IFFR 2008: DAI-NIPPONJIN Review

With "Cloverfield" being the huge financial success it is, you might hope that this starts a revival of the monster movies made in the fifties and sixties. I'd like that, for I have always been a monster fan.

But of course, if there is ONE country which has monster-movie experience, recent and as heritage, it's Japan. They don't really need a 'revival' and last year one cleverly made comedy proved that beyond any doubt.
I'm talking about "Dai-Nipponjin" (Big Man Japan). A movie which shows the most inglorious hero ever: a total dumb-ass loser who happens to have inherited the family business, which unfortunately for him is fighting giant monsters.

Now this is far from the newest movie playing here at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. We even have two good reviews for this on the site already, by Mack and Todd.

But I am so glad it's being shown!
For this may be the festival's giant (haha) strength: giving people the ability of seeing movies like these in a big venue, with speakers capable of handling the task. And really, spoof or not, once the monster-battles start you need a cinema with decent sound!

I don't necessarily have much to add beyond what Todd and Mack already said, so I'll try and keep it short, after the break (where also another monster picture can be found).

Note: I've tried more or less to keep it spoilerfree, but if you REALLY want to stay "pure" skip to the part called "The Movie".


The Story:

Hitoshi Matsumato plays an odd man being followed by a camera crew. It's all a bit shaky-cam (which reminded me of "Cloverfield" again) and the man is obviously a bit of an idiot, so you quickly start to wonder what's going on. But suddenly, a call comes in from the ministry of Defense: the man is needed to avert a disaster!

For he is the superhero known as "Big Man Japan"!
Who grows into a giant and fights monsters, whenever he gets electrocuted!
Whose exploits can be followed daily on television!

It's not a fun job anymore though: people are bored with him, the monsters are lame and his agent is ripping him off. But one day "Big Man Japan" loses a fight, and suddenly the ratings for his television show skyrocket. This puts forces into motion which start conspiring against him, but will the dimwitted and reluctant hero ever notice what's going on?


The Movie:

Generally, Japanese audiences are fascinated by failure. When a home-run is scored in baseball, the television cameras do not focus on the ecstatic player running his round, but instead show the beaten pitcher who made the mistake. "Dai-Nipponjin" caters to this fascination in a big way. And while I was constantly laughing at the jokes and absurd situations, by all means this was to my surprise one of the saddest movies I've seen in years.
"Big Man Japan" is constantly abused from all sides and is unable to cope with it. While the character never gets sympathetic you still feel for him because he is being treated so unfairly, and the glimpse into his troubled youth is also rather dark.

Don't let that scare you off though: it speaks volumes about the talent of Hitoshi Matsumato that at one point he can make you laugh at a dead baby!

(A giant monster baby, but still...)

The second surprise was the quality and design of the special effects. The monsters are too bizarre and ridiculous for words, yet their execution is stellar! Given the spoofy nature of this film I expected that it would skimp a bit on the monsters, but each one is being animated with care. And, as mentioned before, the sound design during the fights rocks the Earth.


Conclusion:

While "Cloverfield" is easily (and often) described as "Godzilla" meets "The Blair Witch Project", this film is far more original and therefore harder to describe. With its wit and focus on media-manipulation, "Godzilla" meets "Network" comes close though. It's also damn funny.

Recommended in a big way!
Hitoshi Matsumato scores a well-deserved monster hit, so I'll leave you with the man himself in front of his alter-ego's hulkishly purple underpants.