Death Kappa Explained

Death Kappa
Screenplay:Masakazu Migita
Story:Tomoo Haraguchi
Music:Masako Ishii
Cinematography:Yoshihito Takahashi
Editing:Yoshitaka Honda
Studio:Nikkatsu
Distributor:Tokyo Shock
Runtime:85 minutes
Country:Japan
Language:Japanese

is a 2010 kaiju film directed by . An international co-production of Japan and the United States, it stars,, and . In the film, a series of military experiments result in the appearance of a giant irradiated monster rivaled by a colossal mutant kappa (an amphibious, turtle-like yōkai).[1] [2]

Cast

The film features cameo appearances by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi.

Reception

Steven Sloss of Our Culture Mag noted the film's use of traditional tokusatsu special effects techniques, but criticized its humor, calling it "among the very worst of the kaiju genre".[4] Rob Hunter, writing for Film School Rejects, complimented the film's miniature city set and monster fight sequences but lamented that "Death Kappas giant monster madness doesn't begin until halfway through the film though, and until then we're stuck with a mixed bag of scenes, gags, and characters that never quite come together as a whole."[5] Spencer Perry of ComicBook.com called the film "preposterous and amateurish throughout", but concluded that "Even when the absurd effects are laughable it doesn't sway from the film's relentless enthusiasm for what it's trying to do."[6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew. 2016. The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters. en. Routledge. 355. 978-1409425625.
  2. Book: Foster, Michael Dylan. 2015. The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore. en. University of California Press. 164. 978-0520271029.
  3. Web site: デスカッパ (2010). 27 November 2010. Cinema Today. ja. Death Kappa (2010). 2 June 2021.
  4. Web site: Absent Fiends: The "Wilderness Years" of the Kaiju Genre. Sloss. Steven. 29 June 2019. Our Culture Mag. en. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920194115/https://ourculturemag.com/2019/06/29/absent-fiends-the-wilderness-years-of-the-kaiju-genre/. 20 September 2020. live.
  5. Web site: Another Hole In The Head 2010: Death Kappa. Hunter. Rob. 16 July 2010. Film School Rejects. en. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20120101131512/http://www.filmschoolrejects.com:80/reviews/another-hole-in-the-head-2010-death-kappa.php. 1 January 2012.
  6. Web site: 10 Monster Movies to Watch if You Liked Godzilla vs. Kong. Perry. Spencer. 1 April 2021. ComicBook.com. en. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210402223410/https://comicbook.com/anime/news/10-monster-movies-watch-liked-godzilla-vs-kong/. 2 April 2021. live.