User reviews

VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE was pretty scary stuff when I first saw it as a kid in 1962. A few years ago I picked the original Japanese version and the must say it proceeds at a ponderous pace and is much longer than the Crown International Pictures release. There are more battle scenes and Varan even flies in the Japanese version. The American distributor shortened the film considerably and added scenes with Myron Healey and maybe even Tsuruko Kobayashi. The monster is a neat-looking reptilian creature that one critic referred to as appearing like "a squirrel with jet propelled nuts." In any event, not bad stuff but it's not great either. For better Japanese sci-fi GODZILLA, RODAN, ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE and THE MYSTERIANS are much better. But VARAN deserves a break and was never seen again (except for a brief appearance in one of the GHIDRAH sequels). VARAN was meant for television release originally but never made it. See it anyway for its fun moments, and there are a few. With Katsumi Tezuka in a rubber suit as Varan. Also, catch the original Japanese version if you can!

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--

This is not a review, but I want to post this here to help stave off some confusion. The DVD called "Varan The Unbelievable", released by Tokyo Shock in May 2005, catalog number TSDVD-0511, is not the film listed on IMDb as "Varan the Unbelievable (1962)", or "The Monster Varan (1962)". It is instead the film listed on IMDb as "Daikaijû Baran (1958)". "Baran" is the Japanese word that has a transliteration in English as "Varan".

"Varan the Unbelievable" was an American-produced adaptation of the material, similar to the American adaptation of the original Godzilla (Gojira, 1954). Varan was originally to be a joint US/Japanese production, but that deal fell through. Toho, the Japanese production company, went ahead and did Varan anyway, and a few years later, the American version was produced, with a different title and with additional material directed by Jerry A. Baerwitz. It doesn't help the confusion that Tokyo Shock decided to release their DVD under the American title of "Varan the Unbelievable", but surely that was done because that's the title that Americans know the film under.

How do you know what version you watched? Well, the American version has an American actor, Myron Healey, and a plot about trying to desalinize water. It's also only 70 minutes long. The Japanese film is about 90 minutes long, has no American actors, and Varan (or "Baran") makes his first (offscreen) appearance when scientists from Tokyo make a trip to a remote, mountainous village to research the sighting of a butterfly previously only known to exist in Siberia. The Japanese version also has a different musical score, but since music is a bit difficult to describe well in words (other than technically), that's not a great way for most folks to tell which version they've watched.

To make matters even more confusing, the Tokyo Shock DVD has a truncated Japanese television version of Daikaijû Baran, clocking in at about 50 minutes, which dispenses with both the desalinization and the butterfly plots. Also, at least some people have reported seeing a color version of the film. I don't know which version that would be, but the Tokyo Shock DVD has the original, black & white widescreen Japanese version from 1958. I would have much preferred if Tokyo Shock would have put the American adaptation of Varan on the DVD as an extra, as the Japanese television version is just the same film with a bunch of edits for time and there are a few scenes rearranged to try to create something more coherent given the cuts. Tokyo Shock probably didn't put the American film as an extra because of some licensing or royalty issue. I can also imagine Toho objecting to it. Note that there's a good commentary track for the film with Murase Keizo, who was in charge of special effects models on the film (he's not credited on either IMDb listing).

We should reserve this listing for reviews of the American version, and review the Japanese original version at the listing for Daikaijû Baran (1958) instead.

Toho are the kings of the kaiju movies, they started with Godzilla and the ball kept on rolling. But not all the creature features were on quite the same level as Varan demonstrated.

Varan itself was a 1958 movie but Toho had the bizzare habit of letting the US tweek and re-release their movies in the west. What the US would do is take the original movie, edit in some scenes with American actors visiting Japan and the whole thing would be an absolute mess. No idea why Toho would allow their movies to be butchered in such a way.

So this is just the 1958 movie with some segments removed and others added. I didn't like the original movie and considered it a very weak Toho addition so with the US treatment they actually managed to make it worse.

It looks horrifically dated, it lacks in character and any real entertainment value and I advise folks skip over this (And all the modified US versions).

The Good:

Nothing really

The Bad:

Looks terrible for its age

One of the US butcheries

Poor sound editing

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Good girls don't ask questions, they just do what a man tells them

Crown International Pictures carried a 1961 copyright for "Varan The Unbelievable" (Daikaiju Baran or Giant Monster Varan), originally a 1958 Toho production in which the monster was never called Varan, either in Ishiro Honda's version nor its US disembowelment from one shot director Jerry A. Baerwitz, the last instance where Hollywood filmed new sequences for a Japanese kaiju for stateside consumption. Why little known utility player Myron Healey was chosen to star remains a mystery, as he reportedly signed on expecting a trip to Japan, as he thought Raymond Burr had done for the 1956 Godzilla feature (Burr himself revealed to Healey's chagrin on a later PERRY MASON that everything was shot quickly under rigid conditions on Hollywood studio sets). Only the 4th giant monster to debut (following Godzilla, Anguiras, and Rodan), the largely forgotten Varan is only called Obaki in this American dub (the native phrase for 'prehistoric reptile'), intended as a coproduction with AB-PT, only they went out of business to leave Ishiro Honda and company to finish on a much smaller budget than usual, the desultory results proving highly derivative though well done. Healey's Commander James Bradley introduces the island of Kunashirashima as 'bleak, rugged and lonely,' under secret orders to commence with Operation Shizuka, using the saltwater lake where the slumbering giant sleeps in experiments on desalination (it has an underground connection with the ocean). The Sid Harris rewrite spends a great deal of time discussing native unrest, simply dithering aimlessly before the discovery of footprints a half hour into this 70 minute abomination, finally showing the unimposing Varan being blasted in his lake habitat. The brief barrage finally arrives once the dog essentially stops chasing its own tail over the entire first half, less than five minutes culled from Honda's footage. There's more of Varan walking on his hind legs with those webbed claws outstretched, Healey and his wife spliced in to be menaced instead of the young Japanese couple, shooting at the ubiquitous Bronson Caverns in Griffith Park. The parachuting light bombs have the same effect in both versions, Varan still devastating the village but mysteriously turning up later on in the ocean, his famous flight out of the forest the most glaring omission in this edit. Fortunately, there's far less of Myron Healey and his virtually unexplored experiments at this point (all wasted padding), granted the solution of an anti saline chemical to dispatch the seagoing serpent but at least finally delivering the promise of kaiju action. The climax differs however, the supply truck blowing up in Varan's face to bring him down instead of the beast swallowing the explosive that provides the ultimate tummy ache. The Japanese footage looks decidedly worse than the ultra cheap Crown additions, making a fairly weak yet serviceable Toho entry seem like a complete dud, forgettable but no Crown clown.

Watch out Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan. Here comes Katsumi Tezuka in a rubber suit as Obake.

O. K. As with Godzilla (1954) was Americanize to Godzilla (1956), the same process was done with Varan, le monstre géant (1958) Americanized as this film Varan the Unbelievable (1962). So do not be disappointed if a few things have been adjusted.

Cmdr. James Bradley (Myron Healey) is the head of a joint US and Japanese scientific investigation. It requires a lake that is protected by a native village. It is said that the lake contains an ancient reptile that if aroused will destroy the world.

Something arises from the lake.

Obake is being mortified and tanked to no avail.

Planes have a flair for Obake.

Now I wonder why the world is about to be destroyed?

Will a solution be found or are you become Obake-chow?

Varan The Unbelievable is a very enjoyable Japanese giant monster movie. This movie was practically re-shot for it's American audience so if you enjoy the American version then you diffenently need to check out the original Japanese version. It will be like watching two different films, Varan has the ability to fly in the original version. The U.S. version is good but the original is much better.

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.

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.

Ishiro Honda directed this Japanese monster film that sees a giant reptilian monster emerge from a lake, having been re-awakened by an undersea earthquake(or some such thing!) It was a local legend to the primitive people who live nearby, but the creature(called Varan) causes havoc before it decides to attack Japan. The military and scientists unite to defeat this creature any way they can. Obvious copy of Godzilla isn't bad, but is just too unoriginal and unremarkable to be at all memorable. Best viewed in the original Japanese language version, which is on the DVD, rather than the re-edited American version, which is seldom seen now.

Despite warnings from the native population that there's a big monster at the bottom of the lake, US Navy scientist Myron Healey conducts his experiments. Sure enough some big prehistoric dude awakens and it's Godzilla's cousin Varan.

Like with Godzilla some American footage with Myron Healey is grafted on to the Japanese film., Only the film with Raymond Burr was done so much better.

Not much to tell here. The plot is similar to Godzilla, the sound however is terrible and the black and white cinematography ditto.

No wonder Varan never caught on.

Commander James Bradley (Myron Healey) is sent to a Japanese island to test chemicals designed to desalinate water; in the process, he awakens Obaki, a prehistoric monster worshipped by the locals.

What's unbelievable is that people ever paid good money to watch this mess, a Japanese kaiju flick heavily re-edited for the U.S. market, with loads of additional American footage and a vastly altered plot. The content that remains from the original Japanese version of the film is fairly entertaining - a giant, spiny-backed quadrupedal reptile stomping on stuff and swatting planes out of the sky - but the new scenes starring Healey, which make up the bulk of the film, are extremely dull and really drag. Endless talk about de-salination of a lake and how it might affect the locals doesn't make for a very entertaining movie.

Although the American version is a dud, it might be worth seeking out the original movie, if only to see the monster fly (we don't get to see it in the U.S edit, but the creature has membranes under its arms that allow it to glide through the air).

Interesting plot twist with this one. Instead of atomic energy of some sort awakening the beast, they use a chemical to eliminate salinity of the water.

Okay story. Can't say that about the acting.

Best scene at 44 minutes in. Shot of "war room" where battle plans are launched to get the monster. Map board shows where units are set up. Also shows position of monster. The plastic monster shown closely resembles our bad guy.

Okay cheapness.

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.

It's a great plot and story line, but man, they don't give Varan enough screen time! I think this would be awesome if they would try to colorize it, like they did with the original King Kong movie. Let's also take a moment to appreciate the beautiful creature design of Varan. He's a unique and beautiful creature. I wish he made more cameos than he did in the Godzilla series. The movie would be a lot better though, if we stopped focusing so much on science disasters and look at something a little more....ancient!

The DVD is now available! The original Japanese film with English subtitles. The classic monster from "Destroy All Monsters" is born or at least awakened. This movie has everything, a great monster, battleships, tanks, and you guessed it explosions! If only Godzilla showed up at the end it would be perfect! I give this movie a monster A+. Varan is unbelievable! I noticed that IMDb said this movie was produced in the early 1960's however I believe it actually arrived in theaters in 1958. Special Features on the DVD included the original broadcast television version of the film. It also has promotional trailers and a lecture from the Creature sculpture Keizo Murase, and audio commentary by the same.

Varan: The Unbelievable (1962) is the American "enhanced" version of the Japanese film by the same name. I recently watched this on a random streaming service. The storyline follows a monster awaken from under the sea by American and Japanese experiments. Once awaken he sets his sights on Japan.

This movie is directed by Jerry A. Baerwitz (Wild Harvest) and Ishirô Honda (Godzilla, 1954) and stars Myron Healey (Little Giants), Derick Shimatsu (MASH), Akihiko Hirata (Godzilla, 1954) and Hisaya Itô (Destroy All Monsters).

The storyline and concept was very much like Godzilla and even Varan himself looked like an enhanced Godzilla costume with his own unique powers. The settings were solid as was the tribe. This movie also suffered from some scenes shot too dark like the early Godzilla pictures.

Overall this is a fun monster movie to watch that's entertaining but far from a classic. I'd score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Why, look... it's a person inside a rubber suit! Scary! And why, if this supposedly takes place on a tropical isle, is the American soldier and his retinue driving around in a jeep at Bronson cave underneath the Hollywood sign? (If you're not an L.A. resident, you perhaps haven't noticed that this locale has been used in several dozen movies and television shows.) So they filmed half the movie in scruffy vegetation L.A. and half in tropical Japan - very clever. Very cheesy. If you literally cannot get enough of Godzilla, then this movie is for you. I was rooting for poor Varan - minding her (or his) own business and disturbed and harassed by evil humankind. All too familiar story.