Genre: Kaiju

‘Big Man Japan’ isn’t always quite as quirky and clever as it thinks it is but is nevertheless another entertaining example of why Japanese cinema is at the forefront of the unique and creative.

I’m normally a sucker for a cheesy monster movie but ‘D-War’ fails to produce the goods on just about every level.

A Japanese monster movie with a samurai twist, ‘Daimajin’ from 1966 is a slowburn film that is part period drama and part giant stone man Kaiju extravaganza.

‘Death Kappa’ is a real mess of a film that seems to be trying too hard to be considered cult rather than focusing on getting the basics right.

In the Kaiju genre, ‘Godzilla’ is a stone cold classic. The original monster movie is still a dark delight and essential viewing for anyone into Kaiju movies or Japanese cinema.

Coming with a boatload of deserved hype, ‘Godzilla Minus One’ really does live up to the love that has been showered upon it.

While it may not be as strong as the original, ‘Godzilla Raids Again’ is still an immensely fun ride that first showed the world exactly what would happen if two giant monsters decided to throw down.

I walked into it expecting ‘Godzilla’ given a British spin on a Dr Who episode budget, instead it is a great, colourful thriller of a bygone age.

While it may lack the tension of some of the other Kaiju films, ‘Mothra’ makes for a very refreshing entry into the genre that provides more of a sense of fun than ferocity.

It has a slight campy nature but has the message of the earlier films along with their high technical values and cinematography.

The first of Toho’s monster movies to be released in colour, ‘Rodan’ ranks as one of the best Kaiju movies out there.

Not sure what it wants to be, the latest Japanese production of their beloved property is not the triumphant return some had hoped.