The soundtrack is done by the master, Akira Ifukube. While there are some original themes, tracks are borrowed from Rodan. The newly composed music was good enough to be used in other kaiju films, including a military march and a track that would practically become Godzilla's own.
Varan is simply one of those movies that never should have been made. Of the Toho monster line-up, Varan is the worst of the group to get a stand-alone film. There's nothing original or different brought to the table to separate this from the rest of the studio's output at the time. At the very least, Mothra and Rodan are inspired creations. Varan never had a chance. (* out of *****)
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.
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1 - Temple Stark
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