****          Majin Strikes Back!

Did I mention that I hate subtitles? I really wish someone would make a nice dubbed version of these movies but perhaps I’m asking too much. Still, despite having to "read the movie", the beautiful scenery and well-made stories of the trilogy still shine through. This one is the third and last of the Daimajin movies, and although it is somewhat the same movie as the first, it is still well worth noting.

There are three kingdoms in a certain area of Japan, two of which surround a lake and one off to the side. The one not connected to the lake is filled with social strife and jealousy of the other countries, so the ruler of that country decides to take over the others by force. He succeeds, but key members of the royal family managed to escape, meaning the threat of having the situation reversed is still around. In the efforts to find the "good guys", the "bad guys" decide to blow up a deity-like statue found on an island in the middle of the lake. All they succeed in doing is inciting the wrath of Majin, who starts to help out in minor ways but eventually decides to turn into a giant walking samurai guy and take on the occupying armies himself. The good kingdoms are saved from the insurrection, and with his task complete Majin disappears forever (or did he?).

As a whole this is a typical samurai movie filled with action, drama, and some beautiful background scenery. The plot itself is pretty much the same sort of thing we’ve come to expect from these Daimajin movies, but the theme for the day is a massive war, meaning we get plenty of fight scenes. While we are entertained by the usual noble quests, there is the occasional mysterious happening that embodies the mythical nature of Majin. Once the big guy finally appears, he does so in the most dramatic way possible. The island blows up, the water parts, Majin walks down the path, numerous efforts are made to stop him but they all fail. The unstoppable force plows through chains and massive explosions and succeeds in wiping out the whole army, ending by lighting the warlord guy on fire. All of this is accomplished with some of the best special effects to come out of 1960’s Japan, and truly Daiei really outdoes themselves this time. If you like a good samurai plot and some good "giant something trashing stuff" action, then you’ve picked the right movie.

Really the final Daimajin movie is my personal favorite of the three thanks to the quality presented. It also doesn’t delve to far in the overly dramatic stuff like the last two, preferring a simpler method of getting the point across. In many ways it’s kind of bad that this is the last Daimajin movie; I would really like to see another one made in recent times. For now though, it’s a unique trilogy with some good ideas told three different ways.

Well-done plot

Well-done special effects

Well-done music

Lots of action

Nice scenery

Majin doing the stuff that only Majin can do

There are times were it gets a little slow-paced

Not all the effects are good

A lot of the stuff is a little too similar to the first movie

The usual set of events that are left unexplained even if they should be

They appear to have used some stock footage from the other two movies in this one

Credits