Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

jerekra Varan came out after the successes of the films Rodan and Godzilla. Would it continue the success of Toho MOnster flicks? The answer is, for the most part no. Varan is not one of the better Toho Films and it is one of those films that many people have only seen once.Varan himself is based off of both Godzilla and Rodan. He is a large lizard like monster with sharp spines on his back and skin that runs from his arm to his legs like a flying squirrel. This allows him to fly around in the Japanese version but not the American version. Watching him fly around is ridiculous but worth watching in the same way that watching Godzilla fly in Godzilla vs Hedorah. It defies the rules of physics.So they tried to combine Rodan and Godzilla and they got Varan. Varan though seems to be missing something. He does not really stand out, he does not do anything that no other monster can do. I guess that is why they do not bring Varan back much later. Other monsters are significant, Rodan can fly fast, Ghidorah has three heads, Mothra is stunningly beautiful (despite being my least favorite monster), and Baragon can burrow. But Varan does not stand out and has no special abilities or powers besides being able to fly like a squirrel. I guess Toho was hoping that the idea would make Varan stand out but it did not work really.OK enough about the monster, time to talk about the film. It is OK, not that bad. IT is just that I have seen similar films to this one before in Godzilla and Rodan. So watching this film did not create any new thrills or moments to me. It is not bad, just ordinary and nothing spectacular. So is this film awful, no. Is it one of the best Toho Monster films, no. Is it a movie that you will always remember, probably not. But are there worse monster films, yes! Check it out on a rainy day or a lazy Saturday. It is worth watching once.Further note, I had not seen the Japanese version of the film when I reviewed it. The above review is about the American version. A lot still holds true tho when watching the Japanese Version. The Japanese version I would say is quite better than the American version. I would say the American version is not worth seeing per say, but the Japanese version is good. Mainly because in the Japanese version Varan has a cool roar he emits and in the American version he does not. Also the Japanese version is longer.

Space_Mafune Despite some good monster suit and model effects, plus some good opening scenes involving a then barely seen monster, this one soon descends into the military repeatedly battling the monster (never actually called Varan in the film) and battling the monster and battling the monster and battling the monster some more...I hope you get the idea. Unfortunately none of this is enhanced by terrific music such as Akira Ifukube provided for so many Toho films and the ending is much too similar to GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS.

Brian Washington Varan was one of the few Japanese monsters that didn't catch on in Japan after the success of Godzilla and Rodan I have seen the original version of the film and it is a very good example of the kaiju eiga genre. However, this version is a piece of garbage. The scenes where Myron Healy "interacts" with the populous of the island are awkward and you can tell immediately that the film was done by two different crews. Also, the print that is used by the American company is so dark you can barely make out the monster and they pretty much do away with one of the best scores ever composed by Akira Ifkube and replace it with some stock music that was originally used in "The Amazing Colossal Man". If Toho wants to sue the Americans for butchering one of their films, I will be glad to show up as a witness.

OllieSuave-007 I thought this movie was going to feature the great Japanese monster Varan, as he flies and attacks a city, with a good and powerful plot. After sitting through this travesty, I learned that this is a highly edited American version of the Japanese classic. This version was butchered so badly that you hardly see any of the original Japanese cast and the soundtrack for Varan's roar sounded like somebody with a cold. The monster scenes were edited poorly and the story changes significantly from the original. From this database, I discovered that Akira Ifukube actually scored this movie. I only heard one small verse of Akira Ifukube's music in the movie. The rest of his music were replaced by stock music. The American version tag-line for this movie is "Move over Godzilla! Varan is coming!" From the way Varan was executed out in this movie version, Varan wouldn't stand a chance against Godzilla. In addition, the acting was pretty dull and boring, which created an overall dreary picture. Therefore, I recommend you let this video, if you have it, gather dust and try to find the original version, titled "Giant Monster Baran." I haven't seen it by the time of this review, but I heard it is much better than this butchered version; for starters, you can see more of the monster in that version. I can't wait to see the original.Grade D--