Shin Ultraman Review: Maintains Real Sense of Goofy, Classic Ultraman Charm

This review of Shin Ultraman has been published to coincide with its release in Indian cinemas.

Shin Ultraman is a kaiju film that is a reimagining of Ultraman. The film follows 2016’s hit Shin Godzilla made by director Shinji Higuchi. Higuchi, who also directed Shin Ultraman, has created a film that is not only a great callback for longtime fans of the iconic Japanese character but also serves as an introduction to people who have never even heard of the character before. The Ultraman series is a prominent tokusatsu superhero genre franchise from Japan, similar in vein to its counterparts like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai (the OG Power Rangers). Besides the Godzilla series, Ultraman is perhaps the most well-known in the kaiju genre, and Shin Ultraman perfectly encapsulates its appeal.

The film starts off by throwing us into a world where giant lifeforms have already appeared several times before. Dubbed the “S-Class Species”, the Japanese government has established S-Class Species Suppression Protocol or the SSSP, to take care of these otherworldly monsters. We are introduced to the team of these kaiju eliminators when a monster dubbed Neronga attacks an area in the countryside. This is when our titular character, Ultraman – all in his rubbery suit glory – appears and saves the day.

Thus begins the story of the SSSP, the Japanese government, multiple other aliens, and the politics revolving around the appearance of Ultraman. The SSSP consists of executive strategist Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh), leader Kimio Tamura (Hidetoshi Nishijima), unparticle physicist Akihisa Taki (Daiki Arioka), universal biologist Yume Funaberi (Akari Hayami), and newly joined analyst Hiroko Asami (Masami Nagasawa).

The story of the film goes beyond just a superhero fighting big ol’ monsters. It touches on topics such as politics, governance, extra-terrestrial life, and what it means to be human. Not trying too hard to be deep, Shin Ultraman maintains a balance between offering visuals, as well as substance.

The cast does a pretty decent job, especially Saitoh who plays the cold, distant executive strategist and Nagasawa who brings a lighthearted touch to the film with her character. Hayami’s Funaberi also shines in many parts of the film, however, the rest of the SSSP just stay in the background as minor characters and don’t come into their own. A surprise was Koji Yamamoto’s Mefilas, a cunning extraterrestrial who wants on Earth to prove that humans can also become giants of their own. Yamamoto portrays the smiling, sly, and guileful alien in its human form excellently.

The kaiju monsters also appeared threatening and unique having different powers. The cinematography of the fight scenes was also decent and didn’t appear distracting. Ultraman appeared to move slow at times which pulled me out of the fight scene that was supposed to suck me in and root for our giant silver superhero.

The POV shots were also a nice touch like when Funaberi is anxiously munching on snacks, the camera view from inside the chips packet conveys her feelings clearly while she’s stress-eating. This does not work well on all POV shots in the film, however.

The music of the film was my favourite part. The score of the film, especially during fight scenes, was a clear callback to Ultraman’s past. Watching Ultraman in a modern setting with improved VFX paired with the retro soundtrack gave it a special feel like it’s a mix of the old and new. Like the film honours its legacy.