Toronto. Dai Nipponjin.

Scott Weinberg at Cinematical on Dai Nipponjin: "I could rattle off the film's catalog of lunacy (and I will) but it still wouldn't adequately explain how outlandishly, amusingly weird the thing is. Definitely one of those 'not far all tastes' imports, but if you're a fan of Japanese action flicks, monster movies and strangely amusing mockumentaries... then this is one you're going to want to search for."

"An attempt to be a This is Spinal Tap for the kaiju crowd, this mockumentary directed by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto posits what life might be like for a hapless superhero in a world where giant monsters have lost their appeal," writes Mike White. "The film lags on occasion - feeling like the jokes are too far between - and, sadly, it feels like Matsumoto simply ran out of ideas before the film comes to its bizarre conclusion."

Updated through 9/24.

"Matumoto has, quite possibly, the most incredibly deadpan approach to absurdist humor in the history of the world," writes Todd Brown at Twitch. "Nobody cracks a smile. Nobody winks at the camera. The whole thing plays out with a sort of ho-hum, another day at the office vibe that heightens the ridiculousness of it all to even further heights."

"In typical TIFF Midnight Madness fashion, this Japanese superhero mockumentary takes a winning premise and a handful of great scenes and almost squanders them with its fitful pacing and varying depth," finds Noel Murray at the AV Club.

"[T]here's no earthly reason that a lark like this should stretch to two hours," writes Steve at the Film Experience.

Update, 9/24: "Much of the film felt like it was told very softly at an almost whisper," writes Blake Ethridge.

Posted by dwhudson at September 23, 2007 2:53 PM