Despite almost 60 years of continued success, Ultraman has never quite broken through outside Japan. Ultraman: Rising on Netflix seeks to change that, introducing the hero to global audiences in a flashy, fun film that stretches itself a little thin.
Over the years, numerous heroes have stepped into Ultraman’s incredible metallic suit. In Rising, it’s Ken Sato’s turn, the reluctant son of a former Ultraman who resents the strain such responsibility put on his family.
An all-star baseball player, Ken moves from Los Angeles back to Tokyo in the superhero anime. He’s set for another thrilling chapter in the big leagues until his side hustle as a kaiju-fighting vigilante leaves him with injuries and an adopted baby monster that’s being hunted by private special forces that specialize in beasties.
Ultraman: Rising is about more than one man
Finding some sort of balance becomes the true challenge in Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima’s film, the former’s directorial debut. Career animators with decades of experience between them on productions such as Gravity Falls, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Kubo and the Two Strings and plenty more, they build an elegant aesthetic that laces together CG, anime, comic books, and a myriad other influences.
Tokyo itself is a bustling, warmly-colored city that multiple creatures crash through. Streetlights and neon keep the nighttime feeling clear, whereas bright sunshine makes daytime sequences crisp. Even as Ken is figuring out the minutiae of heroics and fatherhood, Ultraman moves with elegance, whether regular-sized or his giant mode.
Sudden splashes of color or monochrome give fights a kick of pizazz. Ultraman’s massive punches and kicks aren’t lacking, but getting a bright shot of pink makes them feel like the explosions they are.
A multimedia icon in Japan, Ultraman has been animated a few times, though he’s mostly depicted in tokusatsu – the Japanese term for genre shows and films that use practical effects. Essentially, most of his appearances are a guy in a suit whose transformations are made to feel big and calamitous to whatever neighborhood he’s in, thanks to crafty editing and effects work.
Ultraman finally goes global
Tindle and Aoshima capture some of that spirit through these dazzling moments. Many have some exposure to tokusatsu through Power Rangers – largely re-edited from the Super Sentai franchise – and the early Godzilla movies. There’s a hammy, heartfelt charm to such filmmaking.
It’s storytelling that doesn’t mind looking ridiculous or viewers seeing the strings because if the characters and situation are working as expected, you either don’t mind or consider all that part of the experience. Ultraman: Rising being animated inherently sidesteps this whole process, but the stylized battles retain some of their spirit by making Ultraman’s moves over-the-top.
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When he does something, it’s like reality itself shakes for a moment. It’s a driving principle found in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, where every Spider-person has their own aesthetic. You’re looking at people from alternate dimensions and timelines; the standard rules of perception simply do not apply.
Here, you’re seeing a guy in a hyper-advanced alien suit, but it’s the same mechanism of making you see as the characters do. Though Rising knows how to throw a punch, a couple of too many plot threads create niggling issues.
Ultraman: Rising tries to be too much of a hero
Ken stepping up as the adopted parent for his not-so-tiny-but-still-baby kaiju begets a heartening internal journey of reconciliation with his own father. This is a fulfilling narrative that gets over-encumbered by subplots that include a budding romance with journalist Mina, his underwhelming stint in Japanese baseball, and a villain who suffers from little screentime.
Tindle originally started working on this film as something original almost two decades ago, and you can sense remnants of that prolonged development, where threads have lingered when perhaps they should’ve been cut. He’s joined by Marc Hains as co-writer, and the movie is strongest when focusing on either Ken trying to keep up with his gigantic toddler or finding closure with his own dad.
Arrogant and brash in his sporting acumen during a press conference during the film’s opening, Ken is continuously humbled by how hard and treacherous being Ultraman is and the utter exhaustion of parenthood. Finding equilibrium among those responsibilities would’ve made Ultraman: Rising heroic enough.
Ultraman: Rising review score: 3/5
Ultraman: Rising brings a new version of the hero to the global stage in a way the franchise has never managed before. Bright, booming, and confident, there’s plenty to like despite some shortcomings in the storytelling.
Ultraman: Rising is out on Netflix on Friday, June 14, 2024. Check out our upcoming anime list for more releases to watch out for.
