As a kid in the ’80s, I was a big fan of Japanese television and Kaiju films, though I had no clue that’s what they were called. The movies would be on Saturday afternoons, and I was always excited to see Godzilla gracing my screen. A little later, I would come to love the television shows that aired, like Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot and Ultraman. A couple of years back, Mill Creek Entertainment began releasing all the various Ultraman shows to disc, which would re-ignite my interest in the Japanese hero.
In 2022, it was announced there would be a reimagining of the series from Toho Studios and Cine Bazar called Shin Ultraman. It followed in the wake of the highly successful Shin Godzilla (2016), which similarly reimagined the long-running franchise. Shin Ultraman has made its Blu-ray and DVD debut from Cleopatra Entertainment, and I recently checked it out.
Japan establishes the SSSP, a task force to defend the country against Kaiju and total destruction. Asami (Masami Nagasawa) is newly assigned to the force and quickly begins to bond with her new team, except with Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh), who tends to disappear frequently. With several giant monsters attacking the country, a giant, silver, and red being appears and continually saves the day.
She begins to notice Kaminaga’s disappearances seem to coincide with the appearance of the intergalactic hero dubbed Ultraman. When Asami finally confronts him, she realizes that whatever he’s up to, it’s for the betterment of the planet. In her quest for justice, nefarious forces descend onto the planet for their own gain, but her faith in her new partner will hopefully lead them to victory.
Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, the creative team behind Shin Godzilla, reunited to take on the Ultraman character, and they, without question, captured the tone and spirit of what made him so successful. They’ve updated the property without compromising what has attracted audiences to him for the past forty years. At first, it was a little jarring for me to realize much of the action was CGI and not a man in a suit like I’ve been used to since childhood. The filmmakers went out of their way to replicate the old school with the new school, and the end result is effective.
The cast has great chemistry, and there was an interesting dynamic between Takumi Saitoh and Masami Nagasawa. While Ultraman’s quest to find the good in humans is still the focal point, it’s their belief in one another that only helps to cement his ideals. With a substantial budget, the film could have easily thrown out all the subtext and just focused on action. However, the wise decision was made to make this event of a movie important, making his appearances far more significant.
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Many will want to know if it works as a stand-alone film for someone unfamiliar with Ultraman’s history, and the simple answer is yes. Plenty of Easter eggs are placed throughout for long-time fans to find while being entirely accessible for new fans, young and old.
MVD Visual and Cleopatra Entertainment deliver a disc presentation that looks and sounds stunning on the proper system though it’s pretty bare-bones with nothing but a trailer and slide show. It’s certainly not a deal breaker since the film is so fantastic and fun that you won’t want to miss this release or the movie. I’d have liked to have seen a deluxe edition, but I’m sure something like that will find its way out at some point, and I’ll happily purchase.
This is an entertaining superhero film that’s fun for all ages with thrills throughout. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing where they take the character next.
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