The majin trilology.

[Svengoolie 3]

Yeah, i'm listing these movies u set good movies despite the fact they all have a kaiju and some other elements associated with bad movies.

http://sequart.org/magazine/57826/a-vengeful-statue-daieis-daimajin-trilogy/

Anyone else like these?

[WingedSerpent]

I once watched all these movies over a single weekend.  While they have plenty of strong points, the movie are held back somewhat by following the same pattern a little too closely and the fact they were all released the same year.  A person at G-Fest one year said it best when he described these movies like three different people where given the same outline to three different people and the trilogy is what they came up with.

What I do like is the horror imagery in the first and second one.  The ghosts, the eyes in the mountain, etc.  Its what separates these films from many traditional daikaiju films.  The first acts play out like a supernatural horror film mixed with a period piece.   

The design of the majin works because despite having a stone face, the eyes of the mask allow the suit actors real eyes to be seen.  This give him a certain expressiveness that you don't see in other kaiju suits.   Even ones built with moving parts.

I get Majin is supposed to be somewhat of an anti-hero.  And that even the good guys aren't supposed to be safe when he's active.  And the human villains are unlikable enough, that most people aren't going to mind seeing them trampled.  But by the third-they should have given him a real antagonist.   A sorcerer, a demon, another god-something.

 

[Svengoolie 3]

Well, see, majin was a god, a demon god. He accepted worship and stayed in peace but when he was violated he woke up and was really pizzed.  He was even POed at his own people for letting it happen. But when shown courage, devotion, strength, he relented.

The second movie had a scene that might keep it off american TV, where the boy buries the dead falcon avatar of majin in snow then offers his life to the god if it will save his people then threw himself off the cliff. Sure, majin saved him  but still that's not something most kids should see. Like when the women in the first movie threw herself at his feet and offered to be crushed by him, the act of self sacrifice and the willingness to die to appease him was enough. He had a dark, violent, even demonic side, but his good side was there too.

Having majin fight another entity would kind of kill the idea that as a god he would wait till humans really, really blew things, then he got busy but when he did everyone needed to watch out. and it usually took an act of willing sacrifice to mellow him out again.