SHIN KAMEN RIDER (2023) ** ½

A motorcycle rider becomes infused with grasshopper DNA and transforms into a badass superhero called Masked Rider.  (How’s that for an opening sentence for a review?)  After his creator is killed by the evil organization, S.H.O.C.K.E.R., he sets out to destroy their nefarious half-human half-insect henchmen.  Eventually, Masked Rider comes face to face with an evil version of himself who must decide if he will fight for his corrupt bosses or stand alongside his twin brother.

Shin Kamen Rider belongs in the same newfangled series of reboots of Japanese classics as Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman.  While I didn’t think it was quite as fun as the new Ultraman flick, I did enjoy it more than the Godzilla reboot.  Like Shin Ultraman, it is essentially an entire TV series condensed into two hours.  The good news is, that means Masked Rider does battle with bug-infused “Augments” every twenty minutes or so.  The bad news is the stuff in between the action is kind of dull.  Plus, there are way too many massive exposition dumps that gum up the works (particularly in the third act).  Also, at two hours, it all feels rather bloated and overlong.  

Then again, who watches this crap for the plot?  The fight scenes are fun enough and have enough variation to keep from feeling stale.  The fight that is done in sort of a half-animation half-live action rotoscope style is especially cool.  The gore is surprisingly solid too as Masked Rider smashes a bunch of heads as if they were oversized cherry-flavored Gushers.  The villains are fun as well, with the Spider Augment (who kind of looks like a cross between Spider-Man and the Predator) and the Scorpion Woman being my two favorites.  I also dug Masked Rider’s trusty motorcycle, Cyclone, who in one scene follows dutifully behind him like a horse trailing a cowboy in an old western.  

I don’t know if they will eventually bring Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider together for a big Avengers-style crossover or not.  I for one, would be all for it.  Although none of the films individually knocked my socks off or anything, they all certainly had their moments.  Plus, Masked Rider is a cool enough character to suggest he’d play off the other major players rather well.  Heck, I’d even be down for just a straight sequel to this.  Provided they streamline things a bit.

AKA:  Shin Masked Rider.