Daimajin - Frankensteins Monster nimmt Rache

Back at Sheffield's Showroom Cinema for another edition of their "Kai-July" Japanese Monster movie festival, I'd never heard of the "Daimajin" films ahead of the announcement as part of this series. Whilst I appreciated the change from "big animal" films, I did think this could have done with a little more action ahead of the third act.

Four children, Tsurukichi (Hideki Ninomiya), Daisaku (Shinji Hori), Kinta (Masahide Ilzuka) and Sugitatsu (Muneyuki Nagatomo) head across a sacred mountain, with the aim of rescuing their fathers and uncles who have been enslaved by a nearby warlord. Their journey is fraught with natural hazards, but they are also tracked by a general, looking for escaped men. The children know that the mountain belongs to Daimajin, a demon god currently in the form of a giant statue and are respectful in their encounter - when the situation becomes dire, they turn to the god for salvation.

In many ways, this is very similar to the traditional aspects of the Kaiju films form the 1960's that I've come to expect. An actor in a suit interacting with scale models of the sets, some crude, though reasonably effective blending of that footage with reaction shots and background paintings. The Daimajin doesn't have Godzilla or Gamera's powers, so there are no visual effects in that sense though. He favours kicking and stomping. It seems harsh to criticism them for this, given the time the film was made, but his size is also fairly inconsistent, which wasn't an issue with any of the previous Kaiju films I've seen.

Where it differs is in pacing. A Godzilla film will have him appear a few times across the run time whereas the plot of this film sees the Daimajin dormant until the last twenty minutes or so. Thusly we spend a long time with these kids and, whilst I enjoyed their performances, it made the film reasonably hard going until those last moments. The sequences with the Eagle, the gods earthly agent for the rest of the film, were a mixed bag, sometimes fun, sometimes like watching a stuffed eagle fall into a pile of asbestos.

I didn't hate it. But I won't be rushing to see it again either.

Wrath of Daimajin (1966) is a Japanese samurai monster movie I recently watched on a random streaming service. The storyline follows a group of kids whose family is being used as slaves to work the sulfur mines. They set out on an adventure to find sacred religious grounds where it's rumored a monster resides that if freed can save their families.

This movie is directed by Kazuo Mori (Zatoichi at Large) and stars Junichiro Yamashita (Gamera: The Giant Monster), Tôru Abe (Tokyo Story), Tanie Kitabayashi (Rikyu) and Yûzô Hayakawa (Gamera vs Barugon).

The majority of this film is about the children on an adventure and trying to survive harsh conditions in the wilderness. It's 1 hour and 5 minutes into the movie before you see Daimajin. There are some cool bird attack scenes that are well done and the arrival of Daimajin was cool. His intro music was very much like Godzilla's. The town models were very cool as was the use of snow. Daimajin arriving and attacking the city was pretty fun as were some of the elements they created within the town (like the zip lines).

Overall this is a very average addition to the genre that was a huge step down from the first Daimajin film. I would score this a 5/10 and recommend skipping it.

Daiei Studios' Wrath of Daimajin is the second and final sequel to the movie featuring the giant stone god. In this plot, a Lord Arakawa kidnaps the men of villages in a mountainous region to use as labor to produce gunpowder. As a result, a group of young boys journeys through the mountains, including through the valley of Daimajin, to rescue their fathers.

The plot, I thought, was not as suspenseful and solid as the original movie, as it concentrated too much on the boys' adventures in the mountains, alternating between that and the fathers' mistreatment at the labor camp. But there is the satisfying fun of seeing Daimjain awaken to wreak havoc on those nasty doers.

The acting was pretty good, cinematography was brilliant, and special effects were neat. And once again, you are treated with another great Akira Ifukube score; however, some of the music soundtrack is reused or reworked from past film scores.

Overall, it's not too bad of a sci-flick, but is the weakest of the Daimajin Trilogy.

Grade C-

This is the third and the final installment of Daimajin trilogy. The three stories are not connected in their plots.

Daimajin is a 50ft tall stone talisman with a spirit of deity residing within. It turns mobile when the innocent people are oppressed to battle evil.

Four kids embark on a journey to rescue their father who is enslaved by an evil warlord in a place called Hell's Valley. On their way they pass the mountain where Daimajin resides. Daimajin sends a hawk to accompany the kids and to protect them, but when things goes badly for the kids, Daimajin turns his fierce face to the evil warlord.

The four kids are unusually resourceful, and gets around where even adults would find it a challenging situation, surviving in mountainous wilderness, and in a snow storm.

Daimajin awakes this time in a snow storm, and rest is a bad day for the evil warlord and his soldiers.

The production isn't as good as the previous Daimajin movie as the movie relies heavily on the acting ability of the four very young actors. They put in a surprisingly good performance, but they're no Jody Foster in "Taxi Driver". The caliber of other actors aren't as high as well. Special effects are just as good, and it's one of the best '60s suitmation movie. It's better in my opinion than the Gamera series done by the same studio around the same time. Not a masterpiece in any way, but a movie that still holds its own after nearly half a century.

Recent TV mini-series "Daimajin Kanon" is a direct homage to this series with Daimajin being done in CG instead of suitmation.

The first film, released in April 1966, was a fun blend of fantasy and horror, even though it was hampered a bit by soft pacing. The second film, following four months later, was just as sharply crafted but did not suffer from the same pacing issues, and moreover told such a compelling story that the titular entity was almost altogether unnecessary. With new director Mori Kazuo now taking over to helm the same returning crew for the last of Daiei Film's trilogy, I've very much been looking forward to 'Wrath of Daimajin' - though the question still stands of how it would compare.

The good news is that in general, though we may debate the finer points, all three pictures having effectively been made contemporaneously means that we are assured of the same broad quality and common traits. If you enjoyed 'Daimajin' and 'The return of Daimajin,' you'll likely also enjoy this conclusion to one degree or another, and much that is true for the predecessors is also true for this feature. Beautiful filming locations are one thing, but outstanding detail was poured into most every facet of the production. The sets are utterly gorgeous, and even the costume design, hair, and makeup received substantial care. The proliferate practical effects and stunts are all terrific and exciting, and the action to come. Composer Ifukube Akira provides a swell dramatic score that lends to the somber airs of the proceedings; the cinematography is vivid, and the sound design impeccable.

On the other hand, this title bears the distinction of largely centering children as its protagonists. While it's not universally the case, the simple fact of the matter is that elevating children in a movie very commonly diminishes its seriousness: kids must almost always be cute, their acting skills are quite plainly variable, and if they appear to be in too much danger then a stark new level of violence is inherently breached. Even as the same overall plot structure holds of Daimajin defeating the cruel villains who harm innocents, significant airs manifest in part of an adventure piece more or less suitable for younger audiences. As returning writer Yoshida Tetsuro splits his narrative and scenes with emphasis on those youths, the urgency of the scenario takes a hit. In turn, and in its own way, 'Wrath of Daimajin' again comes across as somewhat struggling with weak pacing - in all earnestness the viewing experience is less actively engaging; the effects-laden climax, which should be and surely is the top highlight, feels overlong.

Please understand, this flick remains enjoyable and worthwhile on its own merits. It's solidly crafted, there are nice little touches throughout, and the root story ideas offer firm foundation. At large the acting is commendable, and the direction, and it's also worth observing that in no small part this installment carries the vibe of tragedy - an interesting distinguishing factor. Nevertheless, an uneven tone, slow plot development, and decidedly less focused storytelling result in a fantasy drama that has a harder time holding our attention than the progenitor, let alone the vibrant first sequel. We get what we came for; the anticipated saga just isn't as strong as it could have been. Even so I had a good time watching, and so long as you don't mind the imperfections too much, 'Wrath of Daimajin' is still a fine slice of entertainment for a lazy day, and a decent finale for Daiei's trilogy.