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| A research team is sent
to central Japan in order to study an uncommon variety of butterfly. The
researchers mysteriously vanish. Their bodies are found alongside their
smashed jeep.
An investigation party is sent out. There they discover a cult devoted to the god "Baradagi". They've fenced themselves away from the rest of the territory a la "King Kong". Unfortunately, a pet dog slips through the gate and its young owner goes after it... into the forbidden zone. His mother becomes hysterical. The investigation team goes out to look for the boy and eventually Yuriko, the female member of the investigation, finds the boy. The rest of the villagers follow Kenji and Horiguchi, the other two team members, to the boy. A teary re-union is interrupted by a loud, ear piercing shriek. "Baradagi", aka Varan, has arrived. The beast tramples the villagers and heads out to sea, heading for Tokyo. Like Godzilla, Varan is impervious to conventional weapons. Finally it is discovered that Varan has an appetite for light bombs. A special one is prepared that is intended to detonate inside Varan. Varan comes to Tokyo. The Japanese watch, nervously, as Varan swallows the light bomb whole. First exploding within his mouth, it drives him crazy and he goes back to the sea. Then it explodes in his stomach, wiping him out entirely.
The American version tells a different story. Seventy five percent of the original footage is replaced with scenes including Myron Healy. It is one of the worst butcheration jobs EVER, alongside King Kong Vs. Godzilla and Godzilla 1985. And the name "Varan" is never mentioned. The monster is referred to as "O-baki" (monster.) (Surgeon General's Note: Guaranteed cure for insomnia, without danger of addiction.) |