Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Wrath of Daimajin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 29, 2021

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Daimajin Trilogy.

Arrow Video's relatively recent release of Django 4K + Texas, Adios BD caused me to jokingly ask, "When is a Django film not 'really' a Django film?", and in that regard I'd like to take a cue from a reliably ebullient Kim Newman who, in a supplementary introduction to the three Daimajin films collected by Arrow for this new release, suggests that this so-called "trilogy" may not in fact be properly termed as such. As several of the supplements spread across this three disc set get into, the general flailing of the Japanese film industry and the particular straits Daimajin producing studio Daiei found itself in by the mid-sixties meant that when some idea hit with the public, it was played for all it was worth, and in that regard the three Daimajin films are probably a salient example, since, as Newman and some of the commentators mention, the three films basically tell the same tale with slight differences. The third film, called Wrath of Daimajin here, but Daimajin Strikes Again on a previous release on Blu-ray (see below), arguably offers the most distinctive ambience due to its emphasis on children, something that (as is again mentioned in some of the supplements) tends to link that film, at least subliminally, with Daiei's "other" big "monster franchise" of this same period, Gamera. One of the kind of funny things about all three Daimajin films is that, as commentators Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp discuss in their analysis of the second film, their entire raison d'etre was ostensibly their special effects, and yet for the most part all three films offer around one hour of largely effects free narrative before releasing the kraken (so to speak) in the final few minutes.

All three Daimajin films were aggregated in a previous release on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment, and for those wanting plot recaps, I refer you to my colleague Martin Liebman's Daimajin / Return of Daimajin / Daimajin Strikes Again Blu-ray review. Marty's review is also a good resource for those who like to compare screenshots, as well as to see what supplements each version offers. As I've often repeated, "different reviewers means different opinions", and so you will see my scores may vary from Marty's.

Wrath of Daimajin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wrath of Daimajin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following fairly generic verbiage about this transfer, which is lumped in with the two others in the set:

Daimajin, Return of Daimaijin / Daimajin ikaru and Wrath of Daimajin / Daimajin gyakushu are presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with mono sound. The High Definition masters were produced and supplied by Kadokawa, with original grading and restoration by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios.

Additional English language version materials for Majin, the Monster of Terror (Daimajiri) and The Return of the Giant Majin (Return of Daimajin) were sourced from MGM. The picture elements were scanned at Company 3 and audio transfer work was completed at Deluxe Media, Los Angeles. Grading and restoration and audio work was completed at R3Store Studios and The Engine House Media Services.

While I don't have the Mill Creek release to do a side by side comparison, a cursory glance through screenshots suggests that this Arrow release offers somewhat darker presentations for all three films, and with a palette that doesn't have the yellow-green look of the Mill Creek release, but which can be skewed more toward a purplish tone at times. I personally found Wrath of Daimajin to be the most generally pleasing looking presentation in Arrow's set, though this film also can show minor signs of age related wear and tear, including things like speckling (especially white specks). The palette looks nicely suffused for the most part, especially in some of the outdoor material. As with the two other films in this set, the compositing can often show its seams (see screenshot 14), but this film features some of the more impressive special effects of the, um, trilogy (sorry, Kim), and while they may be deemed "quaint" by younger viewers, they look generally fine in this presentation.

Wrath of Daimajin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wrath of Daimajin features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks in either Japanese or English. As with the first film, my ears didn't discern any huge differences in overall mixes and/or amplitude levels between the two tracks, and both deliver dialogue, effects and score effectively. Once again, there's some baseline background hiss and crackle on the Japanese track which interestingly isn't on the English language version, though the Japanese track arguably is still a bit more full bodied overall. Optional English subtitles are available.

Wrath of Daimajin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Jonathan Clements


• Interview with Fujio Morita (HD; 1:27:29) is an interesting career overview featuring the noted Daiei cinematographer. There's some introductory text in English, but the interview is in Japanese with English subtitles.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:24)


• Original Teaser Trailer (HD; 00:56)


• Image Gallery

Wrath of Daimajin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a certain sweetness to this third and last Daimajin outing courtesy of the kids involved, and this film also doesn't wait until its final twenty to thirty minutes to dole out its special effects. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very interesting. Recommended.