Kaiju Mono (2016) – A Movie A Day 2021 #17
Kaiju Mono (2016) – A Movie A Day 2021 #17
With the recent announcement that Godzilla vs Kong will be released earlier than expected (and on my my birthday), kaiju movies have been on my mind. Plus, with New Japan Pro Wrestling beginning their first tour of 2021 today, pro wrestling has been on my mind as well. So with both of those things on my mind, I figured it was about time I watched Kaiju Mono, a kaiju movie starring the current IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Champion, Kota Ibushi.
Kaiju Mono is about a skinny, nerdy lab assistant who is turned into a giant pro-wrestling superhero in order to fight a giant monster (called the Dai Kaiju Mono, or just Kaiju Mono in English) that is wrecking the city in search of its lost egg. The lab assistant, Hideto Nitta, has some quick success in his first encounter with the beast, that gains him some instant fame. However, the many different directions he’s pulled in because of his new celebrity status causes him to lose focus on what was important to him before, specifically, his massive crush on Miwa, the daughter of the scientist Nitta works for. On top of all of that, there is a secret plot by some foreign agency to steal the secrets that gave Nitta his extraordinary new abilities. It’s a simple story and a straightforward plot, and that sets up a good base for a whole bunch of goofy comedy and a few cheesy and fun fight scenes.
That being said, the comedy stylings of Kaiju Mono will not be to everyone’s liking. I’ve seen enough of these types of lower-budget Japanese movies to come to expect a certain degree of overacting and groan-worthy jokes and situations, but I can understand that it might be an acquired taste for some people. Make no mistake, Kaiju Mono is a comedy first and a kaiju movie second. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a parody of kaiju movies, but the argument could be made. Either way, Kaiju Mono does go off on some weird tangents (like the “joke” contest to decide whether or not the scientist will help fight the giant monster), and it does feature many plot points that end up being jokey versions of action and sci-fi movie clichés. I thought it was all in good fun though, and I had a smile on my face the whole time I was watching (even when I was shaking my head).
I do think my personal experience was heightened immensely by the fact that the star of the movie is one of my current favorite professional wrestlers in the world, Kota Ibushi. Seeing Ibushi outside of a wrestling ring and getting goofy in a movie like this was so much fun to watch. He didn’t have to stretch his acting muscles very much because it felt a lot like he was just acting as himself. Ibushi’s personality in every wrestling show and interview I’ve seen comes across as quiet, humble, and dedicated, and that’s about how he acted for most of this movie. And of course, the rest of the time he was kicking, punching, and Phoenix Splashing a giant monster. So yeah, absolutely top-notch stuff from Kota Ibushi. He should be in more movies.
Ibushi isn’t the only wrestler in Kaiju Mono though. One of the most frightening pro wrestlers alive, Minoru Suzuki, makes a cameo at a certain point. Suzuki also basically plays himself, and he gets real dirty when he takes his own brand of fighting to the giant monster. Ibushi and Suzuki are also joined by female pro wrestler Saki Akai. Akai has wrestled for promotions in Japan such as Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT, and in Kaiju Mono she plays a beautiful and dangerous spy who is trying to steal Nitta’s secrets. Akai was great as well, and seeing her in this made me want to look up some of her matches. In addition to the wrestlers, there seem to be a bunch of cameos that I didn’t always recognize. I’m pretty sure one of the NJPW commentators was in the movie calling the battles like pro wrestling matches, and there were a number of Japanese celebrities I didn’t recognize until I looked them up afterwards. I’ll let them be a surprise, because if you know them then it will be fun to spot them, but if you don’t know them then it won’t matter if I name them or not.
Overall, Kaiju Mono was a good and silly time. I think you can tell exactly what to expect by watching the trailer, so if it looks interesting to you, then you’ll probably enjoy the whole movie. If you’re a fan of Kota Ibushi, then the movie is an absolute must-watch. If you don’t know or don’t care who Kota Ibushi is, then you might still have some fun laughing at this goofy take on classic Japanese monster movies.