Ultraman: Rising
Ultraman: Rising is streaming on Netflix at the time of writing. Rated PG. Common Sense says 10+.
Star baseball player Ken Sato returns to Japan to take over duties as Ultraman. One day he rescues a baby Kaiju. Ken must prevent the KDF from kidnapping her as part of its dark scheme, all while figuring out how to parent a literal monster.
STORY: B
A fun monster movie that’s also a touching tale of what it means to be a family.
There is so much to love about the story. It’s full of fabulous fighting scenes. The parts where Ken tries to raise the baby Kaiju (with the help of his plucky virtual assistant) are hysterical.
Yet it’s the internal conflicts that really land a punch. Questions of family, loyalty, loneliness, and one’s responsibility to others are in constant orbit around the film’s central plot.
THE SCOOP: Check out Ultraman: Rising’s IMDB page, here.
PEOPLE: A-
Every character - human, monster, robot - is authentic and true.
Don’t worry. The film is packed with plenty of killer Kaiju slugfests. But the movie’s focus on its characters and their struggles to become the best versions of themselves that they can be is what you’ll remember.
CAST PARTY: Check out Character Media’s interview with the cast, here. (5 mins)
FILM NERD STUFF: B
The subtle blending of animation styles make the action scenes pop.
Like a lot of movies these days, the fighting scenes here are dark and frenetic. But these scenes are different. The filmmakers outline characters in thin white lines (which mimics a backlight effect). They briefly shift back into 2-D,. They add splashes of neon pastel color. And on occasion ,they abruptly switch background styles.
All of these techniques not only make the fighting more exciting, they make them easier to follow.
FILM TALK: Check out the cast and creators telling Letterboxd all about their four favorite films, here. (2 mins)
ELECTIVE CLASS (Family Ties): A+
The film celebrates all types of families - the one we’re born with and the ones we find along the way.
In the run up to the 2024 election, people seem to have pretty strong feelings about the definition of family. About what a family is or isn’t. About what a family should be or shouldn’t be.
The beauty of this film is that it not only shows the importance of traditional families and “found” families. It shows how both can coexist and make the other better. That’s something I believe is true about our world, and it’s a message the world desperately needs to hear right now.
FINAL COMMENTS:
It would seem the filmmakers set out to make a thrilling Kaiju movie that also has a heart and a message. They do both, extremely well. Kids will love it. And parents will feel seen in the not so subtle metaphor that raising children can resemble wrestling a colicky Kaiju.
It’s a fun action film that never overplays its moral stance. It works more like a beacon, guiding you to the path toward enlightenment instead of hitting you over the head with it.