[KFCC] Wrath of Daimajin Review

Story: You'd think these guys would learn by now not to mess with Daimajin, but here we have another power hungry ruler cutting out the weaker from the root up. After Juro, the head of a recently invaded village flees, the resident bastard at large holds another villages head honcho captive until they present Juro. To teach these lesser people a lesson, the statue housing the spirit of their god Majin is defiled in it's cave that is (in this film) located on an island in the middle of a lake which separates the warring lands. Well, they don't just defile it, the plaster it with TNT and send it to high hell. No matter how they did it, it's now time for Daimajin to enter the ring and clean up the scum.

Review: Fade in the Daiei logo, cue the familiar music, present the plight of the day, piss off the native God, die, rinse and repeat. Though the formula for the Daimajin trilogy is beyond apparent by now, "Wrath of Daimajin" manages to rise above its predictability and ends up nearly as compelling of a genre blend as the first film.

Much closer to the story of the original than "Return of Daimajin" is, and managing not to include any annoying bratty quests, "Wrath" packs in everything you could possibly want, but still manages to lose the anxious, waiting with bated breath for Majin to appear feeling the first had. The characters are not as pronounced in this one, but it also seems to speed towards the climax at a hastier pace, so it's really not too noticeable. Cinematographer Fujio Morita provides some fantastic shots to paint the beautiful scenery we all know as inevitable stomping grounds.

Thematically, the series as a whole echoes the dangers of messing with people's beliefs and "Wrath" contains a dropping of religious imagery here and there, much like in the other two parts. Images of Majin parting the lake like Moses are some of the best the movie has to offer, and if anything, the big guy's entrance in this chapter may be the most exciting yet.

Another plus is that big Majin busts a few heads on the low even before his big finish. It doesn't feel like as long of a wait this time around, as his statue gets blown to pieces somewhere near the middle of the film. Though most believe their god to be dead, the truly faithful still pray and request his presence even when the odds are impossibly against them.

The finale, though still no where near as exciting as the one in "Daimajin", still manages to fulfill its purpose in wiping out the evil in the land, and definitely satisfies with special effects that are top notch for the time. Admittedly, a decent portion of the latter two films epic conclusions tend to spark a "spot the 'Daimajin' stock footage" game. Unfortunately, last time we played a round of that here at KFCC, Jimmy found himself nailed to a crucifix with a giant green finger up his ass.

All three of these films beg to be watched, and make sure you don't miss out on "Wrath". While it doesn't surpass the original, it lands comfortably as a close second, with "Return of Daimajin"'s infant stars waiting for their younger brother to stop picking his nose so they can catch up.