The first in a trilogy of movies about an angry stone statue that were (unbelievably) all released in 1966. While the diamajin plays an integral role in this first film it doesn't make a move until the last 15 minutes. But that's okay because the movie builds and builds thanks to a engaging story of a warlord who overthrows a peaceful king. The daimajin finally exacts his revenge and it is very satisfying because the story paints the warlord as about as evil of a character as I can remember. The whole think is very predictable but it's a lot of fun once the statue comes to life. I watched the Blu-Ray release and it's really beautiful for a mid-Sixties release of an old Japanese monster flick.