Customer Reviews

Daimajin [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A medieval Japanese village suffers a violent coup d'etats during a ceremony to placate the warrior god Majin, whose spirit is encased in a 20-foot stone statue that threatens to come to life and pummel the town to dust. The ceremony works all too well: the peasants endure ten years of forced labor and brutal taxation at the hands of an evil Warlord before the deity awakens from his slumber to destroy the tyrant and his army.

This movie rocks! (Pun fully intended.) The story moves at a brisk pace, as any good adventure should, and creates a fair amount of suspense along the way, despite the all but inevitable conclusion. The cinematography and set design are superb, effectively contrasting the beauty and mystery of the countryside with the back-breaking drudgery of the local labor camp. The special effects are also impressive, from the haunting opening shot of a giant eye superimposed on a gloomy mountainside to Majin's destruction of the villains and their fortifications.

Most interesting is the film's treatment of the Majin himself. Sporting a scowl that would make Redd Foxx shudder, Majin slays all who stand in his path, be they good or evil. Yet this object of terror clearly respects and responds to selfless devotion--a girl's imminent suicide actuates his rampage, while her tearful prayer ends it--which places him on a somewhat higher moral plane than the sneering, sadistic Warlord (boo, hiss). The moral: sometimes the evil we don't know IS preferable to the evil we endure. Heady stuff for a children's fantasy film.

All in all a highly enjoyable kaiju eiga (giant monster movie).

Mixing elements of the jedai(samurai)film with elements of the kaiju(monster)film, Daimajin is a rousing adventure that is sure to appeal to fans of both types of films. Set in medievel Japan, the film follows the story of a boy and his sister, who are pursued by the man who had their father murdered and then took over his kingdom. Watching all of this is the giant statue of Majin, a powerful spirit that can be invoked to right wrongs and punish evil-doers. The story moves along well, aided by good performances by all of the actors, though it is perhaps a bit slow at first. Once Daimajin("dai" meaning giant, "majin" meaning spirit) revives, all hell breaks loose on the evil Lord and his men. The spfx are spectacular(immensely aided by the widescreen presentation). Functioning like a pounding funeral drum is Akira Ifukube's magnificent score, one of his best non-Godzilla works. This is a great film that is thankfully no longer obscure.

If you enjoy the Samurai genre, this is an average film. If you enjoy Japanese monster films, this is an above average film. However, if you like bothe genres, this is an excellent movie. Great acting and special effects, as well as an appropriate and awesome score. Highly Reccommended!

I remember seeing this on creature double feature as a kid and it was the english dubbed version. Being half japanese, I started collecting japanese movies and never thought I would see this one for sale but was glad to find it. I brought back memories. The title is fitting...although in truth, three separate words. Dai (large or great) Ma (all powerfull or powerfull beyond comprehension in essence although you assume whatever you are referring to to be evil) and Jin (refers to a person but is also used to refer to a deity). example americanjin (american person) The statue in this movie is supposed to have the spirit of an evil warrior god sealed within it. In the beginning, the just and kind ruler of the people is overthrown and killed by his ambitious chamberlain.
The chamberlain then forces the people into slave labor and a life of total misery. The good lord's son and daughter are secreted away and hidden. In the end, the statue god comes out of the mountain destroying everything it comes across, delivering it's retribution on the evil lord.
The widescreen format makes a big difference and although not everybody's cup of tea, hearing the japanese dialog and seeing the english subtitles is interesting in and of itself. The movie contains several actors who went on to become very famous. The actress who plays princess Kozasa and the actor portraying Kogenta both went on to become extremely famous actors in japan. I found the special effects to be good also. (keep in mind the movie was made in the early 60"s!) A very enjoyable and entertaining movie.

I remember this film from when I was a kid,it was then called"Majin,Monster of Terror"and it was dubbed,not subtitled.The widescreen really makes all the difference I think and it is just as great now as it ever was.Evil warlord takes over Japanese village and its Majin to the rescue!But is Majin's destruction worth the price?

I remember seeing these movies when I was a kid and they were dubbed. I'm so happy that they re-released them.The special effects were better than most of the kaiju films during this time.Daimajin's destruction of the village is breathtaking. The movie is beautifully filmed. It's amazing that this is the same film company that made all of the Gamera films.If they only put forth that effort in those movies. Ifukube's music score is so memorable. I love what ADV films have done. The video quality is amazing. I love this movie!!!!!

A medieval Japanese village suffers a violent coup d'etats during a ceremony to placate the warrior god Majin, whose spirit is encased in a 20-foot stone statue that threatens to come to life and pummel the town to dust. The ceremony works all too well: the peasants endure ten years of forced labor and brutal taxation at the hands of an evil Warlord before the deity awakens from his slumber to destroy the tyrant and his army.

This movie rocks! (Pun fully intended.) The story moves at a brisk pace, as any good adventure should, and creates a fair amount of suspense along the way, despite the all but inevitable conclusion. The cinematography and set design are superb, effectively contrasting the beauty and mystery of the countryside with the back-breaking drudgery of the local labor camp. The special effects are also impressive, from the haunting opening shot of a giant eye superimposed on a gloomy mountainside to Majin's destruction of the villains and their fortifications.

Most interesting is the film's treatment of the Majin himself. Sporting a scowl that would make Redd Foxx shudder, Majin slays all who stand in his path, be they good or evil. Yet this object of terror clearly respects and responds to selfless devotion--a girl's imminent suicide actuates his rampage, while her tearful prayer ends it--which places him on a somewhat higher moral plane than the sneering, sadistic Warlord (boo, hiss). The moral: sometimes the evil we don't know IS preferable to the evil we endure. Heady stuff for a children's fantasy film.

All in all a highly enjoyable kaiju eiga (giant monster movie).

This movie is aweswome. Daimajin destroying the nation is a pretty cool scene. But personally WRATH OF DAIMAJIN is better