Daimajin

Starring:Daimajin
Studio: Adv Films
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

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 togther myths and places quilt-like into a plot, and Godzilla is based ratherly 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.

Average customer rating:

Return's Review
WOW! Good movie.
Return of Daimajin
The weakest entry in the series, but still worth a look.
not the best in the series, but still worthwhile

Daimajin, Vol. 3: Return of Daimajin
Starring: Kojiro Hongo , Shiho Fujimura , Taro Marui , Takashi Kanda , and Jutaro Hojo
Director: Kenji Misumi
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Daimajin, Vol. 2: Wrath of Daimajin
Daimajin
Wrath of Daimajin
Daimajin
Atragon

ASIN: B000929VC2
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

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 "boys own" 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. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Once again, evil has come to plague the peasants of Japan. As a vicious overlord brutally crushes the life from a tiny village, only one group of young warriors remain to seek salvation for their people. Stalked and hunted like animals, the youngsters make a desperate trek across a blood-stained landscape of ice and stone seeking the legendary God of Vengeance, Daimajin. The hand of vengeance is coming… and the children shall guide it.

Customer Reviews:

Return's Review.......2002-01-16

I must agree with everyone who has said that of the three, this was not the best in the series, although still good. This second installment takes a different style however. Instead of lots of samurai action, it follows four young boys who seek to free their fathers and brothers from a forced labor camp. Along the way they must evade the samurai of the evil lord responsible and furthermore, do that which is forbidden......Cross over Majin's Mountain. They find the statue god on the summit and stop to pay respects. Things do not go smoothly for them however and they wonder if his curse is on them. Just as all seems hopeless for both them and the slaves, the Majin emerges and "set's things right". The effects were once again good and the music also good. It has more of a classic horror movie sound to it. The visual effects of Majin's wrath in the beginning is eyecatching. The pace in this movie is slower with much less action but still very entertaining. You just need to put your mind frame in a position to follow four young children as the stars of this movie...........as they face many trials and dangers along their way to rescue the slaves. A good movie.

WOW! Good movie........2002-01-06

The 2nd (or 3nd) of the Majin movies is good and never flaws, yet something about it is not as good as the first DAIMAJIN film. It is the same story as part 1 but with some new twists. Good film, get it.

Nots: This film is UNRATED and contains Some Violence and Horror.
May get a PG-13 if rated by MPAA.

Return of Daimajin.......2000-08-18

Possibly the worst(still worth 5 stars)in the trilogy.I dont remember this film from my "Creature Feature" days as a kid but I still got a nostalgic feeling from it.Majin is once again imprisoned in his mountain(completely different from the first film but really cool)& another evil warlord is forcing his people into slavery.Four children cross the forbidden mountain to ask the god for aid in destroying the warlord & freeing their fathers from his oppresion.The god sends Majin & the warlord gets crushed of course.This film,released the same year,(1966)has even more spectacular FX than "Daimajin".The story moves a little slower at times but it still is a great video.I wish it was dubbed,I prefer even a bad job(most are,can we ever forget Kenny from "Gamera"?)to sub-titles

The weakest entry in the series, but still worth a look........1999-06-23

Not bad, but not quite as good as either _Daimajin_ or _Wrath of Daimajin_.

Four young boys journey to a distant valley to rescue relatives who have been enslaved by an Evil Warlord bent on conquering the region (boo, hiss). En route they strive to placate the warrior god Majin, whose mountain they must traverse. This the children do, but without avail: winter storms and the warlord's henchmen stop them just short of their destination. Is all lost for our diminutive heroes? Fear not: it's Majin to the rescue!

_Return of Daimajin_ is technically superb: the sets are meticulously crafted; the special effects require little suspension of disbelief to convince; the cinematography is breathtakingly lovely; Akira Ifukube's score--his best of the series--is alternately haunting and rousing.

To their credit, the filmmakers have the guts to put the plucky little tykes in truly dangerous situations. Soon after they discover the children trekking to their valley, a trio of the despots thugs unshoulder their rifles and start shooting! Later, one of the boys drowns in a boating accident. (This scene, plus others of brief but fierce violence, would likely earn the film a PG rating.)

The film has its share of weak points. The camerawork is too brightly pretty to capture the magic and menace of Majin's mountain, something _Daimajin_ conveyed so elegantly. Worse, the four leads have too little dialog to develop any degree of individuality, much less depth, as characters.

Still, the giant Majin effects look great, and that's all were really interested in, isn't it?

A good, but not great, kaiju eiga (giant monster movie).

not the best in the series, but still worthwhile.......1999-03-16

Probably the weakest of the Daimajin trilogy, this is still pretty good. Shifting the focus to a group of children travelling through the mountain of the god to resuce their fathers could have been much more cloying and irritating than it actually is.The kids themselves are nowhere near as annoying as, say, Kenny of Gamera fame, and the fact that the film puts them in very serious peril instead of treating everything with a Speilbergian sense of hollow awe. One of the children does die actually. Clearly this is still far from kids' stuff, and the presentation in the original Japanese helps considerably (think how loathsome these kids would be with high pitched, dubbed English voices). Of course, everything in this film becomes irrelevant once Daimajin is resurrected. These scenes, as always, are excellent and nicely comparable with the other two, superior, films. Here Daimajin's revival is heralded by the death of a bird, which seems to be an extension of his spirit, and the willing self sacrifice of one of the children. From this point, the film is wonderful, as Daimajin embarks on his snow swept rampage, with little regard for anything in his path. There's a great scene in which the villain tries to stop Daimajin by cutting loose several bundles of logs. Just as he thinks he has succeeded, the smoke clears, and Daimajin stands undeafeted. He then proceeds to use the logs as weapons against those who would stop him. Amazing.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful print... buuuut...
I found it interesting
don't buy this dvd

Daimajin, Vol. 2: Wrath of Daimajin
Starring: Daimajin
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Feature Films | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Daimajin, Vol. 3: Return of Daimajin
Daimajin
Frankenstein Conquers the World / Frankenstein Vs. Baragon
Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster
War in Space

ASIN: B0007WFU9M
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Description

On a mountaintop in Japan rests a giant stone statue. It sits as if observing the world around it in detached silence; a cold, unmoving guardian of the valley below. But evildoers beware, for whenever the oppressed cry to the heavens for salvation, and innocent lives are threatened by the seeds of evil, the stone champion of justice will awaken and punish those who do not believe in his power.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful print... buuuut..........2005-05-11

For some unknown reason, ADV has taken it unto itself to crop their beautifully remastered print of DAIMAJIN IKARU from 2.35:1 Daeiscope to 1.85:1. The result is the net loss of 40% or so of the image to the left and right. The audio quality is excellent, the image vibrant, but the aspect ratio really destroys any appeal this disc may have to former fans of the film. On the flipside, their re-release of the first film is incredibly inexpensive, in the correct aspect ratio, and features the best print of the film I've ever seen. Fans would do better to simply stick with the old releases or go with the official Japanese R2 discs.

I found it interesting.......2005-05-04

This is a tale of two clans both under attack from a neighbouring clan near a lake in feudal Japan. One of the clans has a 20 foot statue of their god on a tiny island just off the coast. While the two clans were attending religious services on the island, the third clan occupied the other two clans' villages. Saying anything else would spoil the ending. The Daimajin series are blends of myth, history, reality and fantasy with decent F/X considering the era.

don't buy this dvd.......2005-04-20

it apears adv has dropped the ball way down the stairs on this re-release. Wrath Of Daimajin is remastered, but cropped into a 1.85:1 ratio. but who the hell would re-release a film, remaster it and then crop it? I don't get adv sometimes. they're very strange 40- year old anime fans who would just release non-anamorphic movies with pale transfers and have non-removable subtitles for a japanese 2.0 track and lousy promo trailers for extras instead of putting time in their dvds. I'm sure most people would rather get the non-anamorphic one released long ago. the extras are pretty bad too, a little 22 second promo for all three Daimajins that was on the dvds before and some other adv-made trailers that you won't watch anyway.

Average customer rating:

Daimajin returns
Much improved video, but audio is a problem

Daimajin
Starring: Daimajin
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

Daimajin, Vol. 2: Wrath of Daimajin
Daimajin, Vol. 3: Return of Daimajin
King Kong Vs Godzilla/King Kong Escapes
Yokai Monsters - Spook Warfare
The Mysterians

ASIN: B0006VXLL8
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Description

On a mountaintop in Japan rests a giant stone statue. Evildoers beware, for whenevever the oppressed cry to the heavens for salvation and innocent lives are threatened the stone champion of justice will awaken and punish those who do not believe in his power. He is the spirit of vengeance, and the wrath of God given form.

Customer Reviews:

Daimajin returns.......2005-08-06

When I was growing up in Worcester, MA I used to watch The Creature Double Feature and see the best films including Frankenstein, Dracula, Gamera, Godzilla, and many others. For many years I've been searching for Daimajin, without knowing its name. I always remembered it in black and white.
Seeing the first volume in color, and letterbox is a treat. Yes, it's a standard story of good vs. evil. Yes, the subtitles are not very sophicated. Even so, Daimajin ranks up there with the great monster films. It has its own style and flair.

Much improved video, but audio is a problem.......2005-03-07

ADV Films's 2005 release of Daimajin vol. 1 offers a sharper image with less print wear and deeper color saturation than their prior DVD edition, a packaged set of all three Daimajin films. This edition also contains the original Japanese opening credits, unlike ADV's prior DVD and VHS releases.

One annoying glitch: the sound is out of synch by a fraction of a second throughout.

DVD:

DVD

Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Born Rich

Borderline - Unter Mordverdacht