Runtime: 84 minutes
Directed by: Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Starring: Miwa Takada, Yoshihio Aoyama, Jun Fujimaki, Ryutaro Gomi, Ryuzo Shimada
From: Daiei
A Japanese period drama where a stone Golem-like figure crushes vile villains? Yes, please. I’ve known of the Daimajin trilogy for years now; this seemed an opportune time to check out the first in this series from the Daiei studio, made when kaiju pictures were all the rage and an idea to possibly have an ice giant face Gamera instead was made into its own trilogy where a stone giant admittedly based on the Jewish Golem legend is an avenging hero.
In feudal Japan, some evil A-holes overthrow the rightful rulers of a region, sending his children & bodyguard in exile. A decade later, the citizens in the area are miserable as the A-holes treat their subjects like slaves. Due to circumstances, it takes awhile but after even more injustice happens, the titular Daimajin comes alive like Peter Frampton and its rampage was truly satisfying.
The film was a serious drama which was done solidly due to the quality production values and filming in some scenic locations. When the kaiju action hits and divine spirit confronts the heels, though… it was impressive miniature work & impressive SFX buttressed by a nice Akira Ifukube score that soared during this climax. It can be argued that the movie has folk horror elements (a kid has visions of a skeleton and ghosts in the forest, it has an evocative opening, the village performs a ritual to placate the stone giant) so I was glad to view it at this time of year but it can be enjoyed in any month.
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