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I found myself in a bit of a predicament. While I’m excited to review Ultraman Orb The Movie: Lend Me the Power of Bonds!, I feel as if I’m missing a little something when watching it. I know a little about the story, I reviewed the prequel series a month or so ago, but was not sent a screener of the main series. Orb seems to have a rather complex story. Many of the characters are given more depth than we may have been previously used to. And, as it traditionally goes, the film was meant as a way to bid farewell to them and that particular incarnation. So how does it fit into the bigger picture of things? Does it wrap up the series or does it leave more questions unanswered than we had hoped for? Hopefully, I can shed a little bit of light on it.
When a mysterious object finds its way into the office of the SSP, it’s soon discovered to be the X Devizer. This is the transformation device that houses Ultraman X, which means it has been separated from the host. Seeking help from Gai Kurenai (Hideo Ishiguro), X has unwittingly brought along a new villain in the form of the space witch Mulnau (Oniyakko Tsubaki). She uses the power of the Dark Ring to transform whatever she likes into beautiful jewelry for her collection. Having already captured several UltraWarriors, Ultraman Orb must go it alone to save his fellow guardians as well as confronting the return of his former friend, Jugglus Juggler (Takaya Aoyagi).
Ultraman Orb The Movie does little to expand the mythology of the series or answer any unanswered questions, but it does manage to up the action, effects, and fun, so there’s really nothing to complain about here. The film was released on the date of the 50th anniversary of UltraSeven, which makes it a little more significant than some of the others. I quite enjoyed the film, as much as I did the prequel series. After watching them, it’s only helped to fuel my desire to pick-up the actual series. I’ve grown to enjoy this cast and the love/hate relationship between Gai and Jugglus has been the backbone of the show and a strong point in setting this series apart from the rest. There were some great cameo appearances from other Ultramen, epic action scenes, and palette full of vibrant colors which is a feast for the eyes.
Mill Creek Entertainment released the film bundled with the entire Ultraman Orb series or as a single disc release that was originally a Walmart Exclusive, which was the one I was sent to review. However you choose to view it, I can’t recommend this modern Ultramen shows enough. They’re so much fun and combine the past and the present brilliantly.
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