Ultraman: Rising

My family and I recently watched Ultraman: Rising (2024) on Netflix. The storyline follows a successful baseball player in Japan who is chosen to become the next Ultraman. As he battles a surge of monsters, he encounters a baby monster that he must care for until he can find a home for it. Meanwhile, a sinister villain emerges with a plot that threatens all of humanity.

The film is co-directed by Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima, who previously collaborated on Kubo and the Two Strings. The voice cast includes Christopher Sean (You), Tamlyn Tomita (The Day After Tomorrow), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), and Hiro Nakamura.

This is one of those films with just enough good elements to make it worth watching, but not enough to be truly great. The animation and depiction of the universe are impressive, with both the monsters and Ultraman standing out. However, the characters were hit or miss. While I liked the hero and the villain, I wasn't as invested in the baby monster subplot. The villain's motivations were well-developed and justifiable. The "Gigantron" in the film reminded me of Rodan, and the final monster battle was solid, with a well-written resolution.

In conclusion, Ultraman: Rising features fantastic animation and enough elements of the monster universe to make it worth a watch. However, some aspects of the film, particularly the more child-oriented, cheesy moments, detract from its depth and quality. I would score this a 5.5-6/10 and only recommend it with the appropriate expectations.

Pretty good for any Ultraman fan out there, good job.

The story draws on many of the old and new things that make up the Ultraman series, the easy-going vibe, the cool fights, and most of all the simple but heartful message.

Ive seen complaints that it isnt as serious as Ultraman should be, but honestly you can have any story with this character, campy and easy-going at times like the original 66 Ultraman, more serious like Ultraseven or Nexus, or a middle point like Tiga, in the end it's still Ultraman, and I personally believe it's a great new story for possible new fans, specially because it's on such a worldwide platform like Netflix. I really hope this is the gateway for lots of new fans, I think it very well could be, and even if it isn't, it for sure told a great Ultraman story that newcomers and old fans can enjoy, on that note, go watch Ultraman Mebius I think the vibes are very similar.

-Shuwatch.

I am not really familiar with the Ultraman lore. I know he's a guy who can grow to the size of a monster and often fights against kaijus. There is some sort of Kaiju Defense Force that also fights kaijus. Somehow, this film becomes the story of Ultraman defending a kaiju baby from the KDF, which is ironic, but kind of fun.

However, the true strength (and weakness) of the movie is not in the monster battles, but in the story of a young man trying to juggle career, family, child raising and personal life at the same time. Did I want this in a Kaiju movie? Maybe not, but at the same time it was what gave the characters depth and the story emotional power.

Also, this is a kiddie film, designed to appeal to small children and their parents who, probably, try to juggle a lot of things too, so technically it was good product.

7/10 = Pretty good for me.

First things first, I wouldn't recommend this for adults. All the character motivations are fairly shallow, and the cliches run rampant. There are a few surprises, but they're out of left field and stay unexplained.

It was still an enjoyable movie to pass time. And the place it gets bumped up from "just OK" to "pretty good" is the excellent use of craft. There are dozens of scenes with excellent framing that could be frozen and used as pictures in their own right. ILM made great use of Dreamwork's "Moonbeam" program to convey the world. The textures are photorealistic enough to draw one in, while the exaggerated features enhance the personalities of the cartoon characters portrayed. And rather than pulling one out of immersion, the occasional flashes of line-art actually enhance the experience of "fun surrounding watching a cartoon".

I saw this movie with one of my best friends and we were commenting, pausing and rewinding the movie all the time, so many details to see, so many memorable scenes to repeat.

From the beginning the protagonist seemed charismatic to me, despite being egocentric. Although of course, later we see the reason for his attitude, and it is easy to empathize with him.

In fact, it is easy to empathize with ALL the characters.

AND THE BABY, OH MY GOD, THE BABY. SHE IS REALLY ADORABLE. Every time she appeared on the screen my heart melted.

We had a very good time watching the movie, so much so that we are now watching it a second time, to capture as many details as possible.

It has become one of my favorites. An excellent movie.