Varan The Unbelievable: Movie Review #14

Review of the Week:

Beware the Flying-Squirrel Lizard!

 

 

Ever since I was kid, I’ve always had a fascination for Japanese culture, from the technology they produce, to their lifestyle and most importantly their version of media entertainment. Like most people, I was introduced by watching monster movies, or Kaiju flicks (Kaiju is the Japanese word for giant beast). I grew up with unusual creatures such as Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus and of course the King of the Monsters himself: Godzilla. Despite Japan’s wide variety of radioactive miscreants, there’s one Kaiju that hasn’t received the same amount of attention as the rest and I’m going to talk about his film today.

            Varan is as straight-forward of a monster movie as you can get. The plot of the film is that the monster is awakened in the northern mountains while a group of scientists attempt to conduct research on a rare butterfly, who ignore the warnings of the natives from a neighboring village. They warn the scientists that their intrusion will cause the wrath of their god Baradagi, or as researchers soon discover turn out to be a prehistoric creature known as Varan (who can also glide like a flying-squirrel, apparently). From there you can probably what happens next, so I won’t say any more.

            Now calling this movie straight-forward may discourage some of you, but don’t be a fool, as basic as it is, it’s a fun piece of Kaiju history that’s worth checking out. It has everything that you can expect from a monster flick, a big man in a rubber suit flailing his arms around like a baby (Varan’s design is still one of my favorites), miniature planes and jets shooting fireworks everywhere like a bunch of Stormtroopers and a lot of stock footage implanted in the film. If you are going to check this one out, it’s highly recommended that you either watch it with friends or wait until you’re in the right mindset (trust me you don’t want to miss a minute of it).

            So, if you’re interested in watching an old monster movie, look no further.

Final Rating:

Varan is available on DVD, though unfortunately it is one of those movies that you are going to have a hard time finding. You might have better luck finding a copy if you look online, in my case I managed to grab one just before it became a rare item, especially the one released by Tokyo Shock, which includes the original version of the film. As for alternate recommendations, I first point you towards The Mysterians, one of the cheesiest sci-fi movies I have ever seen and lastly, I suggest checking out Planet of Dinosaurs, an amazing stop-motion film from the ‘70s that’ll have you laughing your ass off (pardon my French). That’s it for me, let me know what your thoughts on the film are down below and if there are any other kaiju flicks I should review.

Until Next Time, “Fear the Unknown” …