Shin Ultraman

[Warren Peace]

So I've had basically no experience with Ultraman but would love to check it out ahead of the new movie. Which works would anyone here recommend? I'm specifically interested in things that are known to be relevant to (or likely to be relevant to) Shin Ultraman. It seems like a movie you shouldn't walk into without any prior knowledge of the character, so I'd love to have some context.

[MuscleRobo]

So I've had basically no experience with Ultraman but would love to check it out ahead of the new movie. Which works would anyone here recommend? I'm specifically interested in things that are known to be relevant to (or likely to be relevant to) Shin Ultraman. It seems like a movie you shouldn't walk into without any prior knowledge of the character, so I'd love to have some context.

It's impossible to know which exactly will end up being important, in Shin Godzilla he referenced a Kamen Rider from 2003 after all, the trailers/collab I've seen mostly show things from the original 1966 Ultraman and 1967 Ultraseven.

[kuribo-04]

in Shin Godzilla he referenced a Kamen Rider from 2003 after all,

What is the reference?

[MuscleRobo]

in Shin Godzilla he referenced a Kamen Rider from 2003 after all,

What is the reference?

In Kamen Rider 555 the evil organization secretly controlling the world behind the scenes of a normal business is an "Amazon-Like" company and the chemicals delivered at the end of the movie come in boxes from them. The company's name is "Smart Brain."

[kuribo-04]

∆ Oh interesting haha.
Thanks!

[kuribo-04]

Coming to Prime Video in Japan.
https://twitter.com/khara_inc/status/1583730132942204928?t=HpsLOr0-BDcHk70Li-puJw&s=19

[Thuktun Flishithy]

yet still no news of a proper US release. I want to watch it in theaters dammit. I wanna see Ultraman on the big screen with all my friends like we've been discussing for months.

[kuribo-04]

Someone subtitled the first 10 minutes in Spanish (couldn't find English subs):
https://youtu.be/NW9xCOQ2X4Y

The shot compositions and things chosen to be depicted feel so, so Anno. Either Anno storyboarded or something, or Higuchi is just really good at catching what makes Anno Anno.

[MuscleRobo]

So if you go to AMC's website it says Shin Ultraman is starting on January 11th, 2023. I can't seem to find corroborating information though. See the link . https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/shin-ultraman-71952

[Thuktun Flishithy]

Fathom Events has officially confirmed a US release of Shin Ultraman on January 11th for subs, 12th for dub.

[MuscleRobo]

Shin Ultraman tickets are now available in the US! I bought three for my showing but only one other seat had been sold yet. When I saw the Ultraman X movie in theaters a few years ago there was a surprising amount of people there but it was also only in one kind of "art house" theater downtown. I'm sooooooo looking foward to this.

[Gendo'sPapa]

Got a ticket for the 11th. I know the movie is out there but I'm glad I've waited and the first time I'll see it is on the big screen.

[kuribo-04]

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https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/dp/B0BQHTL68G?psc=1&smid=AN1VRQENFRJN5&ref_=chk_typ_quicklook_titleToDp

[MuscleRobo]

I loved it!!! I want to say to everyone if you had worried about seeing this because you don't know Ultraman don't worry! This movie is entirely self contained, heck there really aren't references to the original show besides musical stings and sound effects. I took someone who had never seen any Ultraman before and she loved it too.

In fact being a fan of the original I was confused with the design and relationships between two characters but doing research I learned it came from a young Anno reading an old magazine that had a poor monochrome scan of a screenshot. The magazine also had misinformation about a kaiju in it that Anno believed as well. This led to Anno believing this character was a different color until he saw a rerun years later!

[Thuktun Flishithy]

Holy shit that movie was good. Fantastic job of making Ultraman feel so alien and ethereal compared to the kaiju.

[Joy Evangelion]

Yea, Shin Ultraman was incredible, really blew me away from the beginning. I don't really have any experience with the character but loved it nonetheless, and def got some Eva vibes from the fight scenes.

[AsuQa_PsyOp_Langley]

"Shin" is becoming a bit of his personal branding.
Edit : Anno, I mean.
I know "shin" is a usual word and one, I believe one that has been used for several franchise installments in the past, but releasing 3 films with that moniker do cement him and his close collaborators as the people you call to bring back those cultural staples to modern day audiences. The Godzilla series did that a number of times already, Ultraman -while I understand well known and influential- though it feels like it's really stepping it back up to wide relevance.

Edit : Saw it. Liked it a lot but it's a step below Shin Godzilla. I love how straight they play some of the conventions

SPOILER: Show

(the evil ETs coming to earth either with a spy hat and trenchcoat or as a lousy transparently hypocrite evangelist to cut shady deals with human leaders is very true to source)

but I think the dramatic intensity never spikes too high even if the stakes keep increasing, maybe because of the somewhat faithful / somewhat intentional of the human cast being both wooden and stiff but also a larger than life superhero supporting team (something the characters in Shin Godzilla didn't have to assume).
It's obviously very Anno-ish / Eva-ish (not to give the master all of the credit on a team effort) but distinct enough from the Godzilla to be its own variation.
I'd put it somewhere between the latest Godzilla and the Kaneko's Gamera (which had some incredible work and craftsmanship to showcase but were also a little stiff or vapid at point).

It's really cool that this Gainax/Khara crew, that obviously took so much from kaiju films and similar genres for Evangelion are now "giving" back, so to speak, and keeping those films and characters up to date and relevant in the modern age.

The only risk going forward is maybe having the style get a little samey if they apply it to sequels or other similar franchises. But that's a rich people's problem and only a potential one at that (Japanese film industry is not producing those films at the pace they used to). Anno, Higuchi & co are definitely the best in the business (worldwide) at tackling scale, gigantism and relating it to human characters... Eva fans will definitely feel at home here with all that or the very characteristic blocking & framing techniques.

[MuscleRobo]

FYI: A Blu-Ray is confirmed for "Spring" I know a real date would be better but I'm glad it's confirmed at all.

http://cleopatra-entertainment.com/cleo ... -ultraman/

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

Looking at the 4K Blu-ray release coming out in Japan, it looks like the film was natively rendered in 4K. (Unlike Shin Godzilla, which was an upscale from a 2K image.) Unlike Shin Godzilla, however, Shin Ultraman's 4K Blu-ray release doesn't appear to come with any form of HDR.

I saw this film in theaters, and it was glorious! It felt like a remake of several key episodes/characters, but it still had an interesting chaotic flow to its pacing. The film's tendency to cut to a different angle every 10 seconds during the dialogue scenes oddly makes the episodic satire of the film flow more smoothly.

Also, Anno finally plays Ultraman. He finally did it!

We probably won't get a 4K release outside of Japan, so I'll probably end up getting both versions.

[kuribo-04]

Unlike Shin Godzilla, however, Shin Ultraman's 4K Blu-ray release doesn't appear to come with any form of HDR.

It comes with DolbyVision, so all good.
https://shin-ultraman.jp/bluraydvd/


EDIT:
Surprised to find out Masayuki was assistant director on this.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10737918/fullcredits/?mode=desktop&ref_=m_ft_dsk