Daimajin (1966)

Honey, this guy doesn't use doors!

Daimajin was the first in three movies about the mercurial mountain god which were filmed roughly around the same time. As someone who enjoys a good Kaiju movie I found this one to be entertaining. Unlike other Kaiju who either came into town to stir up trouble or fight other Kaiju, this stone warrior had his own code. An evil lord found out the hard way that you do not want to attract Daimajin's attention for wrong doing!

The movie begins with the villagers ruled by the Hanabusa clan participating in their ritual to the local mountain god. The treacherous samurai Samanosuke uses the opportunity to stage a coup. Everyone in the ruling family is killed except for the young son, Tadafumi and his sister Kozasa, who are spirited away by the loyal retainer, Kogenta. Kogenta seeks help from the priestess, Shinobu who takes them to the forbidden mountain and hides them in the cave next to the Majin statue.

Ten years later finds the people pressed into forced labor building Samanosuke's great gate. Villagers are starving and dying under his cruel rule. Now eighteen, Tadafumi decides it's time to return and kill Samanosuke if it will help the people. Kogenta goes ahead to the camp in order to contact people loyal to the Hanabusa family in the hopes of gaining more support for a rebellion but is taken prisoner and tortured instead. Tadafumi attempts to rescue him and is captured, too. The son of one of Hanabusa's loyal subjects runs to the priestess to ask the Majin for help. He finds the princess but the two of them are captured by Samanosuke's men on the mountain. When the samurais attempt to destroy the Majin statue the mountain destroys them. Kogenta and Tadafumi are scheduled to be executed at dawn causing Kozasa to beg the mountain god for help even if he requires her life in exchange. Daimajin awakens and unleashes his terrible fury on the evil doers.

This film played out as more of a samurai movie for most of the running time. Daimajin waited until after the 60-minute mark to make his appearance. Fortunately, the acting was pretty good, especially for this genre and the story was compelling. Daimajin made for a fierce and frightening avenger, especially when it seemed he would rampage on the victims of Samanosuke's ruthlessness after he finished dispatching the bad guys. Because he wasn't over 300 feet tall, his presence could be seen in relation to the people in a more immediate way. In a bit of karmic irony, Samanosuke died in a manner similar to the crucifixion execution he was using on the heroes, and in the manner his vassals used to try and destroy the statue, which of course released Daimajin. Bad guy should have listened to the old priestess, she tried to warn him!

The mountain scenery was beautiful and blended well with the miniatures and special effects when the samurai transgressed on the sacred ground. A few of Samanosuke's buildings came across as flimsy, but the better for Daimajin to tear down as he stomped his way to vengeance. When Samanosuke closed the door to the building he hoped to hide in, it was humorous, because doors had no effect on the giant stone warrior, nor did fire, bullets, or giant chains. The only thing that had an effect on him were the tears of a pure-hearted woman.

As a long time Kaiju fan, I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of this series of movies. I accidentally watched the last one first, but as they are not tied together it didn't affect understanding the story. The acting, sets, and storytelling have been strong for the genre. Most 1960's Kaiju movies would not have stood up to waiting an hour for the monster to appear. The giant stone warrior in this film was just a bonus to the already entertaining story. By this time Toho was marketing Godzilla to a younger audience. With the deaths and torture scenes, Daimajin could appeal to adults as well. If you enjoy old Kaiju and samurai movies, this is one to give a try.

7/23/23

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