by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s the 2022 reboot of a beloved hero - Shin Ultraman, which is not only a part of our inaugural “Kaijuly” look at some giant monster films (of which we both love thanks to seeing them in our childhood of the 60s and 70s), but a regular GBV review. It’s like a 2-for-1 deal at the kaiju store!
Synopsis
Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh) is a member of Japan’s S-Class Species Suppression Protocol (SSSP), a government group tasked with researching a sudden surge of giant monsters that attack only that country. He becomes the earthly form of the extraterrestrial Ultraman, a silver giant who destroys a pair of kaiju but later creates chaos when governmental bureaucracy sets in, instigated chiefly by an alien life form. Kaminaga’s new partner Hiroko Asami (Masami Nagasawa) and their SSSP leader Kimio Tamura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) get wrapped up in the intrigue.
The Good
Joseph: If you are hoping for kaiju, don’t fret — you’ll get multiple ones within the opening few minutes, and you also needn’t worry about a lack of Ultraman. He arrives within 10 minutes and his first appearance will put a lump in the throats of nostalgic fans like yours truly, and you’ll get to see lots of him throughout the film. I don’t want to go into spoiler territory, so suffice it to say that there are multiple foes, and not all are giant monsters.
As they did in Shin Godzilla, director Shinji Higuchi and screenwriter Hideaki Anno take satirical jabs at their country’s governmental bureaucracy, but in a lighter manner and with less frequency. The rapport between the SSSP members is often fast-paced as they try to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the attacking creatures along with the mysterious giant from space who seems to want to help Earthlings in their battles against them.
But what long-term Ultraman fans are probably most interested in are the looks of Ultraman and his foes — again, there is no need for worry here. Although our hero and his foes are rendered in CGI, the effects are terrific and reminiscent of the rubber-suited characters we all loved in our youth (and that many of us still prefer).
Mike: If you are a fan of the original Ultraman (and the subsequent entries into the franchise), you absolutely cannot miss Shin Ultraman! While the characters are different, there are still plenty of nods and references to the original, from sound effects, to visual elements, to a couple of surprises, but with enough changes to make this stand on its own.
If you weren’t turned off by the satire of Shin Godzilla’s Japanese bureaucracy (like me), then you will probably enjoy the barbs thrown that way here, as well. Although not as front and center as in Godzilla, the red tape and countless agencies have a fairly major role in the plot.
There are monsters for Ultraman to fight, of course, as well as plenty of activities for the SSSP to get into to help. Most notable among Ultraman’s human cohorts is Hiroko Asami who is the most prominent and developed character of the bunch. Not only is she the partner of Ultrman’s human form, Shinji Kaminaga, she gets some pretty important scenes which I won’t spoil.
The fight choreography, which was a high point in the original show, is quite well done, and, most importantly to some, are the effects and rest assured that there is an exceptional mix of CGI and model work to feast your eyes on. From creature design to the destruction there’s a lot to admire and take in.
The Bad
Joseph: I don’t have much negative to say about this film. I just had so much fun with it. I suppose that some viewers might say that it feels more like three episodes of a series tied together than one long storyline, but I have no issue with that.
Mike: As much as I loved Shin Ultraman, there is a bit of redundancy with two elements of the few different plots running throughout the film, seeming to be almost as if writer Hideaki Anno and director Shinji Higuchi forgot that they had used the motivation of one bad guy and placed it on the next one. In fact, it almost feels like the plot was an amalgamation of a few ideas that were compressed into one feature length story. The only other issue I had was that due to not speaking Japanese I had to rely on subtitles which were a bit too hard to follow during some of the more quickly cut scenes of action primarily at the beginning that gives us the origin of the SSSP team. Of course that is MY problem and not the fault of the movie itself, but could still be a minus in some eyes.
The Verdict
Joseph: Shin Ultraman captures the magic of what I loved as a pre-teen and has me hoping for more in this tokusatsu dynasty. Shin Ultraman is a blast, chock full of action, mystery, nostalgic nods, some unexpected laughs and “What the . . . ?!?” moments, and fully committed performances. Anno’s screenplay is sharp, as is Higuchi’s direction. The pair obviously put a lot of heart into the project, and it shows on the screen. The film heads into philosophical territory, keeping a message about the goodness of humanity at its center. With this reportedly being the first part of an Ultraman trilogy by Higuchi and Anno, I can’t wait to see what else they have in store — and this film bears plenty of repeat viewings until the next installment arrives.
Mike: When I was about halfway through the screener for Shin Ultraman I had to pause and send Joseph a message that was laced with profanity! How could he have let me live so long since his original review last year without somehow finding a way for me to see this?!? I absolutely LOVED Shin Ultraman!
I’ve been a fan of Ultraman since shortly after my discovery of Godzilla back in the early/mid 70s. Whereas I would have to wait an unknown amount of time between Godzilla movies, Ultraman provided a daily after school fix of giant monsters! In the intervening years there have been DVD and, recently, Blu-ray releases of the original and follow-up series, and those have been wonderful to revisit, but having an all-new yet still familiar feeling entry in the mythos is pure ecstasy to this fan.
Highly recommended to Ultra-Fans and tokusatsu aficionados everywhere.
Joseph: If you are hoping for kaiju, don’t fret — you’ll get multiple ones within the opening few minutes, and you also needn’t worry about a lack of Ultraman. He arrives within 10 minutes and his first appearance will put a lump in the throats of nostalgic fans like yours truly, and you’ll get to see lots of him throughout the film. I don’t want to go into spoiler territory, so suffice it to say that there are multiple foes, and not all are giant monsters.
As they did in Shin Godzilla, director Shinji Higuchi and screenwriter Hideaki Anno take satirical jabs at their country’s governmental bureaucracy, but in a lighter manner and with less frequency. The rapport between the SSSP members is often fast-paced as they try to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the attacking creatures along with the mysterious giant from space who seems to want to help Earthlings in their battles against them.
But what long-term Ultraman fans are probably most interested in are the looks of Ultraman and his foes — again, there is no need for worry here. Although our hero and his foes are rendered in CGI, the effects are terrific and reminiscent of the rubber-suited characters we all loved in our youth (and that many of us still prefer).
If you weren’t turned off by the satire of Shin Godzilla’s Japanese bureaucracy (like me), then you will probably enjoy the barbs thrown that way here, as well. Although not as front and center as in Godzilla, the red tape and countless agencies have a fairly major role in the plot.
There are monsters for Ultraman to fight, of course, as well as plenty of activities for the SSSP to get into to help. Most notable among Ultraman’s human cohorts is Hiroko Asami who is the most prominent and developed character of the bunch. Not only is she the partner of Ultrman’s human form, Shinji Kaminaga, she gets some pretty important scenes which I won’t spoil.
The fight choreography, which was a high point in the original show, is quite well done, and, most importantly to some, are the effects and rest assured that there is an exceptional mix of CGI and model work to feast your eyes on. From creature design to the destruction there’s a lot to admire and take in.
The Bad
Joseph: I don’t have much negative to say about this film. I just had so much fun with it. I suppose that some viewers might say that it feels more like three episodes of a series tied together than one long storyline, but I have no issue with that.
Mike: As much as I loved Shin Ultraman, there is a bit of redundancy with two elements of the few different plots running throughout the film, seeming to be almost as if writer Hideaki Anno and director Shinji Higuchi forgot that they had used the motivation of one bad guy and placed it on the next one. In fact, it almost feels like the plot was an amalgamation of a few ideas that were compressed into one feature length story. The only other issue I had was that due to not speaking Japanese I had to rely on subtitles which were a bit too hard to follow during some of the more quickly cut scenes of action primarily at the beginning that gives us the origin of the SSSP team. Of course that is MY problem and not the fault of the movie itself, but could still be a minus in some eyes.
The Verdict
Joseph: Shin Ultraman captures the magic of what I loved as a pre-teen and has me hoping for more in this tokusatsu dynasty. Shin Ultraman is a blast, chock full of action, mystery, nostalgic nods, some unexpected laughs and “What the . . . ?!?” moments, and fully committed performances. Anno’s screenplay is sharp, as is Higuchi’s direction. The pair obviously put a lot of heart into the project, and it shows on the screen. The film heads into philosophical territory, keeping a message about the goodness of humanity at its center. With this reportedly being the first part of an Ultraman trilogy by Higuchi and Anno, I can’t wait to see what else they have in store — and this film bears plenty of repeat viewings until the next installment arrives.
Mike: When I was about halfway through the screener for Shin Ultraman I had to pause and send Joseph a message that was laced with profanity! How could he have let me live so long since his original review last year without somehow finding a way for me to see this?!? I absolutely LOVED Shin Ultraman!
I’ve been a fan of Ultraman since shortly after my discovery of Godzilla back in the early/mid 70s. Whereas I would have to wait an unknown amount of time between Godzilla movies, Ultraman provided a daily after school fix of giant monsters! In the intervening years there have been DVD and, recently, Blu-ray releases of the original and follow-up series, and those have been wonderful to revisit, but having an all-new yet still familiar feeling entry in the mythos is pure ecstasy to this fan.
Highly recommended to Ultra-Fans and tokusatsu aficionados everywhere.
Shin Ultraman, from Tsuburaya Productions and Toho Company, is available in the United States on VOD and will be on Blu-ray and DVD on July 11th.
Shin Ultraman
Directed By: Shinji Higuchi
Written By: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima
Run Time: 1h 52m
Rating: NR
Release Date: May 13, 2022 (Japan), January 11, 2023 (U.S., limited)
Directed By: Shinji Higuchi
Written By: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima
Run Time: 1h 52m
Rating: NR
Release Date: May 13, 2022 (Japan), January 11, 2023 (U.S., limited)