In honor of the release of "Godzilla" this past weekend, I take a look back at another super-sized hero in Japan's repertoire with 2007's "Big Man Japan."
The movie adopts a mockumentary style, the main subject of which is Masaru Daisato (aka Big Man Japan) — a lambasted superhero from a long line of them. A once-prestigious line of work, Big Men are gifted with the unique ability to grow to enormous sizes via high-voltage electricity. Once super-sized, the Big Men must protect the Japanese people from the plethora of giant monsters that inhabit the city. Daisato's father and grandfather were both regarded as heroes of their respective eras. Unfortunately for Daisato, the Big Man position no longer holds the same weight in the 20th century.
Many of the citizens go as far as to describe the current incarnation of the Big Man as a nuisance rather than a savior. Due to the public ambivalence, Daisato's publicist insists on branding him with corporate logos during fights in order to increase ratings. Intricacies such as these reflect the strength of the script, as well as a great deal of attention to detail. The movie unfolds with the fervor of a video game, juxtaposing standard sit-down interviews to develop the plot and giant creature battles aesthetically similar to "Mortal Kombat."
The creatures, which appear at random, are each more absurdly creative than the last. All of which are shot using a mish-mash of CGI and miniature model cities — the end result being a visually unique experience unlike any other. There's definitely a B-movie quality to the whole affair, but unlike most schlocky movies, "Big Man Japan" is not so much so-bad-it's-good as it is so-stupid-it's-awesome. A quick rundown of the giant creatures includes: leaping monster, strangling monster, evil stare monster, child monster, evil red menace and stink monster (a personal favorite).
The monsters have a variety of, uh, "skills," but the thing that unites them all is their perverse outward appearance and the thrill they derive from smashing buildings (which at times is inexplicably sexual in nature). The evil red menace is the only monster of the lot who truly poses a threat to Big Man. The other monsters are seemingly harmless, albeit deeply perverted in their conception.
Hitoshi Matsumoto wears all three hats in "Big Man Japan": director, writer and lead actor. This singular force lends itself to the cohesiveness of the entire movie. Despite its absurd persona, the movie still boasts a purposefully well-maintained edge. Matsumoto's zany stamp of approval can be found throughout, but it's something to be seen rather than explained. Words simply can't do this movie a justice. Matsumoto perfectly blends comedic insanity with social commentary in order to satirize Japanese pop culture in its various forms.
Matsumoto even manages to slip an "Ultraman" reference into the ending, which I didn't even make a connection to until it was gloriously unfolded before me. In retrospect, it had to have been the primary influence behind the movie. Ultimately, if men-in-monster-suits is your thing, this is an obvious recommendation. Yet, if quirk, offbeat and, at times, even crude humor is what you're into, "Big Man Japan" is your kind of movie as well.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTAoxSspBJE&w=560&h=315]