Varan the Unbelievable (1962)

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Siskoid
The cannibalized American version of Daikaijū Baran, Varan the Unbelievable is a shoddy reworking trying to pull a Godzilla 1956 by inserting new scenes (and indeed, a new plot rooted in thoughtless colonialism) into an uncredited Ishirō Honda's monster sequences. So we can agree the difficult part is the monster stuff, right? So there's really no call for how bad the other half of the movie is. An objectionable plot at least inhabited by a Japanese-American supporting cast (though possibly non-actors going by most of the performances, heck, they even make the White Hero narrate all over their lines when it gets too horrible), that jump cuts from take to take inside the same shot, and stock music instead of the original Akira Ifukube score. The monster sequences starring Varan, a Godzilla Redux that allows for bigger miniatures (which I like), are good, but obviously second or third generation film, in bad shape compared to the new American footage of people listening tor radios intently. The good news is, one day I'll stumble on Honda's original and it'll feel fresh as lake water. 4 years 3 months ago
few visible scars
An attempt at clarification; Beware of imitations! This is NOT 'Daikaijû Baran, Ishirô Honda, 1958. This is the Americanised version that splices in other actors and changes the plot drastically. 7 years 2 months ago