‘Ultraman: Rising’ Review – Ultra Family Matters
As of this summer, Netflix has the only other noteworthy Ultra movie of the last few years, Ultraman: Rising, climbing its charts at a time when the kaiju-endeared masses are focused on Godzilla (as usual) through the MonsterVerse and the dual versions of Minus One getting their wide home release.
Having finally seen the animated adventure, I bided my time to collect my thoughts and figure out exactly what I wanted to say about it. There’s a lot to recommend, believe me, but although I enjoyed watching it, I had to prioritize the time I put into it rather than feeling drawn back to it.
The plot and character backgrounds bear a resemblance to a lot of popular Western superheroes, especially Spider-Man, so there are fewer Silver Surfer and Super Sentai elements. Instead of the essence of an alien possessing a man, Rising’s superstar is a man with great power.
Our hero is a cocky baseball player named Ken Sato (Christopher Sean) who moonlights as Ultraman when he’s not hitting home runs in Japan and America. He inherited the mantle from his father Professor Sato (Gedde “What’s happening, hot stuff?” Watanabe) whom he isn’t on frequent speaking terms with.
Other than that, he has life on easy mode. Ken is the most famous hitter on the diamond and as Ultraman, he is a superhero adored by children everywhere. And when he goes home, he has a personal AI named Mina (Tamlyn Tomita) that takes care of his scheduling and whatever curveballs life throws his way.
He receives a doozy of one when he has to keep an infant monster the size of a house safe from the Kaiju Defense Force. The creature is wanted by their leader, Dr. Onda (Keone Young), for a nefarious and vengeful purpose.
The pompous athlete/crusader humbled by unplanned parenthood is not a new premise, not even with monsters, but Ultraman: Rising keeps things interesting through its lavish presentation, writing, and performances. The film is so polished that I’m shocked it didn’t get a theatrical release backed by heavy promotion.
Co-writer and director Shannon Tindle, an animator for Kubo and the Two Strings and Coraline, has been involved with big pictures so he doesn’t play small ball. He also knows how to pitch to families in the right way.
Rising is PG but it’s family-friendly. The baby kaiju – which is designed clearly with merch in mind – is enough to prove this is appropriate for all ages. Its cuteness factor does hold the film back, though, for anyone wanting more monster-smashing action.
Believe me, it has that but Tindle balances it out with melodrama and the hijinx of bringing up a colossal baby. And while the final act has a climactic battle with two Ultras fighting a cyborg kaiju and a Gundam-style mecha, it takes two hours to get there. I wish there were more kaiju fights along the way; they’re what I came to see.
Ultraman as an entity almost takes a backseat to the character building and the family dynamics at the heart of everything. However, it’s something the film does right and different from most movies that aren’t independent. Similar to Blue Beetle, the Sato family bonds prove strong by the end and one of Ken’s biggest inspirations is his missing mom.
Family is a big motivator for the presumptive villain, Onda, too, but we’re left with crumbs of his backstory to piece together until a reveal at the end that gets him some quick sympathy. Onda’s subplot and the tensions between Ultraman and the KDF could have used more time to cook.
Overall, I wasn’t in a rush to watch Ultraman: Rising nor was I in a rush to finish it either. It’s polished and enjoyable, yes, more so than Gamera: Rebirth or Skull Island. But when the minimal hoopla around it dies down, you probably won’t notice it there in the recommendations.
NEXT: ‘Sight’ Review – See It Before It’s Gone?
Ultraman: Rising
PROS
- All the night fights against Kaiju and KDF agents.
- Ken Sato's back story and arc.
- Promotes family values and selflessness.
CONS
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