The Complete Daimajin (Daimajin/Wrath of Daimajin/Return of Daimajin)

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Daimajin
Decked out in stone gray with a scowling jade-green war face, Majin is one of the most impressive of giant Japanese monster movie threats. This 60-foot statue come to life is an irresistible force, relentlessly driving ahead with the thundering echoes of his earthshaking steps. This unusual mix of the fantasy and samurai genres is found in these three monumental adventures set in the feudal past. In the first of the trilogy, this massive statue rising up out of the mountains contains the trapped spirit of a destructive god, or so goes the legend. An ambitious chamberlain plays on the peasants' fears to overthrow the peaceful lord and enforces an iron fist on his nation, but 10 years later he sends his soldiers to destroy the stone monolith. When Majin is finally roused by prayer and righteous anger, it proves to be an impressive figure, leaving the chamberlain's massive fort splinters and rubble in its wake while relentlessly hunting down the villain to deliver his poetic justice. Director Kimiyoshi Yasuda brings a stoic seriousness to these scenes, never once allowing them to slip into camp. If only his handling of the human drama were equally bold. The story of the royal heirs growing up in the shadow of Majin and planning their return to power is serviceable if conventional, but once Majin stirs at the 60-minute mark, the film roars to life for a destructive, ruthlessly satisfying conclusion. The title, Daimajin, roughly translates to "Giant" or "Monster" Majin; the film is also known as Giant Majin and Majin: Monster of Terror.

Return of Daimajin
The second of the Majin films is as much a loose remake as a sequel. Four kids from a peaceful mountain village trek over the forbidden Majin Mountain to reach the land of the tyrant king who has kidnapped and enslaved the men of their village, including their own fathers. This adventure takes the film out of the studio environs of the first film and into impressive mountain locations, but once again the meandering human adventure is merely a prelude to the wrath of Majin and his unstoppable march of vengeance. Despite the addition of these cute kids, director Issei Mori maintains the serious tone set in the first film; this really isn't kid stuff, despite a few moments of juvenile humor. After almost a decade of Godzilla films the Japanese film industry had perfected the use of scale and camera speed to turn the man in a monster suit into a towering threat on a grand scale. With the addition of the thundering echoes of his earthshaking steps and composer Akira Ifubuke's booming theme, Mori creates a truly impressive figure of Majin, the green-faced god who rises to administer his own brand of grim justice.

Wrath of Daimajin
A brutal warlord tries to stop the flow of refugees fleeing his kingdom by conquering his neighbors, but when he chases an escaped prince into the peaceful lakeside refuge of the worshippers of Majin (located on the island in the center of the lake), he is cursed by the prince's dying father. Taking no chances, the warlord sends his men to destroy the icon with explosives and succeeds in turning the stone monolith to rubble, but it takes more than gunpowder to destroy a god. Director Kenji Misume, easily the most accomplished of the three Daimajin directors, sets the exciting adventure of avenging young Prince Jaro and loyal Lady Suyori (keeper of Majin) at a rapid pace, building to a peak for the inevitable entrance of Majin, who dramatically parts the waters. With obviously limited resources, Misume gives a near-epic look to the film with impressive set pieces (a boat of soldiers is sucked under the churning waters of the lake, a courtyard is transformed into the site of a mass public execution) without slighting his human characters--the sacrifices of Majin's followers become unexpectedly poignant moments and receive their cinematic mourning in Lady Suyori's tears. Every element comes together to create the peak of the series, an exciting and involving tale on a grand scale. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Classic Films From Japan's Cinematic Past!.......2007-01-17

These three Daimajin films are true classics from Japan's past. Put together in a complete [and much better restored] boxed set, they are available in one set. What I have always liked about these films is that the Daimajin is a hero-monster from Japan's own spiritual history. And unlike Godzilla, which is based on Japanese icons such as turtles or dragons, the Daimajin is steeped in Japanese culture. This 3 DVD set is without a doubt among some of the most beautifully shot films to come out of Japan during the 1960s. The effects in the films are spectacular; and are not shoddy at all. On the contrary, they were done remarkebly well. [Better in fact than many American studios were doing at the time].

The film deals in fantasy, and was geared to a younger audience at the time, however, I still liked them when I viewed them again recently. The term Daimajin roughly translates to Giant or Monster. And what you have in these three episodes is a 60-foot stone statue which comes to life. But only when the innocent have been wronged. The mixture here is a blend of Samurai and fantasy. [Which is a welcome break sometimes]. The first film in the trilogy is simply titled "Daimajin," and deals with a Feudal Lord who awakens the spirit of this angry monster. The ambitious Lord has usurped the power of the previous peaceful lord, and now ten years later sends his army out to destroy the stone monster. Bad idea! The ensuing film shows what happens to this wicked lord and his army who tried to destroy the Daimajin.

The next two films deal with different stories, but the same themes. Don't mess with the Daimajin. The second film is called "Return of Daimajin" and is about four children who attempt to take a trip over the forbidden Majin Mountain. They are going to the land of an evil lord who has kidnapped their fathers. However, there is no child play in this episode, I do not wish to spoil it for you, but let's just say the Majin seeks out and metes justice. The final episode deals with a ruthless warlord. The title of the third DVD is "Wrath of Daimajin." This particular episode was directed by the talented Kenji Misume. This is an impressive film. Everyone will have their favorite episode, however, I liked them all. Many memories in these films for me. Highly recommended if you like the kaiju genre. Or anyone who just appreciates Japanes films [especially from the 1960s].

Bring on the Stomp !.......2006-07-15

I love Lone wolf and cub,Zatoichi,Lady Snowblood,Hanzo and more japanese films besides.I've enjoyed Daimajin just as much,although it is aimed at a younger audience.The story outlines have been described in other reviews.I wish to re-inforce the fact that this set is printed in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio,whilst the latest ADV individual DVD remasters are cropped to 16:9.
This fact alone made me choose the box set and I am glad I did. The prints appear pleasantly clean and sharp,as well as less dark (I believe) than the later DVDs. Highly recommended family fun and a bargain in the box set.

Not your typical kaiju.......2006-04-21

I saw at least one of these films on t.v. as a child and had fond memories, so I was curious to see how they would stand up upon viewing as an adult. Surprisingly, the answer is quite well. The prints used are relatively clean, showing a few spots and speckles here and there that don't really affect your viewing pleasure, and the sound is good, though not great. The important thing though is how are the movies themselves? Really entertaining. The special effects are great for the time, the acting is uniformly good, with the exception of the kids in the Return of Daimajin, and the stories are intelligent and interesting, unlike some of the plots of other kaiju films like the Godzilla series (no offense intended here, I love those films too, it's just that these are in another league altogether). Though the stories are all relatively similar with the wicked lord subjugating the kindly subjects theme, they still maintain their own individuality from film to film. And importantly, it's really nice to see them in a widescreen format with english subtitles and no dreadful dubbing. Worth a look if you can find the set for a reasonable price.

Absolute Japanese Classics.......2006-04-19

The Daimajin films are CLASSICS! For me this goes far beyond Ray Harryhausen and Godzilla films, because it's based more on cultural facts. Whereas Harryhausen strung together myths and places quilt-like into a plot, and Godzilla is based rather loosely on Japanese icons (dragons, turtles and moths) turned into modern monsters by radiation; Daimajin is a monsterous hero based on Japan's spiritual history. Also of note are the moments in these films where someone is thrown in boiling sulphur or drowns and add to the depth and motivation of the characters, rather than being completely ignored as fodder for the monster or inspiring melodramatically overwraught reactions. Though the spiritual connection is fleetingly explored in many films of the 'Destory All Monsters' tradition; the reverence of certain characters and disregard for a higher power by others plays out in a more real fashion than most all other films in this fantasy genre. Though the original videocassettes warn: "This program is not rated but contains scenes which may not be suitable for younger viewers", I would actually recommend this more highly than most other films in this genre for the above reasons.
Some things work out happily, and others don't; that's life kids. Get Daimajin for your family.

If you missed this kick yourself.......2006-01-05

I think I paid $15.00 for this new from Amazon; I'd never seen it go for over $25. Now the three films are available individually at a total of nearly $45 which is certainly going to slow sales, as these are not well-known movies to begin with.

Simply, among the most beautiful films of the Sixties, bar none, with an almost art-film quality. This was clearly "A" list film-making for the time and is, in many respects, far better than non-Japanese product of that era. As I've written elsewhere, Japanese fantasy film of this era may be about the best anywhere. I think we in the west were and still are) patronizing to this work and I think the Japanese still don't understand what they did right long ago--they were suffering from a massive inferiority complex in the Fifties and Sixties and today seem to prefer to ignore things they did well back then when they were less able to reproduce Hollywood quality rubbish.

Not to be insulting, but I'd like to see much of this stuff out of the hands of companies like Rubbersuit and Tokyo Shock--the whole sci-fi geek crowd--and into the hands of Criterion. Crazy talk perhaps but I know once this was marketed to a very different crowd a whole new realm of appreciation of these films might emerge. I was just viewing a "Yokai Monster" film of this vintage and from this distributor, while browsing through a book of paintings by Max Ernst, and frankly the juxtaposition worked remarkably well.

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