Space Monster Wangmagwi (found South Korean kaiju film; 1967)

A still of the monster.

Status: Found

Date found: 13 Jan 2023

Found by: SRS Cinema

Space Monster Wangmagwi, also known as Big Monster Wangmagwi, is a 1967 South Korean kaiju film.^[1] The film features the titular Wangmagwi (Big Devil) going on a Godzilla-style rampage after arriving on Earth via a flying object. The rampage causes all of Korea to unite against it to no avail, as it continues to destroy buildings and facilities. The Wangmagwi is ironically defeated by itself when it bombs itself in a desperate fight against Korean forces.

Availability

The film has been screened at several Korean film festivals, and detailed reviews of the film have been made by people who saw it. Despite this, the film has never been released on any home media format or online, but the Korean Movie Database lists three known prints of the film.^[2]

In 2008, Korean graphic designer Hong Gi-hun created a series of vinyl toys based on several Korean monster movies, including Wangmagwi.^[3] Hong is said to have attended multiple screenings of the film over a period of a few years, confirming that Space Monster Wangmagwi is still occasionally shown in its home country.

Up until 2023, only fifteen seconds of footage have been leaked onto the internet, perhaps recorded off of a TV.^[4] In June 2022, SRS Cinema announced that they secured the North American rights to Space Monster Wangmawi, eventually releasing it on Blu-Ray in January 2023.^[5]^[6]

Gallery

Footage

The only available footage until 2023.

Trailer for Space Monster Wangmawi.

Videos

ObscureMediaTV's video on the subject.

Trivia

The Guinness Book of Records determined that the film featured more extras than any other film (roughly 157,000) excluding the 1982 film Gandhi (at 300,000 extras).^[7]

References

↑ Page on 1960s Korean films, featuring a detailed description of Space Monster Wangmagwi and its plot. Retrieved 25 Jun '13
↑ Korean Movie Database entry, featuring many photos from the film. Retrieved 25 Jun '13
↑ Online article featuring toys based on the film, with a few details on its continued distribution in Korea. Retrieved 09 Jul '13
↑ Clip from a YouTube video on South Korean kaiju media. Retrieved 19 Sep '20
↑ Article announcing SRS Cinema to release the movie Retrieved 17 Jan '23
↑ Press Release for Pre-orders to Space Monster Wangmagwi' Retrieved 17 Jan '23
↑ Film trivia page, featuring the record number of extras used in the film. Retrieved 25 Jun '13

[1] Page on 1960s Korean films, featuring a detailed description of Space Monster Wangmagwi and its plot. Retrieved 25 Jun '13

[2] Korean Movie Database entry, featuring many photos from the film. Retrieved 25 Jun '13

[3] Online article featuring toys based on the film, with a few details on its continued distribution in Korea. Retrieved 09 Jul '13

[4] Clip from a YouTube video on South Korean kaiju media. Retrieved 19 Sep '20

[5] Article announcing SRS Cinema to release the movie Retrieved 17 Jan '23

[6] Press Release for Pre-orders to Space Monster Wangmagwi' Retrieved 17 Jan '23

[7] Film trivia page, featuring the record number of extras used in the film. Retrieved 25 Jun '13

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