User reviews

This movie is amazing it has decent writing, awesome soundtrack, and awesome redesign the only downside of this movie is the CG i know this movie is a 2004 movie but still it could have been handled better

with all of its flaws it still a great toku movie for me, it's kinda sad that this movie didn't do well because of it's darker tone and serious story.

I was very impressed by Ultraman,i was expecting it to be a cheesy piece of badly made fluff but to my surprise i found it to be quite well made and very well acted...

OK maybe the sfxs weren't up to ILM or WETA standards but they tried really hard and even though it still had that typical Japanese "man in a suit" look the model work production design and visual effects did look good...

In lots of films of like this the child actors normally come across as quite bad and almost unbearably cute(which i hate in a film) but these were good something not usually found in this type of Japanese film...

Its sometimes very hard getting the balance right between campy fun or serious genre films,its much easier to make a successful comic/campy film than a film like Ultraman which takes itself very seriously get it wrong and the film will turn into a nightmare... something that doesn't happen in this film..

overall it was a good film well made and enjoyable to watch...well worth catching on TV/DVD

What I appreciate about Ultraman is that it has so many great jumping-on points for people looking to get into the series; although The Next is one of the weaker starts I've seen, it is a noble attempt to update the formula with a much more adult tone. Particularly considering this was Tsuburaya's big attempt to revitalise the character after the problematic circumstances surrounding the broadcast of Cosmos. It's a more than welcome reimagining.

There's some lovely direction by series veteran Kazuya Konaka, particularly in its Top Gun-inspired opening. Great character work and performances, especially from Tetsuya Bessho and Kenya Ousumi, plus a banging soundtrack from rock artist Tak Matsumoto who provides brilliant updates to the classic themes. I do like Ultraman's new design despite it being a bit out there due to how radically different it is from the original but the updated Bemular is a truly frightening creation and more than worthy of praise.

Where I'm not particularly sold is the rather iffy use of CGI, especially considering how good the model work and suitmation are, and the cheesy dialogue at points that feels like it's trying to appeal to kids despite the tone of the movie is very much skewed towards adults with some pretty horrifying imagery to boot.

Regardless, The Next captures the heart of what makes Ultraman, well, Ultraman. His relentless pursuit of providing hope for humanity in the face of its destruction; while mixing in with the inner turmoil of its host who has more than his fair share of skin in the game. It offers up some extremely entertaining and well-executed monster fights and hits the right stride for those wanting a slightly more mature tone for the series. It's just a shame that the Ultra N Project failed because what we got here is a great basis for a newer take on the character.

Eji Tsurabaya, you've'e done it again. this movie is great, tonnes of action packed scenes with great special effects done by the same from the 2002 Godzilla movie, and if you saw that then you probably wern't disappointed. and again the return of every ones favourite Japanese super hero. ULTRAMAN him self. takes on a giant monster thingy. (its the only way to describe it) the movie caters for both an adult and a child audience and even a teenage because i enjoyed and I'm only 17. and if your thinking this is some how related to or a rip off of power rangers, your wrong, this pre dates power rangers by a few decades and as for the music, the music is done by the one and only, legendary Japanese guitarist and one half of the super band "B'z", Tak Matsumoto's score just really makes you go all hyper and alone adds action to movie. any way I'm not gonna leave any spoilers the movie is a fun family feature, or great for a night in with mates, maybe a girl friend (though they don't tend to like giant monster movies such) or even alone and is overall a great movie.

This is a darker Ultraman that's set in a parallel universe. The movie is targeted for more mature audience, and it was made in the same time period as the Ultraman Nexus that also featured a darker mood.

The movie closely follows the story featured in the first episode of the original Ultraman. Defense force F15 pilot Shunichi Maki (Tetsuya Bessho) encounters a red sphere from outer space. Prior to this event, another defense force pilot Udo (Kenya Oosumi) encountered a similar ball of light (this time blue in color) and transformed into a monster. From Udo's transformation, Maki is also suspected to turn into a monster and gets arrested. But his alter ego was Ultraman who came to capture the monster that took over Udo's body. Some homage to the original Ultra Q is also paid in this movie where Maki becomes a pilot of Cessna for a private corporation.

The movie was part of the Ultraman N Project that was supposed to create a new appeal to the Ultraman series. Ultraman Noa, this movie, and Ultraman Nexus shares a common connection that became clear towards the end of Ultraman Nexus. But ultimately, this new darker vision of Ultraman series was unpopular with the audience, and the project was canceled.

This Ultraman is really not Ultraman in my opinion. It lacks the style worthy of a super hero. Other may like the more realistic depiction of Ultraman, and opinions may vary depending on the viewer.

ULTRAMAN THE NEXT [2004] was created as part of Tsuburaya Production's "Ultra N Project", which also consisted of the TV series ULTRAMAN NEXUS [2004-2005] and live stage shows involving the character "Noa".

The film follows the middle-aged Shinichi Maki - a father and pilot with an increasingly ill son. During a drill one evening to track an unidentified object over Japanese air space, Maki's jet crashes into a large glowing meteor, where he meets a mysterious figure. Unlike the more recent Heisei era Ultraman shows - such as the amazingly childish ULTRAMAN COSMOS [2001] - the film takes a more serious family-entertainment tone, as with Tsuburaya's classic shows such as ULTRA SEVEN (1967).

The special effects lead by Yuichi Kikuchi (GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA [2002]) are well polished, looking far better than GODZILLA FINAL WARS [2004], yet ironically costing about a third less to produce. The same goes for the soundtrack - composed by Japanese rock artist Tak Matsumoto - which is far nicer to the ear than the "rock n' roll" music Keith Emerson produced for Godzilla. The storyline is quite simple, yet touching and meaningful at the same time.

It's an overall solid production, and one I would certainly recommend.

Ultraman is fun. The original series was silly, cheap and imaginative. Ultra Seven, the second series, was still silly and cheap but had a tongue in cheek seriousness that made it fun as well. The numerous series that came after fell into a predictable "beat up the monster" rut that the kids in Japan loved but were never brought over to the U.S. The recent efforts to revive Ultraman are inspired by the re-imagining of the very silly Gamera movie of the sixties into the standard bearer of the kaiju genre.

Well shot in high-def video (I couldn't tell it was until the credits said so), the movie works well as a stand-alone entry in the Ultraman tradition. The script is very good with an emphasis on human relationships. I have to agree with other contributors that this film is much better then most of the recent Godzilla films which were starting to resemble earlier Ultraman films. The special effects are very good at times with some excellent miniature work and some great combinations of real life with model work. The only complaints I have are with the music track and the direction. While overall very good, the director missed a few chances to raise this film up another notch. Sometimes the energy is lacking. The music, however, is a very mixed bag. The fuzzbox rock guitar has been overused by "children's" action shows for years and starts to sound like kazoos to me. The more classical action orchestral music is not inspired but at least it doesn't interfere with the action. It's like somebody forgot to tell the composer that they were trying to update the genre and the composer supplied a "by the book" soundtrack.

Very adult without being unsuitable for most children, it's hopeful this movie along with the sister TV series, "Ultraman Nexus" (not the same story but equally adult) will find a US release sometime in the near future. Until then it's only available as an import.

Giant monster movies can be fun, when it's old Japanese B-Godzilla or newer Cloverfield.

But Ultraman is not like that at all. This is in the league of Power Rangers, very childish with people dressed in costumes and fighting each other on the miniature sets so they will look like giants.

The story is also lame, nothing to challenge the mind.

This movie is for kids under 8, people that want to see a superhero movie will be disappointed. I wanted to turn this off after first 20 minutes, but instead I just watched it in fast forward.

I am not familiar with the original animated series, so the fans may enjoy the movie because of the nostalgic reasons. For me it was just waste of time.

I recently attended the Ultramania Film Festival here in San Francisco, CA, where the Bay Area premiere of Ultraman (a.k.a Ultraman: The Next) took place. Quite simply, this is an extremely entertaining movie for hardcore and casual fans of the character or anyone looking to spend 90 minutes witnessing pure, albeit silly, celluloid joy. The new movie is certainly more "mature" in it's telling compared to the original series and such beloved updates as Ultraman Tiga. There is a good amount of character development and some actual drama to be found. The action sequences are handled remarkably well and the final confrontation between Ultraman and his nemesis is a wonder to behold. The CG is quite good and blends real well with the more practical visual effects. The only real nitpick I had with the film is the theme sounded a bit too much like the "Top Gun" theme and "Top Gun" is not one of my favorite films. I heartily recommend Ultraman! Seek it out at all costs!

Even though the rubber suits and miniature model cities have been enhanced by CGI, this 2005 re-imagining of the enduring Ultraman character still has that typically cheesy kaiju aesthetic, possibly because the film-makers didn't have a big enough budget to make things look as slick as they might have liked, although I prefer to think that it was done intentionally in order to give the movie that unique charm one expects from a Japanese 'superhero versus monster' movie.

Either way, the film is lots of fun, with a really nicely designed creature in the shape of The One, a hideous, armour-plated, life-form absorbing beast with three heads (one that shoots energy blasts) and a massive pair of wings, which ultimately ends up several hundred feet high—but he's nothing that Ultraman can't handle; the two battle it out on land and in the skies causing mayhem and destruction on a massive scale before the hero inevitably vanquishes the monster and peace returns to downtown Tokyo.

It's nothing particularly revolutionary perhaps, but it's spectacular and consistently entertaining, and as far as I am concerned, a great way to spend an hour and a half or so of your time.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

*** Just re-watched the film and didn't enjoy it quite as much the second time around (the first half is fairly uneventful), although the final smack-down between Ultraman and The One is still a lot of fun.***

Revised rating: 7/10

Don't listen to that idiot.

'Ultraman' (or 'Ultraman the Next'), is a great movie and takes on a darker and more adult version of the much beloved Japanese hero.

The new Ultraman look is a sleek, silver and red armoured suit. The main villain, The First, is an animal absorbing monstrosity. He is a very cool beast.

The CGI effects are very good and are from the same dude that did Godzilla against Mechagodzilla in 2002.

Overall, a great and enjoyable superhero flick. I finish saying what I started with:

Don't believe that last reviewer.

This movie blew me away! I know this is based on an old series! But somehow they managed to keep it fresh and new for viewers who are not familiar with this series! The pace is fast and the story is quite good! The story about a loving father and husband who turns in to Ultraman is done in a proper manner! He gradually accepts his fate in becoming a superhero! You will care for this man and his family! And the most important thing is that this movie delivers on the action front! The giant lizard like monster is out to destruct everything in his path and you will see that he does! Buildings blown away by his fire breath! Crushing,pounding men! You will see Ultraman fighting this giant monster in the ultimate battle! Even when you know that they still are men in suits it doesn't look cheesy! In combination with CGI it looks better than ever! For me all kaiju movies should be like this. Ultraman is a classic!

The movie was great, the story was spectacular, and the characters were very likable. I love the fact that they brought an old hero back and gave him a new make-over. The music is a rock-style of the original Ultraman music. I hope that if you are a great Ultraman fan, you will get it. I could only watch it with Japanese subtitles, but I still love it. The only problem that I had, was the fact that they used a pre-existing Ultraman from the Ultraman Nexus universe. I would have preferred something more in the line of the original Ultraman. I did enjoy that they did not kill the story with to much special FX, but the battles were spectacular. This movie would make the late Tsuburaya very proud!

If you were a kid who grew up in the 70's or 80's, you've probably heard or seen something about the superhero character known as "Ultraman", the silver and red colored hero who battles skyscraper sized monsters in Japan, all while using Martial Arts moves and keen looking powers, very similar in the tradition of the Godzilla franchise. The only major difference is that "Ultraman", in his many different guises or series (Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Gaia, Ultraman Tiga, etc.), is always the 'good guy', with the huge, ugly looking monster to be touted as the 'bad guy', and not somewhere in between like Godzilla, who can either be a 'bad guy' or a 'good guy' depending on the particular movie he appears in.

The "Ultraman" series (movie as well as television) has always been about good versus evil, with the titular character being on the side of good, usually defending the Earth (in whatever universe it may be in) against a rampaging monster.

In true tradition of the "Ultraman" franchise, this movie, simply titled "Ultraman" (or "Ultraman Next") is a re-telling of the original 1960's series storyline, similar to the re-telling of the Batman film franchise with the film "Batman Begins".

From the typical 'good versus evil' standpoint, "Ultraman" 2004 sets its sights on not only a younger audience, but a teen, young adult and adult audience as well.

Immediately, the younger audience will be dazzled by how Ultraman makes his dramatic appearance in this film, whereas teens, young adults and adults will feel a bit of nostalgia from seeing one of their favorite heroes get called back into a visually updated and re-designed character and premise.

Unlike the old television series and movies, where the shows or movies play out like an episode of "Power Rangers", complete with sci-fi based settings and vehicles, this particular "Ultraman" film takes place in a universe much like our own, where beings and things like "Ultraman" should not exist and are not really ready to be accepted.

Like "Batman Begins", "Ultraman" (or "Ultraman Next") is believable in a sense where it just might be realistic enough to actually happen, if there were actual forces that exist in the universe who are willing to interfere with and ultimately defend the well-being of this galaxy's inhabitants.

Sure, this movie still has the 'guys in the rubber suits', then again, so do recent superhero films like "Batman Begins", "Fantastic Four", "X-Men 1 & 2", "Daredevil" or "Spider-Man 1 & 2". Those movies made the comic book superheroes look and seem realistic enough to be accepted as live action film counterparts, and "Ultraman" definitely takes the ball and puts it into play, right up there with the big, Hollywood produced superhero films. Of course, Japanese film companies usually don't invest too much into films of this genre, as they don't want to invest millions upon millions that American film companies do, because their audience is primarily Japan, whereas Amercian produced films have the entire world in mind when their films are made.

Still, the production values in "Ultraman" are quite high and easy to see, especially in how serious they made the storyline as well as the character designs for this film. There isn't too much excessive blood or violence, but it does appear when it's necessary to the storyline. I would have to say that this movie would fall under the "PG" film category if this film were to be released stateside. Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to bring an American theatrical, let alone DVD release of this film. Your only chance in seeing this film would be to rent it from a video store which specializes in foreign films (probably not possible to rent from a place like Blockbuster or Hollywood video) or to purchase it directly from a place which allows importation of Japanese DVDs.

This was definitely worth the viewing, especially if you're a fan of the original Ultraman TV shows or movies.

Obviously, the first commenter knew absolutely nothing about Ultraman or the history behind the character, or of the culture gap this movie comes with. For those who aren't aware of the character, Ultraman is a classic Japanese superhero who, along with Kamen Rider, is the popular equivalent to our Superman. In Japan, Ultraman is instantly recognizable and apart of almost every child's childhood at one point or another. The budgets of the series is not always grand, so they are able to make do with what they have very well. Having said that, I will say the movie takes some good old fashioned imagination to enjoy. That's part of the culture gap. Japanese films rely on the imagination of the audience, and not just CGI to do the work for us. So, if you watch the movie with all the previous things considered, you should have a really good time.

As I was watching the midair climax of the movie (which is a lot of fun, by the way), I couldn't help but think that the music sounded very familiar. It was starting to remind me very much of Anton Bruckner's 8th Symphony in c-minor. No sooner had I made this inner note to myself when the soundtrack actually started *quoting* the 8th, note-for-note! OK, OK, I know this has nothing to do with the movie, which is probably my favorite Ultraman so far... but I like commenting on musical trivia like this. (Another odd Bruckner quote comes in the opening credits of Victor Halperin's "Supernatural" from 1933, which uses a few bars of the Third Symphony in d-minor.)

I had the pleasure of watching this film, and found myself entertained for a number of reasons.

1. It was a reboot of the Ultra series, accessible to newcomers, but not so much of a reboot that it would alienate longtime fans (like me).

2. The kaiju in the film was well written and thought out.

3. I liked the majority of the characters in the film, I also was pleasantly surprised that the lack of monster fighting teams (like the Science Patrol) made the film more interesting.

4. The action scaled up rather nicely, with the stakes being raised each battle.

The only downsides I feel are the lack of proper miniature destruction (many of the battle scenes were shot against a green screen with buildings composited in), and that overall, the production lacked value. There were times where it felt like more of a made for TV movie than an actual film.

But those are minor points, and I feel that most everybody would like the film.

Ultraman in the 21 century, secret government organizations, characters with dark secrets, authority abuses...,innocents in danger: and suddenly all this things blow up when The Silver Giant appears!! The old story of love, sacrifice and heroism, upgrade for a new audience, and a great gift for the 70' and 80's children.

I like the detail that the hero was a man in his 35' old, with a little boy and wife; after all, mostly of the Ultra fans we have on this age now, still, this is not a fanatic movie, its a fresh story and people of all ages can enjoy it...its funny, this movie has the same elements of R. Emmerich's Godzilla, but without pretensions... and this was made with good taste!

Maybe the story is a little slow at the beginning, and some characters could be more exploited, but nothing that the audience can't stand. The movie ended and you still want more action! Thanks for bring us Ultraman back!