Daimajin (1966)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I was expecting a decent film due to the ratings on IMDb, but what I experienced, was much greater than that. This period piece forces us to be an active participant by enveloping us with its desperate atmosphere. It's melodramatic set up brings the pacing down, so don't expect monster mashing anytime soon. It's tone is fierce and foreboding throughout. The tension is wonderful, and the anticipation of a reluctant savior slow to awaken, is as brutal as the wrath it releases! DaiMajin is like a freight train, slow to get going, and hard to stop! 8/10.**By the way I always recommend the Japanese versions with their acting and English subtitles.**

I remembered seeing this years ago on my local Creature Feature, one Saturday night...it was kind of slow-going at first....then, when the stone monster is awakened and he starts getting busy...whoa! The sound of him pounding the ground as he walked, and his grim expression, as he dispatched the bad guys....and the way, once he gets going , seemed like a steam roller, until he suddenly stopped, with an innocent woman about to be trampled.....indelibly imprinted in my memory....but I forgot the title....I finally found it with the help of IMDb.....now I know what to look for at the DVD store. Though I may have to go to a video place that has rare titles....

I saw this at least twice on Channel 56 (Boston) Creature Double Feature when I was a kid- and it's the kind of movie you remember but can't believe existed. It was pretty amazing! This giant ancient Japanese warrior statue comes out of the sea and starts kicking ass. I had to wait for the internet and the debut of Google to find that I was right---it does exist. Now I am psyched and want to get the DVD if it exists. Right on !Other films on Channel 56 were the original War of the Worlds, which scared the hell out of me (it's really scary for a bad old sci fi flick---its the tentacles which I could psyche myself could be outside my window) and also the X from outer space and some other weird stuff that I will no doubt find out about someday, but this is really hallucinatory and amazing.

Surprisingly good Japanese monster movie. Evil warlord enslaves townspeople until one prays to the mysterious unfinished stone statue on a mountain. The statues comes to life and goes on a rampage. The special effects are much better then what you may be used to from Japanese monster movies of the sixties.