SHUWATCHA!!! As a child, when I was still living in Vietnam, my grandfather used to go after work to some small stall on the way home and get me cartoons or TV shows. He brought things from the Pokémon of the 2000s and then Super Sentais to the Ninja Turtles of the 80s. But I remember most of all the 60s Ultraman. I don’t know about you, but seven-year-old me to see on the screen the transformation of a man into a big man in tights and fights with terrible Kaiju was something of a catharsis.
But now I am 19 years old, and since then I have not been interested in this series. That’s why I didn’t want to include Ultraman: Rising for a long time. But, to my surprise, this film was not enough that it turned out to be good, so it also did not require any acquaintance with other films and TV series under the Ultraman brand. Of course, during the viewing, some questions may arise to the backstory and lore à la “What is Ultraman?” and “Why exactly can the main character be?”, but I decided for myself that the viewer does not need this information at all. In fact, in modern media, Ultraman has become an icon. And even if you haven’t personally seen him anywhere, in your favorite works, at least once he was made an homage (as Ben Tennyson among the heroes of the Omnitrix was “Super Big”, which is an exact copy of Ultraman). Telling the audience the origin of Ultraman is almost the same as showing the death of Uncle Peter Parker or the loss of Bruce Wayne’s parents in the alley for the hundredth time.
The coolest thing about Ultraman is transformation, and this film takes the idea of 'transformation' and drives it through the protagonist. This film tells the story of fathers and children, shows the problems of broken relationships, isolation and personal crisis. And the main character, Ken Sato, is a sponge of these problems. Through his relationship with his father, through the upbringing of a child Kaiju, as well as baseball, director and screenwriter Shannon Tindle builds a path for the viewer to become a hero, ranging from a hot-tempered guy to a more confident and caring man. You could say it’s a pretty typical trope for a superhero and that it’s pretty readable, and you’d be right! But what makes this film special is its ability to emotionally satisfy. Starting with the second act of the film, you stop asking questions and just look at the events as if everything is in place for you. And when the final battle with the antagonist begins, you just get high from the incomparable animation, choreography and music. But the main thing in the film is not how Ken Sato hits the villain in the face, but how he copes with uncertainty about his importance, and in general with problems outside his alter ego. Who would have thought that the American adaptation of Ultraman could approach its task so meticulously and accomplish it so filigreely? That's why I want to love this piece. And for me, it's not just a good Ultraman movie, it's just a good movie. After 12 years, Ultraman is able to give me catharsis.
8 out of 10