgotten that Rodan hatching from the egg was such a great scene. The way that the camera zooms into the terrified face of Shigeru as he witnesses the hatching is wonderful.

I've never seen the Japanese original. I'll have to buy the Classic Media DVD to see it. But the American dub isn't bad, except that Paul Frees does the voice over on half the characters. Not that anything is wrong with Paul Frees. I'm just now realizing how prevalent his voice over work was during my childhood years. He's all over "The Bullwinkle Show", "Frosty the Snowman", "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town", "Colossus: The Forbin Project", "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour", and on and on.