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Big Man Japan
EMAILPRINTMagnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures)
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy
Written by:
Hitoshi Matsumoto
Mitsuyoshi Takasu
Directed by: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Release Date:
Theatrical: May 15, 2009
DVD: July 28, 2009
Running Time: 113 minutes, Color
Origin: Japan
Language(s): Japanese
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for sci-fi action and crude humor
Starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ua, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Haruka Unabara, Tomoji Hasegawa, Itsuji Itao, and Hiroyuki Miyasako
A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisato’s job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato has his own problems –an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic but truly unique hero. (Magnolia Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Variety Russell Edwards
Decidedly odd, even by Japanese standards, this mockumentary about an electrically charged, skyscraper-high superhero saddled with misfortune, bad press and even worse TV ratings is tears-down-the-face funny and a genuine, jaw-dropping oddity.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Aaron Hillis
I hurt myself laughing at this amazingly inventive mockumentary, and because it's so good, I refuse to give away much more than an insistent recommendation.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Hysterically funny CGI fight sequences, which pit the chubby superhero against a series of creatures so bizarre they'd keep Hieronymus Bosch awake at night.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Nathan Lee
The most impressive special effect here is Mr. Matsumoto's hilariously restrained performance, a tour de force of comedic concision in a movie bloated by increasingly surreal developments.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
The film has slow sections that test the viewer's patience. But it also touches on themes of family, heroism and nationalism, and the finale, which has plenty of surprises and rewarding references for fans of the genre, is worth the wait.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Scott Mendelson
Awfully funny, with surprisingly potent social commentary just underneath the quirkiness.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
The effects are reasonably well-created, though hardly transparent. The last 15 minutes of the film spins out into unimaginable realms. Fans of this kind of stuff will leave smitten; those accompanying them to the theatre will have a pretty good time too.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
At nearly two hours, Big Man Japan is clever (in a sick sort of way) but overlong. It needs judicious editing -- more mockumentary, fewer superhero antics.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
When a movie is this strange, it's gotta count for something.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Matsumoto isn't the first Japanese director to go all meta on the superhero tradition (consider also Takashi Miike's 2004 "Zebraman"), but this work of improbable lunacy may well max out the genre.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Nick Pinkerton
Between such shots of inspiration, Matsumoto’s mock-doc framework seems a lazy stock device, interviews playing more dead than deadpan and failing to exceed an over-familiar comic-pathetic attitude toward the lives of functionaries.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson
But the film written, directed and starring stand-up comic Hitoshi Matsumoto has, like most superheroes, a tragic flaw: It isn't funny.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Billy Joe Bob gave it a10:
It really is that funny and sad and bizarre favorite of the year.
jon C gave it a10:
Very trippy indeed. watch it when you're high.
Deane G. gave it a1:
Very slow, and an ending that came out of nowhere and finished there as well.
Matt gave it an8:
Entertaining, but not recommended unless you've watched a LOT of Asian cinema. It is strange and dreamlike, and reminded me of Tanpopo with it's disjointedness. If you like Japanese monster films and appreciate the (really) absurd, this may be for you. Otherwise, probably not.
Chris C gave it a7:
This film has a very defined tone, and it's a tone that happens to work very well with the story.
Michael R gave it a0:
Easily the worst movie I've ever seen. I don't understand why the critics love it so...this movie didn't even do well in Japan. Very local Osaka humor.
