By Gabby Foor
It’s rare that a film begins with such passionate backstory from its creators providing their personal connection to a story – while explaining the possible cultural disconnect from viewers who may have missed the fifty five-year plus history of Shin Ultraman, which I had. This goes from a member whose father worked on the set of Ultraman Ace and grew up collecting action figures to eventually playing Ultraman himself, to crew members that watched the history of this figure evolve into this post-COVID era film. Here, they felt audiences were ready to embrace for messages of hope and connectivity. This short interview with members of the crew braced me for perhaps not a journey into horror that I’m used to, but a trip with a cultural being that represents the connection between man, monster, and extraterrestrial, and all the unknowns that make our imaginations run wild. Reuniting after the hit Shin Godzilla in 2016, director Shinji Higuchi and producer Hideaki Anno have a reboot for the times that can speak a universal language. The 37th film in the franchise and the second reboot of the “tokusatsu” series, there is a long list of Ultraman lore you luckily won’t need to know to enjoy this film about a giant silver savior. Sparking the imagination as intended, here I’m diving into a more formal definition of “kaiju” beyond what we shout every time we see a monster.
Screaming! Running! Kaiju! Shin Ultraman wastes no time as it begins with Japan under siege from several different unidentified monstrosities: a giant flower, a flying kaiju causing an alarm of “stealth kaiju”, (and a nod to Shin Godzilla), each causing devastation to a fantastically nostalgic monster movie score that peaks and falls with roaring orchestras or lazy guitar, all mixed masterfully by Shirô Sagisu. The use of CGI for this parade of monsters at the start drew some notice from the community, as practical effects were the norm to create the creatures of this universe. But I agree with some other outlets that the quality of the CGI actually brings these monsters to life and gives them their otherworldly appearance, without fully sacrificing the old-world monster movie effect given their artistic designs. Meanwhile, a 5-man task force has risen to aid the defense, and they’ve proven successful: this is the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol Enforcement Unit (or SSSP, thank goodness). After aiding the government on several missions, it seems the SSSP is now embedded with the armed forces at crisis locations of Kaiju activity. Whilst fighting a kaiju that feeds on electricity and can become invisible to cause damage, the SSSP also deals with the political undertakings it must face, such as the fact that kaiju are a specifically Japanese problem (a fun running joke) that require them to foot the bill for damage.
Suddenly, in the midst of the electrical kaiju chaos, an unidentified object comes rocketing through the atmosphere, smashing into earth. “Some sort of silver giant?” one of the SSSP members asks as the silhouette of a giant metal humanoid rises and takes the blows from the kaiju with ease. As the monster retreats, suddenly, almost like a pose struck, the giant humanoid makes a chopping motion, sending an incredible burst of energy towards the monster, destroying it on impact and turning the air to plasma with the heat, amazing the SSSP. With the monster destroyed, the giant suddenly takes off flying, with all agencies losing track of their mysterious hero.
Cutting away from the battle zone and forward in time, the SSSP is now receiving aid from a new transfer, Hikiro Asami (Masami Nagasawa) tasked at researching the shining titan. Her captain Kimio Tamura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) assigns her a buddy to help her with the research, Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh) which proves a bit unhelpful, as he remembers nothing as he was helping a child during the initial incident. The captain is happy with the new addition as she has put together a quick, concise report on the giant tentatively titled “Ultraman,” ultra being a code, the captain says, that is meant for top secret information, but also has a nice ring to it for the higher ups. Profiles compiling his stats puts Ultraman at 60 meters tall and 2,900 tons: that’s a lot of extraterrestrial.
I knew nothing of Ultraman before I began my exploration into his lore and this film. However, he has never been far from the public eye since his 1966 debut and has spawned films, television series, anime and even games. Apparently, in Japan he is wildly famous and omnipresent as an icon, but Shin Ultraman will supposedly make fans pay attention in a different way. Its powerful visuals and its hope to provide unity with its hero is a noble cause, especially being that it was conceived during isolation. He also provides a character that can be loved by viewers of all ages and backgrounds, regardless of what they knew about the film prior. The screen time isn’t saturated with too much Ultraman action either, so when he arrives, it’s a treat and an event in the film. Not overusing him allows for more extraterrestrial action to occur between Ultraman sightings, moving the plot along at an exciting pace with a new creature or occurrence to enjoy Ultraman’s own journey, something that I’m sure will continue as this movie leaves room for more spinoffs and sequels. Cinematography is at its finest here as well, where mundane office scenes pop using intense close ups; shots from above emphasize a busy control room; and action scenes swell with tracking and close ups of monsters just campy and just believable enough to be satisfying.
I was completely won over by Shin Ultraman without ever having known of his universe before. From well done practical and special effects, to characters with over the top reactions, or faceless military extras packed into the chaotic boardrooms you expect in a monster movie, this film hits all of the creature feature marks. Shin Ultraman is a visual delight, scored perfectly, with a story that aims to warm the heart (a feature most hero movies miss now, as they aim for the grisly origin story). According to some fans, this might not have the satire or grit that Shin Godzilla had, but I feel like with the introductions from the crew and the story of a hope for humanity with people adapting and working together, it doesn’t have to have that extra snap of ironic wit to remain a smart, heartfelt and action-packed epic. Get ready for a trip back to the monster glory days if you choose, because Shin Ultraman is the shining example of how film can transcend culture and time, even for those uninitiated, while continuing an innovative, passionate legacy.
Shin Ultraman (2022) hits VOD on July 4th, and Blu-ray/DVD on July 11th 2023.