RODAN

RODAN / WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS: Although they won’t take home the Nobel Prize this year, Classic Media gets my write-in vote for managing to broker a deal that seemed almost as impossible as peace in the Middle East: convincing Toho studios to release several of their giant monster flicks uncut with Japanese language tracks intact. Next (and hopefully not last) on their list is the long-awaited Rodan / War of the Gargantuas double-feature, either of which could have merited their own solo DVD. If you’re at all familiar with the kaiju eiga genre (and if you’ve read this far, I’ll assume you are) then you already know Rodan was Toho’s first color sci-fi production, introducing a pair of plus-size pteranodons who threaten to huff, puff and blow Tokyo down. The Honda / Tsuburaya creative team uses an American sci-fi template here, with particular inspiration from the giant ant opus Them. But when the monster mayhem starts, it’s all signature Toho-size destruction. The Japanese version drops the patchy voice-over narration we all grew up with in favor of a stodgy love story similar to Godzilla Raids Again. Meanwhile, War of the Gargantuas finds the genre getting a bit long in the tooth and desperate for a hook to connect with evolving audiences. American star Russ Tamblyn lays on the laconic charm (I think he actually dozes off in a few scenes) while the titular monsters actually eat people this time around, hacking up fabric hairballs as a result. The Japanese version reiterates the fact that the film is actually a sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World, whereas all references to Mary Shelley’s creation were dropped in the US release. The handsome two-disc set includes both cuts of each film plus the feature documentary Bringing Godzilla Down to Size, a nostalgically technical look at the golden age of Japanese special effects.