"Ultraman Story" (1984) [Kaijuly]

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 Ultraman Story which is part of our 2nd annual “Kaijuly” look at some giant monster films (of which we both love thanks to seeing them in our childhood of the 60s and 70s).

Synopsis

The film centers around Ultraman Taro growing up in the Land of Light in Nebula M78 under the guidance of his parents, the Father and Mother of Ultra. The young Taro dreams of joining the Ultra Brothers (Ultraman, Zoffy, Ultraseven, Ultraman Jack, and Ultraman Ace) as one of their members when he grows up.

The Good

Joseph: My strongest familiarity with the world of the various Ultramen characters is the original 1966-67 Ultraman TV series, which I grew up on watching after school, the 2004 feature Ultraman: The Next, and the 2022 feature film Shin Ultraman. I have dabbled here and there with the series and movies in between but don’t know a lot about them. Going into Ultraman Story with that mindset, I was treated to what felt like the equivalent of a clip show with a new wraparound. With the base story being the growth of Ultraman Taro from child to fully fledged hero, plenty of stock footage from other Ultraman properties is on display. No one can complain that there is not enough kaiju-fighting action nor enough Ultraman screen time, which is the big selling point for someone like me, who hasn’t yet seen the various other Ultraman characters other than the ones I listed above.

Mike: If you’re a new or casual Ultraman fan, Ultraman Story is an excellent primer on who the Showa-era Ultraman characters are as you get the cream of the crop in Ultraman, UltraSeven, Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Jack, Ultraman Zoffy and the main focus of the film, Ultraman Taro (along with Ultra Father and Mother). Plenty of stock footage provides a ton of battles between various Ultra brothers and monsters like Red King, Baltan, Mefilas, Twin Tails, and like a dozen others. There’s even the birth of a new, super powerful creature named Grand King who poses the most impressive threat that requires all of the brothers’ power to defeat.

The movie is clearly aimed at the younger fans as when we meet Taro at the start of the film he’s a small child who is training to become an Ultra Warrior like his older brothers.

The Bad

Joseph: The child Ultraman Taro scenes are corny as all get-out, and filmed on cheap-looking sets, compared to the monster duel sets. I thought I was in for 90 or so minutes of this but thankfully that stock monster-action footage kicked in. I’m not against the kaiju beheadings that take place, but it was certainly a jarring tonal shift from the goofiness that starts the film off. Ultraman Story seems to sit in a weird place between kiddie movie and more serious adult fare, and I can’t say that it is well balanced.

Mike: As mentioned, this starts out clearly aimed at the young fans of the various Ultramen, but rather quickly cuts to monsters being blown up and beheaded which seems a bit at odds with the quirky and childlike opening in which Taro practices his fighting and comes across a fellow youngster in the form of a creature that laughs at his failings which results in a comical bit of come-uppance for Taro.

The story itself might also be a bit too blasé for long-time fans who are all caught up on every Ultra series and somehow managed to miss this when it was originally released in 1984. In that same vein, many older and well versed fans may have some complaints about where to slot this in continuity as some of the stock footage appears after Taro’s own show, but is presented to him while still a child. However those folks aren’t exactly the target demographic for the film so it’s hard to hold this as a negative against it.

The Verdict

Joseph: Just as there are Godzilla movies that aim more for a younger audience than the more serious efforts, I’d compare Ultraman Story with those, despite its occasional scenes of unexpected head trauma and some mild swearing in the English subtitles for the version that I saw. A crash course on what old-school Ultraman fans like yours truly may have missed over the years, Ultraman Story offers a fair share of kaiju-battlin’ entertainment. Ultraman-universe completists will also want to check it out.

Mike: Ultraman Story serves as an excellent introduction or early step for new or casual Ultraman fans. Stock footage of Showa-era fights provides a good example of what to expect in the various series, while the growth and training of young Taro should appeal to the young monster and tokusatsu fans. Because of its youth-skewed focus it may come across as too juvenile for older and well-versed Ultra fans, but one needs to keep in mind who the target market is and in that respect it succeeds (even if there is some gnarly-yet-bloodless violence).

On a personal level, and for what it’s worth, as someone who has seen Ultraman, Ultraseven, bits and pieces of other Showa-era entries, and the feature film Shin Ultraman, I found this to be a pretty entertaining film that has made me want to break out all the Blu ray sets I bought and catch up on everything I have yet to see in full.