Daimajin Gyakushû / Wrath of Daimajin (1966) - Adventurous Conclusion to an Underrated Franchise - 9/10 (13/10/22)

Wrath of Daimajin is the third, final and best entry in the Japanese franchise about the ancient demon god who protects his disciples from cruel injustices. In this movie, a group of lumbermen have been kidnapped by the henchmen of an evil lord who is trying to build powerful weapons to invade neighbouring communities. One lumberman survived severely injured and made it back to his village. While the adults in the village are too scared to try to save their fellow citizens, four young boys decide to leave secretly to save their kidnapped fathers. However, they don't only have to confront the evil lord's pitiless army but numerous natural obstacles such as dangerous earthquakes, wild rivers and heavy snowfall. The four boys have to go onto Daimajin's sacred mountain to make it to the evil lord's labour camp and the mysterious deity decides once more to intervene.

This third movie has a completely different vibe than the previous entries. First of all, the protagonists of this movie are four courageous children. Daiei Film attempted to aim for a younger target audience with this movie and the company did a surprisingly convincing job. In addition to this, Wrath of Daimajin can certainly be described as an adventure movie as it follows the children's epic journey across the mountains. Another element that might come as a surprise is that this movie might also be the most brutal one in the franchise. If you thought that this movie might be less intense because children are involved, you are gravely mistaken. These little doses of stunning intensity make this film also the most captivating, emotional and profound one in the franchise.

The movie also convinces in the departments that made the previous entries so enjoyable. The locations are absolutely stunning and vary from traditional mountain villages over dense forests, beautiful meadows and sinister screes to desolate labour camps. The balance between beauty and terror in these locations leads to an emotional rollercoaster ride.

The special effects are once again stunning for their time. The way the filmmakers created artificial snow looks particularly realistic. The scenes on an improvised raft on a dangerous river are particularly memorable. The closing twenty minutes show the titular monster in a most diversified way as a mystical saviour and a fair avenger.

The acting performances also deserve critical acclaim. The four child actors are everything but shallow and play their roles with focused dedication and emotional depth. The adults also do wonderful jobs as the fearful peasants evoke strong controversial feelings among viewers while the antagonist is particularly brutal and is even shown torturing one of his prisoners to death.

In conclusion, Wrath of Daimajin is the best entry in the trilogy about the ancient demon god. This movie mixes genre elements of adventure, drama and fantasy in an equally entertaining and profound way. This film should be enjoyed by cineasts of any age and its quality has stood the test of time. It's regrettable that this is the last entry in the franchise since the quality of this trilogy is better than more renowned film series such as Gamera and even Zatoichi. Make sure to purchase the wonderful boxed set by Arrow Films since its elevated price is justified by enjoyable multiple viewings of these three masterpieces.