Death Kappa (2010)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I had at least expected the movie to at least have some sense of entertainment value, after all it does focus on one of the more famous of Japanese creatures in mythology.Or at least, one would think that. But this movie quickly lost track of what it started out as and went into a full-blown "Godzilla" rip-off.Nothing in the movie made sense, and I hope that the movie was meant to be a spoof, because everything in the movie was just fundamentally bad. From the creature costume, which clearly was just a badly made suit, to the fake model tanks, buildings and airplanes. And the airplanes and helicopters were held up with clearly visibly strings. And the big monster was also just a man in a horribly fake costume.The special effects were as bad as the actual storyline, and it just quickly became painful to witness on the screen.I gave up 20 minutes before the movie ended. I just couldn't suffer through a single minute more of the ordeal that is "Death Kappa".

Sometimes I wonder just how they manage to sell films like this to potential producers; whether they simply say 'It's about a Kappa that destroys stuff' and hope they don't ask for any further details, or if they have to ask them sit down and brace themselves whilst they explain exactly what they want this film to do. At least here they sold it to the right people; the producers who gave us 'Tokyo Gore Police' and 'Machine Girl' are on board, and that for me automatically seals the deal, I'm on board for the ride too. And this is one hell of a ride; this is the sort of B-Movie that makes Troma look like it's being serious; that harks back to Japan's glory days of Godzilla, mocking it as it proceeds. It's completely self aware and everything from the effects work to the choreography of the fights has been done to exemplify that, finding the humour in it all. They've succeeded in making this film thoroughly dreadful, cheapening everything to the point of no return and in exchange they've delivered upon one of the most hilarious films I've seen.When a pop star realises she hasn't got any talent, she resolves to travel back home to her grandparents so as to look after them like they looked after her as a teenager. Unfortunately their reunion is cut short when a group of speeding teens run over her granny and drive off (don't worry, Kappa gets revenge for her); her final words? "Protect Kappa." Cut to our mythical creatures specialist and we learn that a Kappa is a wrestling, cucumber loving, goblin/turtle who lives in lakes. And he just happens to love dancing to our protagonists brand of pop, much to the delight of our cute but completely insane scientist. Using her music against her to attempt to capture the Kappa for her research, first undergone by her now deceased grandfather, she sets to work fusing Kappa DNA with humans to create amphibious super soldiers. Well naturally this plan screws up so she detonates a nuclear warhead that must have misfired as all it did was create a monster that springs up to attack Tokyo Godzilla style. Who will save the country? Why that giant Kappa will of course!Bear in mind that this is a film clocking in at less than 80 minutes and you'll see just how tight the pacing is here. It doesn't spend any longer than the absolute minimum explaining itself so it can get on with the parody, firing pun after pun within this joke of a film. The film is unquestionably divided between the two sections; the opening forty minutes a mini-film that alludes to the more modern brand of Japanese insanity; the 'Machine Girl,' 'Yakuza Weapon' and 'Robo-Geisha' style of insensibility full of obvious slapstick and oddball humour, which you'll either love or hate. It isn't until the second half of the film – or perhaps it would be more apt to call this the 'second film' – that the Godzilla parody gets under way, complete with super-lasers and the crackpot military cocking their heads back and laughing in the control room, plotting and scheming whilst the monster gets to business with wanton destruction. The fact that there are two sides will automatically make this a hard sell, the second half perhaps hitting it's mark more effectively due to the serious nature of the originals (albeit that's not how they're viewed now), but ultimately requiring prerequisite knowledge of two undeniably linked styles separated by time.Usually when faced with a budget directors have to be a little clever; they use darkness and the shadows to disguise sub-par work, they leave as much as possible to the audience's imagination, using the power of suggestion to get into the audiences mind. Consider that at one point our Kappa and his monstrous foe start playing a game of volleyball; that the vehicles used are little more than remote controlled children's toys and you'll note that this director doesn't exactly follow this line of thought. Neither does he seem to like the idea of CGI, using rubber suits in a perfect homage to the flicks of the 70s – if it wasn't around 40 years ago, it won't be in this film. This is a flick that has so far been very poorly received and this seems to be on the fault of the audience; this isn't just a parody of the classics but destined to be a cult classic in its own right. It's cheap, nonsensical, batshit insane, and this is precisely why you should love it. Bring on the Blu-Ray!Originally published for http://liferthemoviecorner.blogspot.com/Note: Usually I don't post my work here, preferring the blog format, but since there seems to be a lack of a decent review here I thought I'd help fill the void. A lot have commented that this is a bad film. It is. It's dreadful, and intentionally so, and that's what makes it amusing. Many will hate it, but if you're a fan of B-Movies "so bad they're good" then this is an absolute must.

I am a fan of even the lowliest of Kaiju movies...if you build a monster, I will come.But this is just the worst. It is a non-stop goof-fest of silly songs, cutely dancing goblins that look like they were invented for a McDonald's commercial and a nemesis monster that can't even seem to move properly. Not even the 90s Mothra movies were this childish, and I swear that some of the horrible American voice-overs are the same actors from those films, hamming it up one more time at our expense.At times the movie tries to seem like a spoof of Kaiju movies, but it can't even do that properly. The guys at MSTK3000 need to come back for this one, if only because I need to get a laugh or something out of having watched it. Thanks for reading. I will now go cut out my eyes, douse them in gasoline and set them on fire.

Tomo'o Haraguchi's flawless rendering of Masakazu Migita's unforgettable screenplay left me, for lack of a better word, speechless. Upon hearing the names attached to this film, I came to Death Kappa expecting only the best and it did not disappoint. In fact, it filled my metaphorical cup to overflowing with its unique blend of horror (offering a demonic mystery on par with The Exorcist), mythology-based fantasy (the epic battles of Clash of the Titans come to mind), and dark humor (think Army of Darkness). The dialogue is witty and well-delivered by an entire cast of excellent actors and actresses. While some may find it perhaps too literary and poetic, I suggest that the film was intended to be viewed as a deep and artistic social commentary that requires several viewings to properly appreciate. In other words, Haraguchi has accomplished in a single film what other philosophic Japanese directors, like Takeshi Kitano, have spent careers trying to express. Expect clever puns, a top-notch soundtrack, and even moments of heartbreaking interpretive dance.The cinematography leaves nothing to be desired and despite the relatively low budget, the special effects are breathtaking. The underwater scenes literally left me gasping for air and the gore scenes are gritty and realistic, on par with the best moments of the Saw series. The Death Kappa itself is beautifully rendered yet stays true to the Kappas of Japanese folklore. I found the portrayal of this misunderstood and confused creature to be nothing less than Oscar-worthy and if Death Kappa does not get an Oscar nod, I will be very surprised. In short, one of the best, if not THE best, films of 2010.I leave you now with a few lyrics from one of the film's most touching moments, sure to bring a tear to the eye of any true Death Kappa fan:Someday, we'll be together, you and me / I'm wearing panties again today / The stars above are all lucky, happy / I'm going to end up putting our secret inside a treasure chest / I promise I'll bleed with a smile on my face near the seashore.