ReaderKenka
Let's be realistic.
Derrick Gibbons
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
bravelybravesirrobin
Big Man Japan is one of the weirder films I've seen from Japan and anyone who's passingly familiar with Japanese cinema knows what a statement that is. Starring, written by, directed by and produced by one man comedy auteur Hitoshi Matusmoto, Big Man Japan tells the tale of Masaru Daisato also known as Big Man Japan, the giant 30 foot tall super hero that defends Japan from invading monsters in a similar vein to Ultraman and other Kaiju films.The twist being that everything in Masaru's life, including his monster fighting, absolutely sucks and the people of Japan hate him and think he's terrible at his job.That's a brilliant high concept but it's not really the film that Big Man Japan gives us, and partly that's why the film is so odd. It's not the subject matter, although stuff like a giant starfish/vagina monster that stinks is pretty oddball, but rather the tone. Big Man Japan is deadpan to the point that it seems sometimes to be actively taunting the audience with how unfunny it's being. Long sequences of the film are taken up with Masaru eating at a noodle place, driving his scooter, talking about how he likes umbrellas and doing other mundane tasks all filmed in a documentary style with minimal camera movement and subtle acting. It's actively boring at times but it seems to be intentional because the central gag is presenting the absurd and surreal monster battles in as deadpan and ordinary a way as the mundane aspects of Masaru's life. The long boring segments means the eventual pay off of a giant pair of purple pants seems all the funnier. Not that the documentary segments are without humour, particularly the scene with Masaru's daughter in her bunny hat and pixelated face, but it's a subtler humour than the giant electric nipples or enormous cat eared baby spouting poetry. Tolerance for this level of deadpan is likely to be low though so it's certainly not a film with wide appeal.People have moaned about the special effects for this feature but frankly on the budget this film had, and especially considering they're using motion capture technology I think they look great and even add to the humour since, again they mix the oddball and the deadpan. Being able to see the actor's facial expressions is much more important than a good looking suit or smooth CGI when you're doing this kind of subtle comedy.One final note, the last ten minutes of this film are absolutely hysterical. Having built up the threat of this unknown red monster with Masaru running away from it and finally having to face it again at the end we're all primed for a typical redemption story where Masaru overcomes his own incompetence and beats the big bad. I won't spoil the ending but suffice it to say the film undercuts this expected trope in the most ludicrous and hilarious manner possible. Much as individual scenes have a slow, tedious, excruciating, agonisingly, long build up to a gag so the film as a whole is 90 minutes of deadpan and 10 minutes of utter unrestrained insanity that had me laughing like a loon.For more film reviews check out www.wordpress.mummy.com or find out more about at http://about.me/AdamHalls
Camunt
It's weird that this movie is portrayed as a comedy because this is actually a serious film for the most part. It's a mockumentary, but it's played as completely serious, not like Spinal Tap. The movie takes its premise very seriously. It's actually a pretty sad film, despite its comedic portrayal in the trailer. It's a very quiet film, almost introspective at times. It's an observance of Japanese culture and how they don't really like giant monsters anymore...but in this world, the giant monsters still exist. And Daisuke is unappreciated as such. Very cool film, but I didn't find it quite as uproariously hilarious as it's portrayed. That's what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I got. Not that that was a bad thing! I just didn't get what I was expecting at all.All in all a good film. The ending is pretty ridiculous and it moves slowly at times, but it was a rather deep film, and when it tried to be funny, it definitely hit its mark.
KineticSeoul
Wow this movie sucked big time, it was just a waste of time. I don't get the humor in this and I get Japanese humor but this wasn't funny at all and boring. The movie is about some homeless looking guy, turning into this giant guy with a diaper going around with a stick in had in order to fight monster and if he ain't fighting monster he is doing these boring interviews, than rinse and repeat. I don't know if the director wanted to be artsy or make this into a cult movie but it fails. It seems the director relied too heavily on being awkward with it's weird dialogue and monsters. Just avoid this, and who ever finds this film funny or comical is either a weeaboo or trying way too hard.3/10
Polaris_DiB
I guess what's surprising is that I'm any longer surprised. Big Man Japan seemed relatively straightforward at first. A hated underdog loser who has to protect Japan from giant CG monsters promises silly action filled delight. The surprising thing is that the CG monster fights are slow and not all that interesting, ultimately, except for the design and idea behind the monsters. It's actually the drama of a lonely, depressed man with a government job who refuses to acknowledge that nobody likes him that is a very interesting, compelling story. I can't believe it yet I'd have preferred this movie NOT have any action sequences and just stay focused on the quiet, insulated drama of a man losing all hope.Also, I just simply did not see that ending coming. Again, I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I almost don't really know what to say about this movie. There's three entirely different things going on here, and in typical b-movie Japanese style that doesn't matter--what matters is that they can.So, alright then. It is what it is, and luckily it's enjoyable. I'm just trying to wrap my head around a sort-of Zebraman meets Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl story with an actual, dramatic core that ends up tossed away.
