Okay, I saw this yesterday. I can see why it's considered one of Toho's poorest movies, but that's simply because of the unusual circumstances regarding its production. I liked it alright. The first half was really good, but for me the movie got boring once Varan made it to Tokyo.
I really love the atmosphere in the beginning. The introduction of the secluded setting, the "Tibet of Japan" (I would have been happy if the entire movie took place there and didn't change to an urban setting), and an early attack by Varan really set the mood (on a side note, I liked the cute fake butterfly that the scientists are after, no doubt a creation of Eiji Tsuburaya's).
The best part of the movie for me is Varan's first on-screen appearance. I thought the scene was pretty terrifying, with Varan pursuing the villagers down the path all the way to the village. The cheif shouting "forgive them!" was a great touch, too. Then, Varan completely annhilates the poor little village. The tiny settlement plays Pompeii to Varan's Vesuvius; he really *@#$'s it up.
Varan's long swim to Tokyo is entertaining, with a rousing battle with the military (great Ifukube music here). I might also mention the soliders in one of the ships... one of the crewmembers always replies to his superior officer with "yes sir, of course sir!" Was this meant to be funny? I sure thought it to be funny. The guy keeps saying this line, and at one point there is a pause before he says it. It seemed like great comic timing, and it cracked me up.
As I jump into talking about the SFX, I want to mention right away one effect that totally impressed me: as the military attacks Varan at his home, he walks by a truck, which crashes into a ravine. Seconds later, the driver pokes his head out, probably yelling out a bunch of explitives. "Whoa," I thought. "That was definitely a miniature shot, but that driver looked like a real person!" I rewound the scene and upon seeing it a second time I realized it was a cleverly used human doll. What a great illusion! The rest of the special effects range from good to okay. I really liked the long-shot of a silhouetted Varan flying over the horizon. It wasn't terribly convincing, but it was kind of creepy in a way.
Speaking of creepy, Ifukube's score supplied a lot of the atmosphere. What an excellent, epic score! And once again, I am haunted by that "busy bee" theme which appears in the beginning (during the space-age intro) and is also used in Dogora and Destroy All Monsters.
Lastly, I can't say I liked the acting that much. This isn't the usual batch of familiar faces (except for Akihiko Hirata, who is kinda dull here) [EDIT: I forgot Yoshio Tsuchiya, who's not bad here, though I like him better when he's playing as spacemen and crazy people]. None of the actors were horrible, but they weren't neccesarily A-list. I kind of liked the comic relief character, who was sort of endearing. I might add that I find Kozo Nomura's appearance a little odd - it's something with his eyes, they are just so strange - and that the gentleman who plays the scientist needs a new hairdo. These aren't complaints about the actors' ability nor the film itself, just little things that I notice.
Anyway, as a whole Varan is just an average monster movie with a few redeemable qualities. Not bad, and I'm glad I've got it on DVD.
