The Ultraman Brothers use their last bit of energy to imprison a monster who’s trying to destroy the Earth. Powerless, the four superheroes separate, get regular 9 to 5 jobs, and blend in with society. Years later, the monster escapes and it’s up to the new Ultraman, Ultraman Mebius (Shunji Igarashi) to take it down. When he is captured by the beast, the Ultraman Brothers go on one final quest to save him.
The pre-title battle where the Ultraman Brothers open up a cosmic can of whoop ass on a killer kaiju is among the best action sequences I’ve seen in an Ultraman movie. Another great fight occurs when Ultraman must do battle with an evil imposter version of himself. We also get a cool scene where he is crucified in a giant crystal (crystalfied?), prompting the Brothers back into action to save him.
The council of evil aliens who are plotting to destroy Earth are equal parts goofy and awesome. I particularly liked the one that looked like a mutant snow owl who had little ghost birds circling his head when he got knocked silly by the Brothers in battle. The villain’s final form is also very cool, even if some of the CGI is a little wonky. The finale is a nice blend of old school men in rubber suit monster mashing mixed with CGI battling. When not one, not five, but SEVEN Ultramen unite to kick the bad guy’s ass, it’s sheer Tokusatsu heaven.
Now, I could nitpick some aspects of the flick if I really wanted to. (Mebius’ friendship with a little kid kind of slows things down.) However, I’ll just say that overall, this is definitely one of the best Ultraman movies ever made. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the various iterations of the character, this is one heck of a fun ride.
AKA: Ultraman Mebius and the Ultra Brothers.
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