since February 16, 1999.
Welcome to the Monster Mania, where we'll review the exploits of some of the world's best-known monster movies.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.
That said, on to the review!
U.S. Navy Commander James L. Brandon (Myron Healy) is on the island of Kunish Hiroshima to do anti-saline experiments in a salt-water lake. However, the local villagers believe that lake to be the resting place of a monster they fear and worship. Brandon, over the villagers' objections, proceeds with the experiment, killing the fish and awakening the Obaki of the villagers' stories: Varan. Roused from the lake's depths, the great kaiju goes on a rampage through the village and heading for the only modern city on the island. The military tries to stop him, but what can they do against a foe many times their size and seemingly invulnerable to their weaponry?
Brandon has an idea that may or may not work: use more of the anti-saline chemicals he'd been experimenting with to stun, even poison the great beast. It's a long shot, but there aren't any other options to pursue. Preparatons are made to enact the risky plan, but will it work? And will Varan cooperate enough to allow its implementation?
According to one of my reference books, the original movie was a Japanese-American co-production for U.S. television. Japan took over completely when the Americans withdrew, resulting in what is a "cheap-looking minor film with little to offer". I'd more or less have to agree with this assessment. The quality is very bad, though I'm not certain if it was the result of poor J/A communication and cooperation, the Japanese having to make-do once the American contingent pulled out, the "adapting" of the final product for American audiences, or just the passage of time and disinterest (I had to special order the tape). I'm fairly certain that if it had been a Japanese production entirely then it would have been at least as good as Godzilla and Rodan. Perhaps the scenes that were removed--in my version Varan never leaves the ground except to jump, but he flew in the original Japanese version--might have prompted a better reception of it, especially after Rodan's debut as a flying kaiju, but then again, maybe not.
No comments on the Japanese cast, but I'd have to say that the splicing in of the American actors wasn't all that great. I can accept the necessity of having someone awaken the monster from the lake, but perhaps a bit too much time was spent focusing on the relationship between Commander Brandon and his wife. On the other hand, I can sort of applaud the retainment of Japanese soldiers speaking in Japanese. If only they weren't simply supporting cast!
Varan himself doesn't seem so impressive, esepcially when compared to Godzilla's debut sequences. At most Varan seems as tall as a ten story building. Godzilla, if you'll recall, suddenly loomed above a hillside that had taken villagers a while to climb. And have you ever seen the cover for the Varan the Unbelievable box? The monster looks like an oversized imitation fishman, and the people running from it are all Westerners dressed in Western clothing! Pardon me while I see with disgust over how ridiculous the whole thing looks. Sigh.
Despite how negative this review may seem, it was actually a reasonably good movie. The military's dismissal of the villagers and their beliefs set the stage for some major payback, and the anti-saline experiments--tampering with nature, to my mind--demanded some sort of recompense, and Varan certainly delivered his side of the deal!
Come back later for a review of Mothra, the next Toho Studios monster movie generally available in the U.S.!
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