Mini Film Review – Shin Ultraman

Yesterday I watched Shin Ultraman; and it was rather interesting! Directed by Shinji Higuchi, and starring Takumi Saitô, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima, and Akari Hayami; Shin Ultraman is a Japanese Superhero movie, and a reimaging of the 1966 Ultraman TV series. Once again, Japan is under threat from a series of giant monsters, who just keep appearing for no valid reason; so a special agency is setup to solve the problem; but even they don’t know what to do, until one day when a silver giant appears. This is actually my first real experience of Ultraman. I have heard of him previously in a BBC Godzilla documentary, and other things too but this is the first time I have actually seen either a film or TV show about him. It was an interesting experience with a few low points. Firstly there’s no proper be-all and end-all main villain, which means the plot is a real wavering affair as you don’t know where any of it is going, and secondly the ending is rather un-climactic. But the main low is the intense amount of blink and you’ll miss them details. I can’t tell if it’s the actors just speaking way too fast, or perhaps the subtitle writer was desperately trying to meet a publishing deadline. Things just happen, and if your attention is briefly elsewhere, well: be prepared to hit the rewind button…constantly. Other than those niggling little issues, the film is a rather interesting affair. The low grade visual effects may put other people off, but if you look at them more artistically, they’re absolutely fine. You sort of need to see it, as rather than just making a new Ultraman film, Shinji Higuchi is actually trying hard to recreate the simplistic designs of the original show, and bring them into the present. It’s like going back to the original producers, and giving them the ability, to create the visuals we have now. Again, they are pretty raw, but they do create a real nostalgic thrill, giving newer audiences a window into the more simplistic past, whilst also giving the older fans, a chance to relive it all over again, with just a tiny bit of polish (but not too much of course). And of course, on top of all that, is the resounding message, that there are other alternatives to mindless violence!