TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN GEED: THE MOVIE: CONNECT THE WISHES! (2018) ***

An evil alien robot is going through the galaxy destroying all intelligent life.  Naturally, its next stop is Earth.  It’s also trying to obtain “The Red Steel” which will make it all-powerful.  An alien princess is in possession of the Red Steel and bestows it upon Ultraman Geed to use it to fight the alien menace.  Along the way, he partners up with Ultraman Orb and Ultraman Zero who help him build character in the face of adversity. 

One of the things I enjoyed about the character of Ultraman Geed is that he’s kind of an asshole.  He sulks a lot and acts shitty to others when things don’t go his way.  This helps to make him a flawed hero and while it’s not exactly Shakespearian, it certainly helps to differentiate him from the other goody two-shoes incarnations of Ultraman. 

Likewise, the filmmakers didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel, but they peppered the flick with some amusing and entertaining elements.  I liked the sexual tension between the antihero “Juggler” and the square member of the team he flirts with by calling him “Daddy-San”.  Sure, it’s not quite a paragon of gay representation for these movies, but you have to take what you can get.  I also thought the alien princess’ pet protector was cute (he looks like a giant rainbow lion) without TRYING to be overly cutesy, which is a fine line. 

Of course, it helps when the fights are solid from top to bottom.  There’s a fun scene at an “illegal alien” camp (which is inhabited by aliens) that plays like a low-budget Ultraman version of the cantina scene from Star Wars.  There’s also a nice mix of normal-sized humans vs. aliens Kung Fu fights and giant Ultraman vs. colossal kaiju battles.  In short, Ultraman fans should have a blast with this one.

AKA:  Ultraman Geed:  The Movie.  AKA:  Ultraman Geed:  Connect the Wishes!  AKA:  Ultraman Geed:  The Movie:  Connect Them!  The Wishes!

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRA FIGHT ORB: LET ME BORROW THE POWER OF FATHER AND SON! (2017) ****

Ultraman Orb and Ultraman Zero are on the trail of a dark presence moving from world to world.  Turns out, it’s an evil ghost sorcerer who has the ability to raise monsters from the dead. The only way Orb can stop him is to train with Zero and his father, the legendary Ultraseven who bestow upon him tremendous power. 

This is another one of those deals that started off as a web series but was edited into a short (thirty minutes in this case) movie.  Since the original episodes were shown in three-minute bursts, that means there is no shortage of monster mashing to be found.  Some rubbery looking monster or silver-faced fighter is getting the snot knocked out of them every three minutes or so.  The battles themselves are well done considering their brevity.  In short, it’s fucking awesome.

Sure, the villain is just a rehashed version of Belial, but he looks cool and resembles Darth Vader on steroids.  His monster minions are a nice mix of menacing and just plain goofy too.  Besides, the sheer amount of rubber suit baddies that the filmmakers were able to cram into a half-hour running time is kind of mind-boggling.  There are robots, mutant caterpillars, and even a giant chicken with what looks like a huge scrotum hanging out of its mouth.  When’s the last time you saw that in a movie?  That’s not even mentioning the fact that once the three OG Ultramen show up to lend the next generation a hand, things get even more badass.  

Bottom Line:  If you love giant monster battles and only have a half-hour to kill, Ultra Fight Orb:  Let Me Borrow the Power of Father and Son! is the one to watch.

AKA:  Ultra Fight Orb.  AKA:  Ultra Fight Orb:  I’m Borrowing the Power of Parent and Child.  

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN ORB: THE MOVIE: LET ME BORROW THE POWER OF BONDS! (2017) ***

Ultraman Orb is battling a giant monster on a deserted tropical isle when Ultraman Zero shows up to lend him a helping hand.  He says Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Victory have disappeared and asks Orb to find them.  Meanwhile, Ultraman X gets separated from his host when he is sucked into a wormhole.  Orb follows suit and is soon, becomes a prisoner of the evil space witch Murnau who wants to turn the planet (and the Ultramen) into jewels. 

I kind of like this Ultraman Orb guy.  He has the ability to use these Pokémon type cards (these trading cards must’ve been big in Japan) to mix and match the powers of the previous Ultramen and combine them to make a brand-new Ultraman.  That slight reworking of the usual formula keeps the action just different enough to make the monster mashing feel somewhat fresh and gives Ultraman a variety of weapons at his disposal. 

A good chunk of the movie is devoted to regular-sized aliens and monsters.  That really isn’t a criticism, as the fight and chase scenes they have with our human league of heroes are still a lot of fun and even offer up a few laughs.  Once the action switches over to giant Ultramen battling kaiju, things really heat up.  There’s a great monster named Deavorik who is a total badass.  He looks like a robot version of Gamera and possesses machine gun arms which he uses to decimate cities.  The finale is a gigantic slobberknocker of the highest order and features some inventive camerawork.  You’d be surprised how much little touches like clever camera movement can breathe new life into something like this, but it certainly makes a difference.  Overall, this is one of the most entertaining of the latter-day Ultraman movies. 

AKA:  Ultraman Orb:  Lend Me the Power of Bonds!  AKA:  Ultraman Orb:  The Movie.  AKA:  Ultraman Orb:  The Movie:  I’m Borrowing the Power of Your Bonds!

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN X: THE MOVIE: HERE HE COMES! OUR ULTRAMAN (2016) **

Maybe I got spoiled by watching a couple of solid Ultraman movies before this one, but Ultraman X:  The Movie:  Here He Comes!  Our Ultraman just didn’t measure up.  Nothing about it is out and out bad, but it lacks the punch of the last few entries.  Those flicks at least had the benefit of snappy pacing and non-stop monster mashing.  This one just feels padded (especially the opening) and the stuff that occurs in between the kaiju battles is disposable and forgettable.  It also doesn’t help that the human hero gets separated from his “X” transformation cube (it looks like an iPhone in a bulky case), which means he can’t turn into Ultraman for a good chunk of the movie. 

Things kick off with a recap of the Ultraman X TV show, which plays like a greatest hits compilation on fast forward.  Then the plot begins.  An asshole archeologist removes a sacred stone from a mountain, awakening a giant monster.  It’s then up to Ultraman to stop it.

There’s some really silly shit here, and that’s coming from the guy who defended the use of a flute sword in Ultra Fight Victory.  In one scene, a jet shoots cotton candy at the monsters.  I’m sorry, I’ve got to draw the line somewhere.  That’s some Paw Patrol level shit, if you ask me. 

There’s also a comic relief alien doctor who helps the humans.  I joked in my Ultraman Ginga S review that the villain was collecting Ultramen like Pokémon cards, but this guy actually turns the data he collects on other Ultramen into actual trading cards!

Things perk up a tad during the finale when the original Ultraman shows up to aid in the fight.  However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s lame having a little kid controlling Ultraman Tiga.  Also, the arrival of the other Ultramen at the eleventh hour doesn’t give them a whole lot to do besides hastily fight a monster or two. They deserved more than extended cameos.

AKA:  Ultraman X:  Here He Comes!  Our Ultraman.  AKA:  Ultraman X:  The Movie.  AKA:  Ultraman X:  The Movie:  Here Comes!  Our Ultraman.

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRA FIGHT VICTORY (2015) ***

Ultraman Victory is just minding his business when he falls into a sinkhole and is attacked by a monster.  Another baddie shows up and steals Victory’s girlfriend’s necklace, which can give him supreme power.  The villain has also imprisoned Ultraman Ginga, which raises the stakes considerably.  Lucky for Victory, Ultraman Hikari gives him a magic flute that turns into a sword to aid him in his quest to stop the monster from awakening the evil emperor of the galaxy. 

Ultra Fight Victory is essentially three episodes of an Ultraman YouTube series edited together.  As such, the effects are a little chintzier compared to the other films made around the same time.  Most of the time, it’s just a bunch of people standing in front of an obvious green screen.  (It also looks like they reused footage from Ultraman Ginga S the Movie for the scenes where the Ultramen combine their powers.)  Despite being a smaller budgeted affair, it still manages to pack a lot of Ultraman brawls and monster fights into a short amount of time.  (It’s only thirty-eight minutes long.)  Some of the dialogue is priceless too.  My favorite line came when the villain sent his minions into battle by saying, “Go, terrible monsters!”

It helps that Ultraman Victory is a pretty cool customer.  He has a great power where he can change out his hand for limbs of monsters he’s previously defeated.  The fact that the objects he uses to summon his powers look suspiciously like Ultraman action figures makes it even funnier.  Even though he’s playing with toys most of the time, these toys are certainly more badass than the flute sword weapon, that’s for sure.  But heck, who am I kidding?  I even find the silly/stupid/cheesy shit like that in these movies endearing.  Besides, they’ve got to put something in there to appease the marching band fanbase.

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN GINGA S THE MOVIE: SHOWDOWN! THE 10 ULTRA WARRIORS (2015) ***

An evil alien is going around the galaxy defeating Ultramen and collecting them like Pokémon cards.  He brainwashes a beautiful princess, who has the power of using mirrors as prisons, into thinking the Ultramen are her sworn enemies.  The only two Ultraman left on their checklist are Ultraman Victory and Ultraman Ginga.  Eventually, Ultraman Zero joins the fight and together, they try to break the spell the villain holds over the princess.  

Since ‘tis the season, I thought about doing a brief run of Christmas movies for this column.  Instead, I just settled on picking one or two here and there.  Much to my surprise, Ultraman Ginga S the Movie:  Showdown!  The 10 Ultra Warriors is a Christmas movie, so I get to kill two birds with one stone.  (Well, it starts with a Christmas party that’s interrupted by an alien invasion, at least.)

The film clocks in at just over an hour long, so the Kung Fu battles, kaiju collisions, and monster mashing comes at a fast and furious rate.  Little time is spent on plot, and we only receive the barest wisps of exposition, which is appreciated in something like this.  In fact, I admired the movie’s brevity and its ability to compact the maximum amount of plot information with the minimum amount of storytelling. 

Plus, it’s just plain fun.  The finale where the imprisoned Ultramen are freed and must fight a gauntlet of their previous foes is a neat way to combine good old-fashioned men in rubber suit fights with shameless fan service.  The subplot where Ginga and Victory become handcuffed together in order to learn how to work as a team is pretty funny too.  We also get an amusing sequence where the villain turns the human heroes’ worst fears against them, which finds them being attacked by zombies, bugs, and uh… giant tomatoes?!?  I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a tip of the hat to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but it sure was hilarious. 

AKA:  Ultraman Ginga S:  Showdown!  The 10 Ultra Warriors.  AKA:  Ultraman Ginga S:  The Movie.  AKA:  Ultraman Ginga S Movie Showdown!  The 10 Ultra Brothers!  

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN SAGA (2012) ** ½

A while back, I was in the midst of a marathon of Ultraman movies.  I eventually had to take a break, mostly because I didn’t want to get too much of a good thing.  After seeing Godzilla Minus One, I got a hankering for more Japanese kaiju cinema, so I figured I’d try to watch the rest of the Ultraman flicks before the end of the year and the Tubi Continued… column came to an end. 

In the future, the only inhabitants of Earth are a group of hot chicks known as “Team U” who ride around on low-budget Transformers scrounging the deserted cities for supplies.  It turns out the evil Zetton was responsible for decimating the population and is looking to finish the job.  It’s then up to Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Cosmos to resurrect the fallen Ultraman Dyna to stop Zetton and save the planet. 

Some of the CGI is a little wonky, but the rubber suit monsters are charming.  The early fight scenes are fun, especially the moments when Ultraman is tossing monsters around and around like an Olympic shot-put thrower.  The finale is a tad disappointing though as there’s little variation on the fight scenes.  (There’s three Ultramen instead of two and the villain is a humanoid instead of a giant bug.)  The climax is fine, I suppose, but the film really needed something with a little more bombast to make for a thrilling conclusion. 

The humor is a bit hit and miss, but I did like the scene where Zero and his human host are feuding, which causes them to not synch properly, resulting in a pint-sized Ultraman.  I also dug the backstory of Zero’s host blaming Ultraman for not saving his parents, which is why he refuses to fight.  Little touches like that kept the usual formula from feeling stale, although the flick never quite goes into fourth gear.  All and all, Ultraman Saga is a solid, if unspectacular effort.