Varan (1958)

We've gone back to the 50s for the unbelievable flying squirrel himself, Varan -- and he deserves better than this movie! Corporate shenanigans and bad luck made a cheap made-for-TV serial movie become retrofitted for a theatrical release, resulting in a boring imitation of better kaiju films. The Good: Varan's costume made from peanut shells and vinyl hoses, and his many cute moments of hiding and flare-eating. The bad: Real-world racism in this film's presentation of indigenous people, and a lot of characters running back and forth through the woods.Part of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cover Art Gallery⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theme song:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sources include: "The fight for self-representation: Ainu imaginary, ethnicity and assimilation" by Marcos P. Centeno Martín from Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen MediaA Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David KalatIshirō Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by by Steve Ryfle and Ed GodziszewskiWikizilla