Review: Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)
"Big Man Japan" is a faux-documentary which follows a year in the life of the current "Big Man Japan", Masaru Daisatou. Japan has employed a members of Masaru's family for several generations as the first line of defense against the plague of giant monsters attacking Japan on a regular basis. Through a process involving an electrical substation, Masaru's size is increased until he is towering over tall buildings. Unfortunately, while Masaru's predecessors were treated like heroes, Masaru is practically discarded.
The special effects in this movie aren't great, but neither were the rubber suits they are replacing. The movie isn't quite logical, but it's fun. The various monsters that Masaru has to battle are hilarious, and the "data sheets" that appear before the battles are great as well. Masaru is greeted by the public with indifference at best, and he seems to exist outside of society. The ending ups the nonsense level to 11 and leaves you wondering if you were actually supposed to understand what was going on.
This movie isn't for everyone, but if you enjoyed Toho-style monster movies, you should definitely be entertained. Even if you are annoyed by the ending, the time leading up to it is full of gems. This isn't a movie you need to hunt down, but when it's available on Netflix, give it a spin.