Daimajin 1 - Frankensteins Monster erwacht

Back in its day, it had cult status in Japan. I don't quite understand the four-star rating on www.badmovies.org. There’s nothing funny here, intended or unintended, this is a below-average and not very interesting fantasy story where – in a nutshell – an animated giant stone statue of the Daimajin takes revenge on cruel and greedy nobles for wrongs done to their defenceless subjects. The revenge itself takes place in the last 15 minutes, when the actor playing the Daimajin walks around in costume, with a mask on his face, and "Godzilla-style" demolishes the samurai palace. The effect of size is created only by the perspective of the camera, the interaction with the surroundings is almost non-existent, yet surprisingly it looks quite believable, but otherwise the film doesn't have much to offer. Perhaps the only thing worth mentioning is the death of the main villain, whom Daimajin nails to the wall with a massive spike, like a butterfly in a herbarium. (26.06.2008)

"Daimajin" is quite an interesting contribution in terms of the mythology of Japanese kaiju films, but it is not such a significant film in terms of its quality. The lengthy sequence about how people are having a hard time and what it could lead to can be boring at times, and unfortunately, even the part that is eagerly awaited, the attack of the monster, or rather the giant statue, is not as breathtaking as the viewer would hope. However, for lovers of kaiju films, it is a contribution that should not be missed, at least for its knowledge. (19.10.2014)