Notwithstanding all the poor reviews here on IMDb, I actually thought the film was pretty decent. Perhaps the washed out and sometimes grainy print added to it's appeal. Granted, this was the Americanized version of the original Japanese film, and if you want to read about it's history, a lot of knowledgeable writers here have covered it pretty thoroughly. For me, seeing Myron Healey in the lead roie was somewhat surprising, if I had known he was in it I would have watched it sooner. Healey was a fairly prolific B actor who sometimes got a shot at a leading character, much like Lee Van Cleef, and like Van Cleef, found himself in a lot of TV and movie Westerns.
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a great film by any means, or even a great monster flick. But it did have some things going for it. The creature itself had a fairly fluid movement unlike the robotic action of a lot of the Godzilla movies and it's spin-offs. Oddly, it's name in the picture is Obaki, with the name Varan never used once to describe it. The Obaki is awakened from it's decades long slumber after anti-saline tests are conducted by the Japanese military under the direction of Commander James Bradley (Healey). That's another thing, Healey's character is alternately called Bradley and Brandon in the version I just watched.
On the downside, and largely as a result of it's tinkering by American film makers, there appears to be a lot of stock footage in the picture, mostly of the Japanese military in it's preparation and eventual face off against the monster. Early scenes in which Obaki destroyed the village of Koshida appear to be repeated later on when the prehistoric reptile made it's way to the city of Oneida. Despite this, I wasn't as dissatisfied as I thought I'd be with a run of the mill monster movie. Seeing Healey in the lead role helped, along with the pretty Tsuruko Kobayaski as his wife Anna.
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a great film by any means, or even a great monster flick. But it did have some things going for it. The creature itself had a fairly fluid movement unlike the robotic action of a lot of the Godzilla movies and it's spin-offs. Oddly, it's name in the picture is Obaki, with the name Varan never used once to describe it. The Obaki is awakened from it's decades long slumber after anti-saline tests are conducted by the Japanese military under the direction of Commander James Bradley (Healey). That's another thing, Healey's character is alternately called Bradley and Brandon in the version I just watched.
On the downside, and largely as a result of it's tinkering by American film makers, there appears to be a lot of stock footage in the picture, mostly of the Japanese military in it's preparation and eventual face off against the monster. Early scenes in which Obaki destroyed the village of Koshida appear to be repeated later on when the prehistoric reptile made it's way to the city of Oneida. Despite this, I wasn't as dissatisfied as I thought I'd be with a run of the mill monster movie. Seeing Healey in the lead role helped, along with the pretty Tsuruko Kobayaski as his wife Anna.