This film from Japan`s Daiei studios is a film I had long heard of but never taken the time to seek out. Years ago I know there were VHS copies of it at a local store that specialized in features from around the globe but I was focused on the Godzilla series on their shelves and the films of Kurosawa so I never got around to these. Sadly like many other video stores it closed it’s doors a few years back.
Now thanks to budget label Mill Creek Entertainment I caught up to this hybrid Samurai – Giant on the loose flick. On blu ray no less in widescreen with subtitles as opposed to dubbing. It`s a trilogy three pack and if the two sequels are nearly as impressive as I found the first entry than this turned into a solid purchase for the video library.
The plot line involves a tale from the era of the samurai and feuding clans vying for control of the peasants and the lands within. The film begins with a hint of what is to come with the villagers praying in the square to keep the Majin dormant. Using the cover of this a coup is enacted resulting in the death of the current Lord and his small children being smuggled into the mountains by a loyal soldier.
Ten years will pass by and our two youngsters will grow to adulthood and prepare to reclaim the lands and titles they are entitled to. In the interim the peasants have been turned to slavery and the current regime uses force and cruelty to keep them in line.
It`s about the one hour mark when the film takes a turn towards the world of mystique and magic.
I really don`t want to spoil anything here plot wise so I`ll move onto to other impressions that the film left me with.
First off I expected a very Godzilla like film and found nothing of the sort. I don`t want to sound sacrilegious towards the Godzilla series as I am a huge fan of the Toho films but this effort was far and away much better in the special effects department when the time came for the giant vengeful stone figure to take his wrath upon the lands. The violence had a much more serious tone to it as well than the Godzilla series had at this time.
I enjoyed the fact that it was a period piece as well which may have helped the overall tone to the flick. Kind of like I prefer my vampires in the Gothic age overall. It`s also done in color and the sets of the village are impressive with very little in the way of miniatures mixed in for the rampaging climax. The use of real landscapes and a beautiful waterfall where our giant statue awaits his calling only adds to the scope of the film.
Full marks to the films director Kimiyoshi Yasuda, it`s cinematographer Fujio Morita and the effects by Yoshiyuli Kuroda.
If one was to sit down and watch this film from the start with no prior knowledge of where it was headed they`d have to think it`s a straight forward samurai flick in the true Toshiro Mifune style. A coup is enacted and it`ll be a matter of time before a peasant uprising occurs to restore the child grown now to a man to his rightful place on the throne.
It`s that and more. Seek this one out and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did.
Reminds me that I`m never to old to discover a new (old) film for myself for the first time.
Mike's Take On the Movies 
I own quite a few Mill Creek sets as well, but hadn’t seen this one anywhere, nor had I heard of the films. This one reminds me of a movie I saw on TV as a kid, of a giant stone man come to life in some foreign locale, and I seem to recall the stone man getting a stick or log or large tubular stone plunged into its chest, which made him dormant again. Was this that film? I don’t remember much else about it, except that at the time it gave me quite a supreme case of the willies.
You might be right. Since I haven’t yet seen the next two installments that may very well happen. He does get a steel spike hammered into his forehead in this at which point the rock statue bleeds. Was really a nice surprise!
Just found this on-line, describing a scene from Daimajin: “After impaling Samanosuke with the chisel from his forehead…”. This may be what I was remembering, vaguely. The time frame for its release is right, too. I’ll have to check this movie out now!
Hence the subtitle of mikes take on the movies. 🙂
Mill Creek put this out? Nice. I have too many of their “B” flick collections here that I got for less than a song, but it’s nice to see they have films with much nicer prints (as in prints you can actually see on a decent TV!) for sale. I haven’t seen the sequels, but I did catch the first film a long (long) time ago and was nicely surprised to see it back in print.
I picked it up last fall at a show in Pennsylvania. About time I got to it and yes many of there product is public domain so buyer beware but their raising the quality a bit with this effort.
I don’t think I paid more than an average of $4-$5 each for all the Mill Creek collections I have here, so it wasn’t too bad a wallet hit. That said, I knew they were PD films, but I didn’t think the quality would vary so much, heh. Oh well. A bunch of the films on those discs are ones I haven’t seen in ages (or at all), so I’m about 70% pleased with what I bought. Yeah, I’m too busy (and lazy!) to download public domain movies so I don’t mind grabbing as many as I can for pennies when they pop up.
Annnnnd, in poking around online I just saw that Daimajin set for about $10 shipped, which isn’t bad for a Blu-Ray full of obscurity. Well, that’s getting bought.
Nice! Hope you find it enjoyable as I did.
This looks amazing!
Struck me that way. A real nice surprise!