Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
BIG MAN JAPAN (DAI-NIPPONJIN)Movie Reviews
Japanese mockumentary about a man who continues the long-standing family tradition of facing off against Tokyo's most formidable monsters. Cast:Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Claudio Uassouf, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Itsuji Itao, Takayuki HaranishiDirector:Hitoshi MatsumotoRelease Date:May 15, 2009DVD Release:July 28, 2009From:Magnet ReleasingRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 53 min
JULY 28, 2009
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin), Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Limited
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) played in limited release to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Michael Ordona wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "You've probably never seen anything like it... a mockumentary following an ordinary schmo who goes to work as a skyscraper-size Japanese superhero..." • And Allen Johnson wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "It isn't funny. In fact, it's quite dull." More Reviews Below...
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) Positive Reviews (11 Reviews, reviews below)
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Nathan Lee, New York Times: GOOD "...the most impressive special effect here is Mr. Matsumoto's hilariously restrained performance, a tour de force of comedic concision..."(See all of Nathan Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 255 words, 05/15/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "When a movie is this strange, it's gotta count for something.... As in life, the nonmonster stuff goes on too long. But wait until the giant baby shows up."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 05/15/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...when the Incredible Hulk becomes enormous, how do his undershorts also expand?... very funny in an insidious way..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 06/25/09
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD "You've probably never seen anything like it... a mockumentary following an ordinary schmo who goes to work as a skyscraper-size Japanese superhero..."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 05/15/09
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...the newest superhero is a middle-age Tokyo slacker named Daisato.... needs judicious editing -- more mockumentary, fewer superhero antics."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 05/15/09
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...mock-doc framework seems a lazy stock device, interviews playing more dead than deadpan and failing to exceed an over-familiar comic-pathetic attitude..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 05/13/09
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "...the film written, directed and starring stand-up comic Hitoshi Matsumoto has, like most superheroes, a tragic flaw: It isn't funny. In fact, it's quite dull."(See all of G. Allen Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 05/29/09
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a cult classic in the making... The movie doesn't get truly weird until the Power Ranger-style superheroes show up, and the special effects get even more low-rent."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 119 words, 08/14/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (2 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...mock-doc framework seems a lazy stock device, interviews playing more dead than deadpan and failing to exceed an over-familiar comic-pathetic attitude..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 210 words, 05/13/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Nathan Lee, New York Times: GOOD "...the most impressive special effect here is Mr. Matsumoto's hilariously restrained performance, a tour de force of comedic concision..."(See all of Nathan Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 255 words, 05/15/09
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "You've probably never seen anything like it... a mockumentary following an ordinary schmo who goes to work as a skyscraper-size Japanese superhero..."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 05/15/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Daniel Eagan, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "Your affection for old-fashioned monster movies will help determine your tolerance for 'Big Man Japan'... Defiantly offbeat but only intermittently funny..."(See all of Daniel Eagan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 05/15/09
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "You've probably never seen anything like it... a mockumentary following an ordinary schmo who goes to work as a skyscraper-size Japanese superhero..."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 05/15/09
Nathan Lee, New York Times: GOOD "...the most impressive special effect here is Mr. Matsumoto's hilariously restrained performance, a tour de force of comedic concision..."(See all of Nathan Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 255 words, 05/15/09
22.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)'s reviews are separated by an average 22.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) (11 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)'s reviews cover 13.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,010 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 274 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) Coverage, Volume & Length (11 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 13 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)'s reviews on average broke 13 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) (11 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
