Like any good monster movie poster, you get a lot of Rodan. You get masses of humanity running away. You get buildings crumbling and the weapons of man proving themselves unequal to the task of defeating the monster. What you don't get is a very accurate look at the movie.
The film is pretty action-filled, although the Rodans (there are two in the film) don't really make a clear appearance until about half-way through the film. Prior to that, the main threat are a horde of giant insects infesting the coal mine the Rodan eggs are buried in. The movie spools out in a slower, more deliberate pace than the poster might imply.
One interesting detail; in the film, Rodan does not breathe fire. The reason it does on the poster is an obvious nod to Godzilla. Rodan played in Italy in 1958, a year after the original Godzilla was released there. And one of Godzilla's signature attacks is his radioactive breath.
I've always had a soft spot for Rodan. In the film, the monsters are destructive, but not particularly malevolent. They see humans as their natural natural food source, since the giant insects they ate in the prehistoric world are gone. They level a city, but mostly because of the shock waves generated by their supersonic flight. In short, unlike the early, pre-heroic Godzilla or later monsters like Gidorah, the original Rodans are not evil; they are a force of nature.
Technically, the poster is pretty amazing. The colors really pop and the line from the striking green head, down the bright yellow and red blast of flame, to the immolated crowd leads the eye right to the title, a nicely done effect. Of course, this being Italy, you can't have movie poster without a chick in a barely ass-covering skirt. The fact that she seems to be dead (or very sleepy) does not detract from the nod to feminine pulchritude.
One amusing ting about the poster is the cast list. While the poster correctly identifies the star Kenyi Sawara (well, actually Kenji Sawara, but close enough) and the director (Honda), the other cast members are bit more problematic. I assume Richard Hirata is supposed to be Akihiko Hirata (Akihiko is almost like Richard, right?), but I have no idea who the other guys are supposed to be. There are no Anglos in the film, so you can pick a couple of actors you like and label one "William Scotty" and the other "John Garry." It makes the film interactive: fun!
Anyway, this is a fun, eye-catching poster. It may be a little misleading, since the film is not just another "giant creature destroys a city" film. All of the best movie posters promise an experience that is never quite replicated on the screen. They excite the mind enough to get you into the theater, sitting in the dark and munching popcorn, while waiting to be transported to another world.
Check out the trailer below.
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