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Varan

Varan

A giant monster greater than Godzilla or Rodan!

19585.71h 27m

Overview

When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. They discover Varan, a giant monster, who decides to leave the valley and head straight for Tokyo.

Directed by Ishirō Honda
Written by Ken Kuronuma, Shinichi Sekizawa
Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
0

Top Cast

Kōzō Nomura

Kōzō Nomura

Kenji Uozaki

Ayumi Sonoda

Ayumi Sonoda

Yuriko Shinjô

Koreya Senda

Koreya Senda

Dr. Sugimoto

Akihiko Hirata

Akihiko Hirata

Dr. Fujimora

Fuyuki Murakami

Fuyuki Murakami

Dr. Majima

Yoshio Tsuchiya

Yoshio Tsuchiya

Military Officer Katsumoto

Minosuke Yamada

Minosuke Yamada

Secretary of Defense

Hisaya Ito

Hisaya Ito

Ichiro

Yoshibumi Tajima

Yoshibumi Tajima

Captain of Uranami

Nadao Kirino

Nadao Kirino

Yutaka Wada

Themes & Keywords

japanmonsterbombgiant monstertokyo, japanbutterflykaijumilitarygiant1950smonster moviedaikaijutokusatsu

About Varan

Varan is a science fiction, horror film released in 1958 exploring themes of japan, monster, bomb, giant monster, tokyo, japan, butterfly. Directed by Ishirō Honda, it stars Kōzō Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, Koreya Senda. When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. They discover Varan, a giant monster, who decides to leave the valley and head straight for Tokyo.

Movies Similar to Varan

Discover titles like Varan — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to Varan

If you enjoyed Varan, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of Varan.

Frankenstein Conquers the World
50% Match

During WWII, Germans obtain the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster and transport it to Japan to prevent it being seized by the Allies. Kept in a Hiroshima laboratory, it is seeming lost when the United States destroys the city with the atomic bomb. Years later a wild boy is discovered wandering the streets of the city alone, born of the immortal heart.

Godzilla
45% Match

Godzilla(1954)

Movie7.6/10

Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.

Rodan
45% Match

Rodan(1956)

Movie6.5/10

Mining engineer Shigeru investigates the disappearance and death of his fellow coworkers when prehistoric nymphs are discovered emerging from the mines. After an attack on the local village, Shigeru heads deeper into the mines only to make a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature. Soon a second monster appears as the two converge in Fukuoka.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
44% Match

During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'. The only hope for both Japan and the world lies on a secret weapon, which may prove more destructive than the monster itself.

Invasion of Astro-Monster
42% Match

Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.

Mothra
42% Match

Mothra(1961)

Movie7.1/10

Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population along with the Shobijin, tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity called Mothra. After the fairies are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman named Clark Nelson, Mothra sets out to rescue them.

Space Amoeba
41% Match

When a space probe crash-lands on a far-flung Pacific atoll, the craft's alien stowaways decide to take over their new world one creature at a time. Soon, the parasitic life forms latch onto three indigenous critters -- a squid, a crab and a snapping turtle -- and transform them into colossal mutant monsters.

Destroy All Monsters
41% Match

At the turn of the century, all of the Earth's monsters have been rounded up and kept safely on Monsterland. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleash the monsters across the world.

The War of the Gargantuas
40% Match

Gaira, a humanoid sea beast spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster, attacks the shores of Tokyo. While the Japanese military prepares to take action, Gaira's Gargantua brother, Sanda, descends from the mountains to defend his kin. A battle between good and evil ensues, leaving brothers divided and a city in ruins.

Mothra vs. Godzilla
39% Match

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

King Kong vs. Godzilla
38% Match

The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.

Gamera, the Giant Monster
35% Match

A nuclear explosion in the far north unleashes Gamera, the legendary flying turtle, from his sleep under the ice. In his search for energy, Gamera wreaks havoc over the entire world, and it's up to the scientists, assisted by a young boy with a strange sympathic link to the monster, to put a stop to Gamera's rampage.

Shin Godzilla
34% Match

When a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to save its citizens. A rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster's weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side - the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.