Film Review: Daimajin (1966)

I'll start this review off by confessing that I have never seen any of the Daimajin trilogy. A terrible confession for a real tokusatsu film fan. But, never the less, in my spare time I delved into the first installment of this trilogy and will admit, it was worth every. single. second.

Copyright of Daiei Production Company.

Beware, slight spoilers. Nothing too deep, but a basic wash of the film.

The basic plot revolves around a very standard samurai drama: A village in peace, led by the righteous leader Hanabasa, is attacked and overthrown by a villainous traitor named Samanosuke. Samanosuke goes on a rampage of slaughter and destruction, destroying the Lord and his wife. Unbeknownst to the new leadership, two heirs, a son and daughter of the fallen dynasty, have been stolen away and hidden in a mountainside safe house. Years later, the tyrant Samanosuke captures Hanabasa's son Tadafumi. In desperation, Tadafumi's sister Kozasa prays to the mighty Majin who is trapped in the mountain. Offering her life for her brother's, the Majin awakes and reigns down vengeance on the Tyrant kingdom.

What I love about this film is exactly what people hate about some daikaiju films: Waiting to see the monster. Personally, I am all for building the tension and suspense when it comes to unveiling the creature.

(In this case I feel it's not exactly accurate to label the Majin as a "creature", but the logic is the same.)

Of course, it's a double edged sword in most cases. Sometimes you wait and wait for that moment where you get to scan the entire design and nuance of the creature only to be disappointed. In the case of Daimajin, you are anything BUT disappointed. Not only do the effects look great, but those 15 minutes of Majin action are some really heavy minutes.

You've got everything: A spectacular looking suit for the stunt actor, phenomenal miniature work, a fiery red sky silhouetting the story driven monster, and on top of all that? An Akira Ifukube score.

I can't help but think that those are the exact reasons why Gojira is a cinematic milestone.

In addition to superb effects, the first 3/4 of this film is carried by a cast of fantastic actors who really bring you into the story and turmoil of their situation. It's speaks volume for their talent when an actor can make you feel and make you connect regardless of the language their speaking. To follow that up, it also speaks volumes when an actor is limited to acting exclusively through movement (or in this case, their eyes) and can still manage to convey emotion, intent, and dialogue. This film has it all.

Now I'm not saying that it's the best Daikaiju movie ever, I'm not even saying it beats out my top 3 (which are Gojira, Invasion of the Astro Monster, and War of the Gargantuas, if you were curious.) but it definitely gained my respect. Respect for not only the trilogy but for the Daiei company as well, who always seems to get the bad wrap of being TOHO's less than average brother.

For you interested in the series, you're in luck! Amazon has this entire trilogy on Blu Ray for about $10.

For you cheapskates out there, or people who want to test drive it before you buy it, you can find all three films subtitled on Youtube.

I give Daimajin (1966), directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 

8 out of 10