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Big Man Japan

Play trailer Poster for Big Man Japan PG-13 2009 1h 53m Comedy Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
77% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
An ordinary, middle-aged slacker named Dai Sato (Hitoshi Matsumoto) uses electricity to transform himself into a building-sized superhero, able to protect Japan from marauding monsters. Despite the good he does, Dai Sato is an unpopular guy with multiple problems, including a pushy agent and a father afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
Big Man Japan

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Critics Consensus

Hitoshi Matsumoto's indescribably odd mockumentary is undeniably inspired.

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Critics Reviews

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Tom Long Detroit News 06/26/2009
B-
Somewhere there is a stranger film than Big Man Japan, but it would be hard to find. Go to Full Review
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 06/26/2009
This inspired 2007 send-up of the atomic-monster genre gets a fair amount of comic mileage from Daisato (played by the director) being anything but a big man. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 06/25/2009
3.5/4
Very funny in an insidious way. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 09/04/2023
3/4
Big Man Japan manages to be truly original, something beyond description that you’ll have to see to believe or even understand, if understanding it is even possible. Go to Full Review
Ard Vijn ScreenAnarchy 01/23/2020
With its wit and focus on media-manipulation, "Godzilla" meets "Network" comes close though. It's also damn funny. Go to Full Review
David Harris Spectrum Culture 10/09/2019
1/5
Big Man Japan is the worst of all worlds, it alternates from boring to mind-numbingly awful. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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dave c @kicks92 05/06/2022 This is a good cult classic. Shot as a documentary with a handheld camera, this is a fun satire/spoof about a super hero fighting ridiculous Japanese monsters. The lead character did a good job. See more prawnda s 02/02/2022 i had a good time watching this, but it could have been a much better movie. it's got some funny parts, some very silly special effects, and some good characters, but they seem to spend too much time plodding along when the monsters aren't there, with each scene being just a few minutes longer than necessary for the jokes to get across, yet at the same time those jokes were so subdued that i think i only actually laughed one time. the last fight scene took way too long, was not funny, and the change in animation styles made it unclear whether the guy got a TV deal or if he died and was having a fantasy of belonging to a cool super family. i really can't give this 5 stars because it truly did not pan out to what i expected at all, and really there was no particular moment where i felt all of the films efforts came together in a exciting or fun fashion. there is a lot of dark humor that lands very well, but the focal points of the story are often questionably paced, and everything in between is very, very slow. i think if you have the time for it, this is a good movie to watch, but i can't give it a higher rating than 3.5 See more 02/16/2020 Definitely not a high quality movie in the CGI department, but it makes for a hilarious viewing experience with friends. Only Japan can produce this level of bizarre storytelling. See more 08/25/2017 One of the most bizarre and strangest movie super hero movies I've ever seen but if you know me you know I love strange and weird movies and I really liked this one, the effects are kind of dated but if you can get past this its a really good time and its actually a pretty smart movie as well. See more 03/14/2017 at first i like how the story progress but the ending feels like the film gives you big middle finger for paying attention. japanese movie at its finest i suppose See more 03/09/2017 One of The oddest most intriguing movies I have ever watched See more Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis An ordinary, middle-aged slacker named Dai Sato (Hitoshi Matsumoto) uses electricity to transform himself into a building-sized superhero, able to protect Japan from marauding monsters. Despite the good he does, Dai Sato is an unpopular guy with multiple problems, including a pushy agent and a father afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
Director
Hitoshi Matsumoto
Producer
Akihiko Okamoto
Screenwriter
Hitoshi Matsumoto, Mitsuyoshi Yakasu
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd.
Rating
PG-13 (Crude Humor|Sci-Fi Action)
Genre
Comedy, Sci-Fi
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
May 15, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 21, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$40.3K
Runtime
1h 53m