TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN MEBIUS SIDE STORY: HIKARI SAGA (2006) ***

Ultraman Hikari visits a harmonious crystal planet called Arb.  There, he learns the planet is prophesied to perish by an alien menace, and he flies across the galaxy to train as a warrior to stop it.  After doing everything he can, he still winds up getting there too late.  Hikari then vows to get revenge on the monster before it reaches its next target:  Earth.

This is essentially just an origin story of Ultraman Hikari, but it gives him a fully formed character arc that serves as a fine story basis for all the monster mashing.  I liked that Hikari starts out as more of an inquisitive scientist than a fighter for justice.  Once he trains in the Ultraman arts, he is given an awesome lightsaber-inspired weapon.  It’s also interesting that he is prone to fits of rage that could potentially jeopardize his standing as an Ultraman.  (This, along with the lightsaber, makes it clear the filmmakers were more or less riffing on Star Wars:  Episode III:  Revenge of the Sith for inspiration.)

After the bloated and overlong Superior 8 Ultra Brothers, it was nice seeing something short and sweet.  Broken up into three parts, this was originally a web series, so maybe I shouldn’t technically be counting it as a “movie”.  Then again, seeing how I watched and reviewed the other Ultraman Side Stories, I think I’ll allow it.

Even if you don’t know much about the character, you still might enjoy Ultraman Mebius Side Story:  Hikari Saga.  It moves at a brisk pace and features lots of monster brawls.  Heck, even the CGI space battles are a lot of fun as Hikari’s fight with a bird monster in an asteroid field is the highlight.  We also get a sweet duel between Hikari and an evil version of himself (which acts as a none too subtle metaphor that’s he’s his own worst enemy).

AKA:  Ultraman Mebius Gaiden:  Hikari Saga.

TUBI CONTINUED… SUPERIOR 8 ULTRA BROTHERS (2008) **

This Ultraman flick is a little bit different from the rest because it takes place in “the real world”.  Three friends do everything together, including watching the first episode of Ultraman when it premieres.  Thirty years later, they grow up and get real jobs.  One day, a mirage of a mysterious city appears over Yokohama Bay.  The mirage turns out to be the Ultraman Universe where the battle from the last movie, Ultraman Mebius and Ultraman Brothers is still playing out.  During the battle, Mebius winds up in the real world and has to recruit help from the real Ultraman Brothers who have no idea they possess superpowers.

Although Superior 8 Ultra Brothers is more or less a middling effort, there are still a few worthwhile moments.  I enjoyed the opening with the kids rushing home in time to watch Ultraman on TV.  It was also neat that the heroes knew how to defeat all the monsters, just because they saw it on the show.  I also dug the Back to the Future 2-style scenes of characters interacting with events from the previous movie, although this concept is almost immediately dropped as soon as it’s introduced. 

While this installment has some good ideas, it ultimately takes a long time to get the ball rolling.  There are also way too many subplots as each of the three friends have a lot of emotional baggage that needs to be unpacked before we can get to the monster mashing.  The scenes of them being unhappy in their lives and stuck in a rut with their frustrated girlfriends is a bit much.  One of these plots would’ve been okay, but three is pushing it.  Ultraman? More like MidLifeCrisisman.

Even with all that going on, there’s still an outrageous amount of padding.  (Did we really need a Hawaiian luau musical number?)  The scenes of Ultraman Mebius’ avatar trying to convince the brothers that they’re really Ultramen get repetitive too.  Also, it runs a bloated ninety-seven minutes, and honestly it could’ve ended twenty minutes sooner.  However, there are so many subplots that the movie is forced to wrap up at the end that it rivals Lord of the Rings:  Return of the King for the sheer amount of false start endings. 

The film also opens up a can of worms that it never properly deals with.  If Ultraman enters the real world where he only exists as a TV show character, can he sue for back royalties?  Or can Tsuburaya Studios sue him for copyright infringement?  You know the movie isn’t working when you start focusing on shit like this instead of the plot. 

The good news is the model work of the city is impressive.  It’s full of elaborate details and is epic in scale.  The monsters are also quite intricately designed.  It’s a shame they kinda wind up getting lost in the shuffle.  Some of the CGI is a little chintzy in the final battle too, but honestly, that’s the least of this movie’s problems. 

There were seven Ultramen in the last movie.  This one has eight.  Sometimes, less is better.  For a movie called Superior 8 Ultra Brothers, it’s inferior to Ultraman Mebius and Ultraman Brothers in just about every way.

AKA:  Great Decisive Battle!  The Super 8 Ultra Brothers.  AKA:  Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers.

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN MEBIUS AND ULTRAMAN BROTHERS (2006) *** ½

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.

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN (2004) ***

A pilot named Maki (Tetsuya Bessho) is on the eve of retirement so he can spend more time with his sick kid.  While out on his last mission, he flies into a ball of light and crashes.  Miraculously, he’s able to walk away from the wreckage without a single scratch.  Meanwhile, a monster called “The One” has escaped from a lab and is on a rampage.  A secret military defense team kidnaps Maki and informs him he and the creature have a psychic link and use him as bait to trap the beast.  When the two engage in battle, Maki discovers he has the ability to transform into the superhero Ultraman, but is he strong enough to defeat the constantly evolving shapeshifting monster?

Ultraman was intended as a reboot of the beloved character, but it wasn’t exactly a hit in Japan, so it’s more of a one-off remake.  (It’s conveniently set in an alternate universe to dance around the continuity.)  As someone who just watched a few of these things that were little more than regular TV episodes, it was refreshing to see something that had big budget production values.  I also liked the Top Gun/Green Lantern-inspired plot (the music even sounds like fake Harold Faltermeyer).  In fact, despite the Japanese cast and crew, it almost feels like an Americanized remake with the heavy military undertones and the superhero-style origin story. 

Like the movie itself, the new Ultraman suit is darker and edgier.  And by that, I mean, it’s dark gray, kind of clunky looking, and missing the sleek lines of the other incarnations.  (It almost looks like Robocop from the neck down.)  The CGI used to make Ultraman fly looks way better than what we’ve seen previously, so that was another plus. 

“The One” is a cool creation too.  He looks like a cross between the Fly from The Fly 2 and the Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man.  Although we only get one monster this time around, the fact that it keeps evolving and transforming makes him unique.  He also has a neat gimmick where every time he comes in contact with another animal, he absorbs them and takes on their attributes, which is pretty sweet. 

I can see why some fans didn’t connect with this as it does take some liberties with the material.  I give the filmmakers points for trying something a little different though.  However, when it comes to the monster mashing, it’s refreshingly old school.  And by that, I mean, a lot of guys in rubber suits beating the crap out of each other.  Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 

AKA:  Ultraman:  The Next.

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN GAIA: GAIA ONCE AGAIN (2001) **

Like Ultraman Dyna:  Return of Hanejiro, this is more of a bonus episode of the show than an actual sequel to the series.  (Both were released directly to video in Japan around the same time.)  After the events of the Ultrama Gaia show, Gamu (Takeshi Yoshioka) goes to college and tries to be a normal kid.  It’s not long before he’s called back into action when another alien monster threatens the planet.

 

As with Ultraman Cosmos 2, the threat comes from beneath the sea.  I know it’s probably a matter of preference, but it’s just not as much fun when Ultraman’s alter ego and his crew are exploring the deep blue sea.  I’d much rather see them hop in a rocket ship and go to outer space, but that’s just me.  However, the movie has more problems than just the setting.  For starters, the B plot where Gamu’s brooding rival Ultraman, Fujimiya (Hassei Takano) is visited by a ghostly little girl doesn’t add much to the proceedings.  Also, the relatively short running time of forty-six minutes feels closer to feature length, thanks to the sluggish pacing.  The CGI is pretty bad too, although I guess that’s to be expected from something that’s essentially a slightly more elaborate episode of a TV show.  Even when you take that into consideration, it still looks kinda shoddy though. 

On the plus side, when the movie relies on the old school monster mashing the Ultraman series is known for, it offers the audience a modicum of fun.  The final baddie is fairly menacing and the three-way battle where two Ultramen take on the alien invader is solid enough.  Ultimately, that’s not quite enough to make up for the numerous flaws elsewhere in the flick, but it at least ends things on a positive note.

AKA:  Ultraman Gaia:  Once Again Gaia.  AKA:  Ultraman Gaia:  Gaia Again.

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN DYNA: RETURN OF HANEJIRO (2001) * ½

Return of Hanejiro is supposed to act as a footnote to the events of the Ultraman Dyna series.  Like Ultraman Tiga Side Story:  Revival of the Ancient Giant, it’s only about forty-five minutes long.  However, the budget is much lower than any of the Ultraman movies I’ve seen this week.  In fact, it looks cheaper than an average Ultraman episode.  While the giant monsters aren’t too shabby, the human-sized creatures look more like sports mascots.  The rest of the special effects aren’t too hot either.

A trio of comic relief aliens disguised as humans come in possession of an egg.  When it hatches, an annoying alien baby comes out.  They are mistakenly blamed for an imminent alien invasion and go on the run with the yapping alien brat in tow.  Meanwhile the real perpetrator, a sexy android woman in a blonde wig and sunglasses, goads Ultraman into battle. 

The Ultraman fights are okay.  He does battle with a giant red dragon monster, and the final monster is kinda cool too.  It’s just a shame that the brawls don’t last very long.  The smaller scale fights suffer from a lot of Matrix-inspired Kung Fu, and they are all pretty lame.  I know the low budget was probably the main culprit here, but the action never quite helps the film rise above the weak kiddie crap material; it merely prevents it from circling the drain.

The other monsters suffer from being overly cutesy or just plain cheap looking.  (The alien baby looks like a bargain bin Furby.)  All the allegedly comic shenanigans with the three aliens is hella annoying too.  Every time these bozos show up, it stops the movie on a dime and seriously gets in the way of Ultraman doing his thing.  Overall, Ultraman Dyna:  Return of Hanejiro is about as bad as an episode of the fucking Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, if you can believe it. 

TUBI CONTINUED… ULTRAMAN COSMOS VS. ULTRAMAN JUSTICE: THE FINAL BATTLE (2003) *** ½

(Housekeeping Note:  I am still about two weeks behind posting reviews.  However, once I get the reviews caught up to October 1st, I will switch over to the traditional all-horror movie column, The 31 Days of Horror-Ween, which will fittingly be rebranded:  The 31 Days of Tubi-Ween this year…)

Musashi (Taiyo Sugiura) and his team are about to fly a giant ark full of monsters to another planet where they can live in harmony.  An army of giant robots doesn’t want that to happen and it’s up to Ultraman Cosmos to kick its ass.  Turns out, an Ultraman named Justice is in league with the aliens and has a score to settle with the human race. 

After the middling Ultraman Cosmos 2:  The Blue Planet, Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice:  The Final Battle serves as both a course correction and a thrilling trilogy capper.  Things kick off in fine fashion with a shocking death scene.  Like most comic book movies and/or Sci-Fi flicks, we know the death probably won’t be permanent, but the staging and dramatic effect is nevertheless very effective.  I’ll say this, the opening scene has more balls (not to mention drama) than the entirety of Ultraman Cosmos 2, that’s for sure.  

I also liked the scenes of Justice’s avatar, a hot goth chick that looks like she shoplifted from the Underworld and Matrix sets when security wasn’t looking.  The scenes where she alternates from being conflicted to convinced that the Earth must be destroyed really work.  Sure, not all us earthlings are would-be rapist rappers roving the streets.  Some of us are just cute kids with even cuter dogs.  I mean, come on Justice.  You’re not gonna wipe out a planet inhabited by cute kids with cute dogs, are you?

Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice:  The Final Battle is easily the best of the Cosmos trilogy thanks to its complex themes and slightly darker tone.  (Although there is still some juvenile humor here but thankfully not much.)  Justice’s character arc alone makes it a richer and deeper film than its predecessors and gives it more weight than you would expect from an Ultraman movie.  In many ways, this is the Wrath of Khan of the early ‘00s Ultraman films.  Praise doesn’t come much higher than that.