Win Streak

Ultraman Rising: 4.5 stars Before I begin, this film is very different from other ultraman movies taking risks most like Anno’s shin ultraman would never take. Because of this many ultraman fans just call the movie bad without caring about any of the actual positives. If you can’t handle your franchise changing things up, you shouldn’t watch this. If you are open to having a good time, or even a bad time, just give it a try. The movie picks up after the first 30 minutes and really gets good by the middle. Ultraman rising is a fun and heartfelt watch about Ken Sato, a famous baseball player who is given the task of being the alien superhero Ultraman, while also balancing this with raising a not so human child. The movie is decently funny, with a couple groaners, but mostly solid jokes (especially for a Netflix movie.) Being a big fan of Tokusatsu, and ultraman himself, I enjoyed the action scenes throughout the movie. Don’t expect many however, there are only a few. For an ultraman fan, there are many references and Easter eggs to enjoy, but the lore is simplified for newcomers. The animation is stunning, with certain sequences looking great. When I found out it was 3d animation, I wasn't too surprised, but part of me was very impressed. Negatives: As I said earlier, the action is very spread out. If you came looking for monster vs alien, you will not get much. The story is well-written with impactful characters, but there are slow moments in the movie, and some Netflix-isms that drag the movie down a tad bit. Ending is a little rushed, understandably replacing what would’ve been a bold move for a kid’s film. Overall a great but far from flawless film about a man trying to balance many events and tragedies 😳😅😏 in his life. Spoilers: (I’m gonna talk a lot more casually now) At the end of the film Ken jumps onto a bomb to save everyone’s lives, and although he should’ve died here it’s revealed that he ends up just getting injured in a flash forward. I was expecting this, but it would’ve been really cool to get a bittersweet ending where Ken does die. The way the movie plays it off is really nice though, so I don’t mind it too much. Earlier in the movie Ken’s dad “dies” but it was just a fake out. I would’ve enjoyed the movie a lot more (maybe given it a full 5 star rating) if either Ken or his father died (not both just one). I feel like that would’ve made the movie much more impactful. Emi is great, but there are some unfunny poop jokes done with her character. Not many but there are still some. As for what I appreciated, ultraman trying. Not to kill the kaijus was great, and even random kdf members having a lot of humanity was pretty nice. The main villain Dr. Onda (not Noda) was a lot more fleshed out than I thought he would be. He really seems to not like having to kill Kaijus, only doing it for the benefit of the world. Great stuff. Once again 4-4.5 stars for the film. I hope this movie gets the respect it deserves, and spawns a sequel.