Big Man Japan
A mockumentary about a giant monster defender.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Big Man Japan (Japanese: 大日本人, Hepburn: Dai Nipponjin; lit. 'Great Japanese') is a 2007 Japanese kaiju film written, directed by, and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto. Presented as a mockumentary, it centers on Masaru Daisatou, a seemingly ordinary man who can grow to about 30 meters tall when zapped with high-voltage electricity. Like his father and grandfather before him, he works for a defense ministry subdivision called the Ministry of Monster Prevention, tasked with battling giant monsters on live television. The ratings for these fights fluctuate, and though Daisatou usually wins, the monsters often have bizarre powers. Despite his abilities, he faces public mockery and struggles with the weight of his heroic family legacy, feeling overshadowed by their past achievements. His personal life is strained, as he is estranged from his wife and child. When a particularly tough monster—reportedly from Korea, not Japan—appears, Daisatou flees, drawing further ridicule. He eventually gets help from a family of Ultraman-style fighters to confront it.
The film received positive reviews from U.S. critics after months of festival screenings. Magnolia Pictures gave it a limited release in April 2008, followed by a DVD release on July 28, 2009. On Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 32 critics gave positive reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10, and the site's consensus called it "undeniably inspired." Metacritic scored it 62 out of 100 based on 13 reviews. Roger Ebert found it "very funny in an insidious way," awarding three and a half stars out of four. In June 2011, *The Hollywood Reporter* announced an American remake was in development, with Phil Hay, Ugur Demir, and Matt Manfredi writing the script and Neal H. Moritz producing.
- release_year
- 2007
- country
- Japan
- genre
- Kaiju film
- director
- Hitoshi Matsumoto
- format
- Mockumentary
- runtime
- Not specified in article
Lore & Background
The film takes the form of a mockumentary following Masaru Daisatou, who, like his father and grandfather before him, has accepted the duty to protect Japan against various giant monsters while working for a sub-division of the defence ministry called the Ministry of Monster Prevention. The battles with the monsters are televised, and the ratings appear to drop or pick up depending on the event. Most of the monsters have obscure abilities, and Daisatou generally defeats them. Despite his great powers, he increasingly finds himself mocked by his fellow citizens while struggling under the burden of living up to a heroic lineage that overshadows his own mediocre accomplishments as a monster fighter. He is deeply estranged from his own wife and child, who aren't living with him.
Reader's Guide
Big Man Japan was well received by critics in the U.S., after many months of showings at various festivals and film events. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 78% of 32 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.4/10. The site's consensus is: 'Hitoshi Matsumoto's indescribably odd mockumentary is undeniably inspired.' Metacritic rated it 62/100 based on 13 reviews. Roger Ebert said the film was 'very funny in an insidious way' and gave it three and a half stars out of four. Magnolia Pictures gave the film a limited release in April 2008, and it was released on DVD July 28, 2009. In June 2011, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that there was a remake in the works, with Phil Hay, Ugur Demir and Matt Manfredi reported to be writing the script and Neal H. Moritz the producer.
Did You Know?
- The film is a mockumentary about a man who grows to 30 meters tall when exposed to high voltage electricity.
- The protagonist works for a sub-division of the defence ministry called the Ministry of Monster Prevention.
- Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four.
- A remake was reported to be in the works as of June 2011.
More in Films about giants 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record