It looks like I’ve jumped way ahead in the Ultraman time line by watching Ultraman Geed: The Movie. It was released in 2018 following the conclusion of the Ultraman Geed series which ran for twenty five episodes in 2017. This is a far cry from the Ultraman I grew up with but it still holds onto the same sensibility while crafting what seems to be deeper characters, with real world problems, and making sure there’s plenty of giant monster action to keep you coming back. I’ll be the first to admit I was a little confused watching the film (its subtitled Connect the Wishes!). Basically, the more recent Ultraman shows conclude their series with a theatrical film. So not having seen the series, it took a little time to figure things out.
In Ultraman Geed: The Movie Connect the Wishes, the Gigantic Mechanical Brain Gillvalis and the Galactron Army have their eyes on Earth and are ready to lay waste to all the living beings. Riku Asakura (Tatsuomi Hamada) and his gang head to Okinawa to search for something called the “Red Steel”. They need to find it before the forces descending on Earth do. Riku meets a woman named Ail (Yuika Motokariya) who knows what his secret is and bestows upon him a very important mission. When the army begins to attack, Ultraman Geed goes against other Ultramen and reacts in a hasty manner, nearly losing his life. When he realizes his mistake, it may to too late to save the Earth from the giant montsters who aim to destroy it.
Despite being lost for at least half the movie, I have to admit, this thing is kind of fun. They keep the ‘man in suit’ tradition with all miniatures but accentuate them with modern effects. It’s an interesting mix and it works. I also felt like there was more human action as well. There were a few fight scenes that were, if you don’t mind my language, pretty badass. I was actually really surprised. I dug it enough to want to get the complete series but I’ll have to go back and watch some of the others. There were obvious nods to over incarnations of the show, even bringing in other Ultramen, including the previous from Ultraman Orb. I’ll be reviewing some of that series next. I don’t have the actual Orb series but I do have The Origin Saga which is a prequel mini-series and Ultra Fight Orb: Let Me Borrow the Power of Bonds which is a sequel movie to the Orb series.
Do you still follow? I have a hard time keeping it all straight. The characters in Geed are not particularly fleshed out but also the filmmakers probably assumed you followed the series and already knew them. Fair enough. I did find the main conflict the main character to be dealing with, his own recklessness, self-doubt, and facing the consequences to be pretty mature for this sort of material but it was handled very well.
I was pretty excited by this and want to see more of the various modern series. I felt a little child-like watching it but at the time, I appreciated the subtle sophistication that was sprinkled throughout the story. Mill Creek Entertainment left the disc bare-bones but the picture was pretty crisp and the colors were vibrant and popped off the screen. It’s seriously worth taking a look at, especially if you were a fan of the classic shows and see how they’ve changed and stayed the same.
Related Article: Review: ‘Return of Ultraman’ Complete Series Blu-ray
