Daikaijû Baran

One of the better of the early Toho monster epics, the film suffers from a lack of definition. We don't really know where this monster comes from, or why he's so pee-ed off he wants to stomp Tokyo. Also, he never even quite gets to Tokyo, which is major disappointment - what good is a Japanese monster movie where Tokyo doesn't get stomped.

I suspect that the secret to this problem lies in the original score for the film, by the great Akira Ifikube. Godzilla fans should recognize variations on three essential themes for other movies - for "Godzilla", "Rodan", and "Mothra". Yet they are not just borrowed sound-tracks from those films, but actual variations. Apparently Ifikube used composition for this film as a kind of notebook on themes that would later get improved on again and again. My sense is that this is true of the film as a whole, that director Honda and crew used this film as a test-case for work on later films - the kaiju film industry was about to go wide-screen and technicolor in a big way, but the exact formula for the genre had not yet come together. I think they were using this film to get it together.

In its favor, I remark the film is narratively tight, so that not much time is wasted on the back-stories. It is what it is, a straight-out rubber-monster stomp, and begs to be enjoyed for that, and nothing more.

By the way, the subtitled DVD release from Animego has a couple fascinating bonuses to it - an interview with one of the special fx crew, as well as a demonstration of the technique used to manufacture the monster's costume. The film itself is enjoyable, if no great shakes, but bits of film-history like this are priceless.

I think this was Toho's fourth "giant monster on the loose" movie, and it's also probably the least known. The American "version", "Varan the Unbelievable", is a travesty and should be avoided at all costs.

The Japanese original has some really good things about it. It features one of Akira Ifukube's best monster-movie scores, in which he introduced some themes that would be re-used in practically every kaiju eiga that followed... There's also a wonderful "Lovecraft-gone-Japanese" feeling about the protagonists' arrival in the village: they interrupt a strange ceremony, and a sea of masked faces turns to watch them. This is followed by an eerie scene as they follow a mist-shrouded path to the forbidden lake.

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is a little uninspired. It doesn't have the emotional tension of "Godzilla" or "Rodan", although the monster costume and attack scenes are very, very good.

Varan, The Unbelievable is really the patron deity of a small Japanese village called Isikawa, where he is known as the God Baradagi.

He is awakened when a group of scientists break the taboo and invade his territory- with hopes of debunking the legend surrounding his existence.

They die, and now there's no going back.

Varan gets his new name from the fact that he is a Varanopod- a class of dinosaur that existed from the Triassic to Cretaceous periods, historically speaking.

The scientists convince the local townsfolk to ditch their beliefs and opt for skepticism instead of a fear driven reverence for Varan.

But little good that does them when Varan wipes their town off the map.

Now he's on the warpath, hellbent on vengeance, and they can't figure out how to stop him.

Eventually there's only one idea left, and if it doesn't work...

This one is most notable, because it shows that man's hubris was to supplant the Old Gods, not for a single monotheistic God, but rather the Gods of Technology...who generally tends towards war and destruction...as opposed to peace and prosperity.

As we continue deeper into the realm of the kaijus, the humans will be forced to rely less and less on technology, and more and more on their faith in the kaiju beasts.

So it is suggested, then, that it was the belief of the villagers that had manifested Baradagi in the first place.

Though, as we'll come to see...faith in the kaiju Gods is simply inescapable.

Marking this as a sort of turning point in the series.

5.5 out of 10.

Toho's 1958 "Varan the Unbelievable" (Daikaiju Baran or Giant Monster Varan) remained unseen in the US until the 2000s, only known by its Crown International release of 1962. Baradagi was its name among the superstitious locals in Iwaya Village in the mountainous region of Siberia where a rare species of butterfly has been discovered, two investigators perishing in an avalanche. Three more follow up to find some answers and are told by the high priest that their god does not like intruders, but a runaway dog ensures its emergence from a large lake to run amok for a brief period. A military bombardment causes Varan to spread out its webbed claws and arms to glide like a flying squirrel toward the ocean (never shown in the Crown edit), where it simply swims through a continued barrage that has little effect on it. Only after Varan comes ashore to indulge its fascination for parachuting light bombs do authorities arrive at a solution, a special mixture of explosive gunpowder that should detonate once the monster swallows it, similar to the sorry fate of "Yongary Monster from the Deep" (not to be viewed when suffering indigestion!). Intended as a television coproduction between Toho and Hollywood's AB-PT (American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres), the latter went belly up right after their initial double bill release, Bert I. Gordon's "Beginning of the End" and John Carradine's "The Unearthly," leaving undaunted director Ishiro Honda to forge ahead with his usual crew, though on a noticeably lower budget in black and white with the most basic outline ever conceived for a kaiju film, Akihiko Hirata and Yoshio Tsuchiya the only familiar faces and little comic relief. The original version did receive theatrical distribution in Japan, and once Varan rises from his watery slumber there's plenty of monster footage to maintain interest (his first appearance at the 12 minute mark, much sooner than in Crown's retread), so even if it's a relatively minor cousin to Godzilla, and only a glider compared to Rodan's wingspan, it still proves how much better Toho was over their Hollywood counterparts (Varan would not be forgotten, as noted by its brief presence ten years later in "Destroy All Monsters"). What the 1958 original is now best known for is a stirring score by Akira Ifukube that could have been lost in time were it not revived to excellent effect in future Godzilla entries. It boggles the mind when Crown International jettisoned so much usable footage to offer up a tiny portion of what should have been more of a banquet, beefing up the starring role for little known Myron Healey at the expense of virtually everything else for its eventual stateside release in 1962, a successful pairing with "First Spaceship on Venus."

To be honest, I read lots of reviews of this movie and most from bad to mediocre reviews but I gave it a chance and the reviewers were right. This film is not so great.from the flat characters,a bland plot to the film's worst offender, the Awful pacing is what makes this movie bad. But It does have some good moments from the great music score, to the special effects and the decent acting.but besides that lets review this movie.

The film starts with the protagonist trio Kenji,Yuriko and Horiguchi sent on a expedition to find out the death of Yuriko's brother who died earlier in the film.they come to a village where the priest warns them to leave or they will be killed.Kenji insults the priest and thinks he's crazy.soon enough Ken a village boy goes looking for his dog and Kenji goes to save the boy and challenges the priest's warning and the villagers agree to help Kenji.The trio eventually finds Ken near a lake and some of the villagers see something appear from the lake and it's Varan going to the village and the film's slow pacing starts once Varan appear from his attack from the military to his raid in Hanada Airport.

Overall by the time Varan comes you lose focus in the movie and the characters.the films slow pacing is what just makes you want to stop watching the film. plus Varan isn't a very memorable monster, the only memorable thing he does is fly and only does it once out of the whole film.

As for the characters, there flat as a surfboard. These bland characters are so flat and boring there also another offender of the film.Kenji is your overall hero, but isn't very likable as he offends the priest and Horiguchi during the beginning of the film and is somewhat naive.Yuriko is another damsel in distress and very uninteresting.As for Horiguchi he's what you call the comical side-kick as he is a coward and has his moments besides giving so little work.He's really the only character I can praise though i did want Varan to eat him in the end.

As for the Acting, surprising it's not bad.It's really good, despite the fact the cast is given so little to do.Kozo Nomora who plays Kenji well here as really he fits into his bland role well and really out of the whole film he never lacks off.Ayumi Sonoda who plays Yuriko is really the only one to give a poor performance at times she fine when not much is needed from her.but when she has to do something like bump into varan it's bad.Fumito Matsuo as Horiguchi does a good job with the very tiny role he is given as he looks like he enjoys and having fun with his role.Past the leads Akihiko Hirata has a brief role but probably gives the best performance of the cast as he does a better job with role unlike his previous role from the Mysterians.Yoshio Tsuchiya isn't given much work to do but he does well with what he's given.overall everyone does a decent job with their little roles.

Overall this film is boring and probably worth watching once or twice but not repeatedly itself.