Even though the film doesn't deserve it based on quality, Media Blasters has done a simply shocking job on this transfer. Wherever they found this print, here's hoping they find more Japanese monster movies in the same place. It's perfect, with not a single blemish or scratch all the way through (ignoring the excessive stock footage). Compression is not noticeable. The print is soft, at times almost out of focus, and that's the only way it shows its age. The black levels could have been calibrated a little better too. You'll need to deviate from your normal settings. (****)

The audio is strange on this disc. There are three options here, including 5.1, the oddball 3.0, and 2.0 mono. None is better than the other is, and in fact, the 5.1 is the worst of the group. Certain scenes simply push the audio through all five speakers, regardless of whether or not it makes sense. The 3.0 mix is about five levels quieter than the other two. Mono is, in a rare situation, the best way to go here. You can hear Varan's cheap, slapped together roar (taken from Godzilla and Rodan partly) cleanly and the Japanese dialogue sounds great in any of the mixes, but the mono doesn't have any quirks. (***)

Extras here are some of the best ever put onto a US released kaiju film, and it makes up (almost) for the film itself. Most notable is an active, informative, and fun commentary from Keizo Murase, one of the special effects producers. This was his first monster movie, and he's very enthusiastic, explaining the technique of how the suit came together (its spines are pieces of a clear garden hose). He discusses others that worked on the film, the shoot, and the experience. This is all done in Japanese with appropriate subtitles, but whoever translated it doesn't spell very well at all. There are countless typos.

The next extra seems to be an episode of a Japanese TV show where Murase takes a student through the process of creating a monster suit. It's all explained in detail as he creates the skin texture for Varan from scratch. They even create those spikes made from a hose. He may discuss this same process in the commentary, but it's something else entirely to actually see it done.

The TV broadcast version is here, though there's no explanation for what it is exactly. The best guess is this is the version that aired on Japanese TV since it's not the US version. Oddly, it's in the same aspect ratio as the theatrical version. One would think it would be cropped for TV. It cuts about an hour out of the film, so if it was fast paced before, it's barely even possible to comprehend it now. The disc finishes with trailers, including The Mysterians and Attack of the Mushroom People. (****)

Just in case you're wondering, Varan's appearance in Destroy All Monsters is a rather pointless cameo at the ending. You see him lift his arms and fly away in a long shot. You can barely even tell it's the same creature. Supposedly, the suit had degraded too much to be shown on film. That or they were too embarrassed to bring him back. It's your call.