‘A monster will rise.’
Death Kappa is a 2010 Japanese action-comedy Kaiju feature film about the rise of a gargantuan irradiated water goblin.
Directed by Tomo’o Haraguchi (Ultraman Ginga; Werewolf Warrior; Sakuya: Slayer of Demons) from a screenplay written by Masakazu Migita, the Fever Dreams-Nikkatsu-Tokyo Shock production stars Daniel Aguilar, Matt Alt, Hideaki Anno, Michelle Ann Dunphy (voice), Shinji Higuchi, Misato Hirata, Mitsuko Hoshi, Ryûki Kitaoka and Mika. The original title is デスカッパ or Desukappa
Plot:
The kappa, in Japanese folklore, are water goblins closely associated with a certain rural village in Japan. Unfortunately, the area is also home to a militant group of scientific researchers dedicated to developing amphibious super troops based on the legendary kappa of old folktales.
When the researchers’ experiments generate deadly results things only get weirder with the appearance of an actual kappa and the triggering of an atomic bomb, the consequences are of epic proportions.
A monster arrives in the midst of the nuclear fallout and Japan’s defences are helpless against it. Mankind’s only saviour is an irradiated water goblin on a rampage with death in its eyes…
New release:
Death Kappa will be released on Blu-ray and DVD as a 10th-anniversary edition by Media Blasters on April 14th. The release includes its original Japanese audio (with English subtitles) and the English dubbed version. A “monster bounty” of extras have yet to be confirmed. Order via Amazon.com
Reviews [click links to read more]:
” …once the monsters become giant-sized and the film’s meagre budget wades into view, then the film becomes a lot of fun and you can’t help grinning at it – or is that just me? Coming in at around 80 minutes it certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome and is sure to provide fans of Godzilla movies with their monster mayhem fix…” Blueprint: Review
“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. If you’re a fan of Kaiju films then you may still get a few hits of nostalgia from the shoddy effects, but considering the rubbish you have to sit through to get there, it really isn’t worth the effort.” Far East Films
“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…” Robbzilla
“There are a few laughs here or there, but I honestly felt like I was suffering through a lot of it. By the time the monster actually did make an appearance, I had already checked out. It’s not going to be remembered for anything other than a throwaway parody.” The Trash Pile
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