Shin Ultraman (2022) [Film Review]

Shin Ultraman; or, In the Tokuverse of Madness
     Some things are only clear when you are in between. I believe this is why I exist.
Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, the creative duo behind Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) and Shin Godzilla (2016) return once again to the Tokusatsu genre. Supervised by the Toho Studios and Tsuburaya Productions, the Shin Ultraman movie is the latest instalment in Higuchi and Anno’s so-called Shin Japan Heroes Universe, a marketing project that aims to reinvent the most popular Kaiju heroes.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinji Higuchi Starring: Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima

Language: Japanese Original Title: シン・ウルトラマン Runtime: 112 min

Synopsis
Japan is known as the only country on Earth that is constantly plagued by kaiju monsters. For this reason, the government created a special team known as S-Class Species Suppression Protocol, so they could analyse the giant monsters and help the military in fighting them off. However, the recent attacks render the team helpless. All of a sudden, an extraterrestrial being called Ultraman appears and saves the day. Who is Ultraman? Is he a friend or a foe? The arrival of a mysterious alien sets in motion a chain of events that may lead to the annihilation of Earth.

Nostalgia Service
Allow me to start my review by saying that I am not a massive fan of Ultraman. It is not that I dislike the franchise, but I never felt the need to check it out in full apart from bits and pieces on YouTube. As a result, Shin Ultraman is my first proper interaction with this series that has been around for over 50 years now.

At first, I was a bit weary of the movie given the fact that it was cooked up by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno. As I have stated in my review of Shin Godzilla, I did not greatly enjoy their NGE-charged take at the Godzilla mythos. I was afraid that the directors will repeat their fanboy mojo concerned with fatalism, depression, and bureaucracy in Ultraman, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Shin Ultraman is, for all accounts and purposes, a love letter to the original series that started it, Ultra Q (1966), and to the general spirit of good old Tokusatsu shows from the Showa era. When handing over his script for the film in 2019, Hideaki Anno stated that his intention was not to introduce Ultraman for a new generation of young spectators, but to adults who used to watch the show in their childhood (source). Shinji Higuchi also added that they purposely avoided repeating the bleak style of Shin Godzilla to avoid blandness.

In consequence, Shin Ultraman is light-hearted, special-effects charged spectacle that can be enjoyed by Toku fans across the globe, even those who are unfamiliar with Ultraman. In fact, I dare to say, the movie feels more like a miniseries rather than a feature due to its narrative structure. Every 20 minutes or so, we get new monsters, new threats, and action set pieces thrown at us. Brisk pacing of the film coupled with top-notch cinematography, tight editing, and the soundtrack evocative of classic Tsuburaya TV shows amounts to a more than entertaining viewing experience.

Evidently, Higuchi and Anno couldn’t help themselves and had to throw in their critique of Japanese authority, but this is not a prevalent theme of the picture. More interesting is the examination of human capacity to become an apex predator ready to destroy other species. The resolution of this problem in the finale is done in a very thoughtful manner indeed.

Speaking about performances, Takumi Saitoh obviously shines as the lead, Shinji Kaminaga. Masami Nagasawa does great as the partner and (a sort of) Kaminaga’s love interest, Hiroko Asami; however, Higuchi and Anno just had to fetishise her character in certain scenes (cue giant Masami walking hypnotised across Tokyo in high heels).

The SSSP team is composed of the always charismatic Hidetoshi Nishijima, nerdy Daiki Arioka, and funny Akari Hayami. In contrast to the neurotic protagonists of Shin Godzilla, the SSSP experts seem likeable and cheerful, even in the face of grave danger. The supporting parts of grumpy old politicians were done by veteran actors such as Tetsushi Tanaka, Kyusaku Shimada, Ryo Iwamatsu, and Yutaka Takenouchi (he also appeared in Shin Godzilla). What is more, motion capture stand-ins for Ultraman were the original suitmation actor Bin Furuya and Hideaki Anno. In addition, the film features voice appearances by Issei Takahashi as Ultraman and Koichi Yamadera as Zoffy, Ultraman’s superior.

Recommendations
All things considered, Shin Ultraman is a wild, entertaining Tokusatsu ride. In the times of real-life hopelessness, people need more of this sort of light-hearted visual spectacle. Higuchi and Anno stated that the film is intended to be the first part of a new Ultraman trilogy of movies, but only time (and box office returns) will tell if we get the sequels. In the meantime, I look forward to Shin Kamen Rider which is due to come out next year. Shin Ultraman is going to debut on Amazon Prime in Japan next week on the 18th of November.Overall score: 8/10

Note: All the pictures used belong to Toho Co., Ltd. and Tsuburaya Productions.

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Shin Godzilla (2016) [Tokusatsu Review]

Shin Godzilla; or, You Can (Not) Remake
     Man is more frightening than Godzilla.
It has been 5 years since the release of Shin Gojira, Toho’s 29th Godzilla live-action movie. The mid 2010s marked a renaissance period for the King of the Monsters in view of the MonsterVerse movies and numerous anime productions. Needless to say, I was extremely hyped when Toho announced that they are going to make a new movie (please refer here and here to see my old posts), but when I finally saw the movie, it left me with mixed feelings. This is most certainly not a conventional Godzilla flick and it took me a really long time to digest my thoughts and come to appreciate it for it strives to be something new within the franchise with nearly 70 years of cinematic legacy.

Release Info

Directed by: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi Starring: Hiroko Hasegawa, Satomi Ishihara, Yutaka Takenouchi

Language: Japanese Original Title: シン・ゴジラ Runtime: 120 min

Synopsis
Tokyo Bay, 2016. An amphibious creature emerges from sea depths and wreaks havoc on the Japanese soil. The Japanese authorities do not know how to handle this threat until the monster returns to sea. A group of researchers determines that the creature came to existence in the course of nuclear fission caused by radioactive waste dumped into the sea. Consequently, there is a strong possibility that it may return again in a changed form. When this happens, the United States intervene and enforce on Japan permission to use nuclear weapons so as to stop the monster. Nevertheless, the research team led by Rando Yaguchi (Hiroko Hasegawa) develops a safe, alternative plan that will allow the freezing of Godzilla.

Power of Resurgence
After the box office success of Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla from 2014, Toho also wanted to capitalise on their popular brand. Since the contract with Legendary Studios did not limit the Japanese in terms of live-action productions, they called up director Hideaki Anno with an offer of making a new movie. Anno initially declined, stating that he was too exhausted after making Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) and that he would not be able to match the greatness of Ishiro Honda’s original picture. Nevertheless, Anno’s close collaborator, Shinji Higuchi, managed to persuade him, and so the two were given the tough job of getting a Godzilla flick done within 16 months.

Considering the limited time window the filmmakers were given, I have to say that in terms of special effects and production design, they did a marvellous job. It would seem that all the action is CGI, but the crew actually combined a number of practical and digital effects together. What we see on the screen is part-real and part-computer generated. Interestingly, Godzilla was played via “motion picture” technique by actor Mansai Nomura.

With regard to the screenplay, however, here is where I am having issues. Hideaki Anno just can’t help but relive these Neon Genesis Evangelion vibes in each and every scene of the film. As a result, we get to see the following, already familiar to anime fans tropes: out-of-touch grumpy politicians having boring discussions about Godzilla, hot waifu speaking English, good nerdy girl, and general feeling that the world is about to end. What is more, NGE tone is reinforced through the music score. As I have already mentioned in my editorial devoted to Godzilla music, composer Shiro Sagisu does a fine job whenever he is allowed to be original and creative, but the inclusion of various remixes of “Decisive Battle” from NGE just to please Anno’s fanboy fantasies is unforgivable.

That being said, I respect what Anno and Higuchi were going for with Shin Gojira. For the first time in the franchise, we get a new movie which does not acknowledge the 1954 father picture in any way. This is a full remake but a remake with a purpose. In this reality filled with red tape and bureaucracy, Godzilla functions as an embodiment of everything wrong with Japanese policies. It strikes the Japanese nation like the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the 2015 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. People are dying because of the ineptitude of their leaders. The only hope for change lies in the group of able young men and women who take a stand against the King of the Monsters and save the day.

In my opinion, the ending is way too optimistic and right-centered for Hideaki Anno who constantly basks in the postmodernist shades of depression. Perhaps it was the change initiated by the studio or Shinji Higuchi. Interestingly, the very last scene clearly indicates the possibility of a sequel, but Higuchi himself stated that there will never be Shin Gojira 2 because of the Hollywood productions which are churned out with increasing frequency. If there is going to be a new Japanese Godzilla movie, it will be a totally new story.

On a side note, I have to praise the magnificent ensemble cast of Shin Gojira. There are so many great actors and actresses in it! Apart from Hiroki Hasegawa as the main lead, there is also Satomi Ishihara, Issei Takahashi, Ren Osugi, Kimiko Yo, Akira Emoto, and Jun Kunimura.

Recommendations
If you are struggling with depression, then you will certainly find Shin Godzilla as an entertaining viewing experience. The movie is an undeniably bold, new entry in the franchise that explores the titular monster and its significance in greater depth, but it does not have a lot of rewatch value, in my opinion. Allow me to give a big shout out to MangaUK for their 2-disc DVD release of the film. The picture quality is excellent and I appreciate 70 minutes of bonus features.Overall score: 7/10

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Godzilla Singular Point (2021) [Anime Review]

Godzilla Singular Point; or, Kaiju;Gate
     It’s about exploring the structure of the universe. In order to truly understand the world, we must understand that which doesn’t exist within it.
At the height of Godzilla’s popularity due to recent movies, Netflix just can’t let it go at this point, so after the failed anime trilogy, they commissioned a 13-episode anime series, which debuted internationally at the end of June, 2021. My dear readers, please buckle up because this is going to be a wild one. Let’s explore the sci-fi insanity of Godzilla Singular Point.

Release Info

Directed by: Atsushi Takahashi Voice actors: Yume Miyamoto, Shoya Ishige, Taro Kikuchi

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ S.P ＜シンギュラポイント＞ No. of eps.: 13

Synopsis
Michiyuki Ashihara was a genius scientist who witnessed in his youth the destruction of home village by Godzilla. He devoted his life to studying the creature but went missing about 50 years ago. It’s now the year 2030. Yun Arikawa, a handyman working at Otaki Factory, and Mei Kamino, a researcher of imaginary creatures, find themselves on an accidental investigation of a mysterious signal in Ashihara’s abandoned household. The signal turns out to be an old Indian song which supposedly makes Kaiju monsters seep into our reality...

Destination: Predestination
The original trailer for this anime series looked really good but it did not get me hyped up. I guess I am the member of the overwhelming minority that liked the Polygon trilogy of Godzilla films for what they were. Sure, there were no Kaiju fights and a lot of talking, but I appreciated the philosophy behind the story and the attempt to ground the King of the Monsters within the sci-fi convention. Boy, oh boy, nothing prepared for hardcore science-fiction when I watched the first episode of Singular Point.

I guess in order to fully comprehend what is going on in this show, you need to be an enthusiast of mathematics and physics. Perhaps the reason for that is because the main writer himself, Toh EnJoe, has a degree in “mathematical physical study on the natural languages” (I kid you not: source). In Singular Point, you have a dozen of characters, multiple plotlines, and lots of scientific exposition thrown at you. By the middle of the season, you get so overwhelmed that your brain just switches itself off and you stay just to see the monster showdowns.

I am not sure if it is just me, but watching this show made me feel really stupid. All I could understand was that Kaiju monsters are out of this world, they bind the laws of physics, and are able to exist here because of “Red Dust”. On top of that, each monster is like an enclosed universe ready to go into supernova mode, so when they are fighting, they are actually fighting for total dominance on a molecular level, which consequently makes them all “Singular Points”. I think I am way off the mark with this interpretation, but this is coming from a person who thought that figured out all the time travel intricacies of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991).

The best way to describe this show is to call it a mix between Godzilla, Inception, Lost, and Steins;Gate. It is all about the mystique behind Kaiju monsters, and the series really goes at lengths to rationalise their existence in our world.

That being said, I have to say that there is not a lot of Godzilla in Godzilla Singular Point. The series is mainly about human characters and… Jet Jaguar, who is crazy awesome here! I also liked reinterpretations of other monsters like Rodan and Anguirus. In addition, the fights are simply spectacular. The blending of hand-drawn animation with CGI effects is top notch and very reminiscent of the artstyle from Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). In addition, make sure to stay till the end credits of each episode because these are packed with Easter Eggs referring to Godzilla's past.

With regard to human characters, honestly, there are so many of them that I did not feel any emotional attachment to particular individuals. Yun Arikawa and Mei Kamino are at the forefront because they are the protagonists, but the real unsung hero of Singular Point is Pelops II (Mei’s AI programme) who does most of the job and contributes to saving the day in the glorious finale. Huge respect to actress Misaki Kuno for voicing this character.

As for the music, the score was composed by none other than Ken Sawada. He already has enormous experience in the realm of television and anime, so it comes as no surprise that his OST for Singular Point is a solid job from beginning to the end. The score is not as epic as Takayuki Hattori’s composition for the anime trilogy, but I respect Sawada’s nods to Akira Ifukube’s original themes for Godzilla and other monsters.

Recommendations
If you want to experience a unique take on Godzilla, then I recommend Godzilla Singular Point. Just don’t try to understand it, feel it and enjoy the ride. I am positively waiting for the second season (yes, the very last scene of the series implies that there is going to be a continuation).

Overall score: 7/10

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The Great Wall (2016) [Film Review]

The Great Wall; or, #MakeChinaGreatAgain

     Here? This army? Our flag? We fight for more than food or money. We give our lives to something more. Xin ren is our flag. Trust in each other. In all ways. At all times.

Two years ago, the Chinese brought Matt Damon from Mars. Now, it’s time to return the favour and stand together with an ensemble cast of great Chinese actors in the first line of the humanity’s last stand. In this “Legendary” China-US co-production by prominent director Yimou Zhang, Matt Damon has to save the world from a horde of dragon-like aliens!
Release Info

Directed by: Zhang Yimou Starring: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Andy Lau

Language: English, Mandarin Runtime: 103 min

 

Plot

William (Matt Damon) and his companion Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are European mercenaries on the search for the mythical Chinese “black powder”. Other members of their group are killed off during the raid on a desert. While escaping, William and Tovar discover the Great Wall and surrender themselves to the so-called Nameless Order. It turns out that the Order built the Wall and every 60 years the army prepares itself for the battle against the Tao Tei. These mythical creature came from space as a punishment for the Emperor’s vanity. Each time the Tao Tei grow more intelligent in their fight. William resolves to help Commander Lin (Jing Tian) and Strategist Wang (Andy Lau) in their struggle to stop the invasion of the Tao Tei and kill their queen.

 

Wishy-washy whitewashing

The Great Wall completely passed me by when it came out in December 2016. Apart from work and lack of time, I also wasn’t too keen on checking it out due to the supposed “white saviour narrative” (The Last Samurai (2003) seems the definite example). I’m convinced that Asian movies are so good that they don’t need Hollywood shoving in its all-American hero.

 

Thankfully, when I finally overcame my resentment and watched the film, I was pleasantly surprised. The Great Wall is nothing about white saviour and whitewashing. The screenplay convincingly justifies the presence of white characters in non-white environment and treats with respect Chinese culture. It is not Tom-Cruise-turning-Japanese all over again. Granted, Matt Damon is in the lead but he is not the white saviour. Rather than that, his character is an outsider who discovers the awe-inspiring epicness of China. I second Zhang’s statement against the libtard-y allegations:

In many ways The Great Wall is the opposite of what is being suggested. For the first time, a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled, is being made at tentpole scale for a world audience. I believe that is a trend that should be embraced by our industry. (source: Wikipedia)

 

Excluding racial concerns, The Great Wall is one huge rollercoaster of entertainment. We barely get to the 15th minute of the film and the spectacular assault on the wall ensues! Here I have to praise the special effects. Many shots were done purposely for IMAX 3D (greater shame that I missed it in the cinema!) and they look impressive even on standard FullHD TV. The CGI creatures are fairly well made. Their only flaw is probably not the digital execution but the creative design. I just feel they lack something distinguishing, even though they look good on screen. Additionally, the battle scenes and overview shots are simply great, because apart from CGI there’s a lot of real, tangible scenography (all in all, it is Zhang’s movie), which only perfects the visual effects. The music score composed by Ramin Djawadi neatly enhances the viewing experience. If I hadn’t known that he composed it, I could have sworn that the main theme was written by Klaus Badelt.

 

Focusing on performances, Matt Damon is more than believable as a stranger-in-a-strange-land (up until the point when he shaves off a beard...) Pedro Pascal is a wonderful addition as ruthless Tovar but he falls victim of lazy writing in the movie’s third act. Willem Dafoe is always a joy to watch, yet his character suffers the same fate as Pascal’s. Andy Lau does a better job in a supporting role. It is Jing Tian as Commander Lin who deserves the highest praise (A female in charge of an ancient Chinese army? Take that Hollywood!). She is determined, gracious, brave, and most importantly, treats Damon’s character as her equal, not as a love interest.

 

Recommendations

The Great Wall is a safe choice. It is an entertaining, 90 minutes long, break from reality into the world of fantasy. Great direction, awesome music score, wonderful cast, and harmless fun. Poor character development may be the film’s only flaw. Don’t be afraid of whitewashing issue and instead of Ghost in the Shell (2017) go ahead and check out The Great Wall (2016). This movie provides the ultimate proof why the walls are great! Go China!

Overall score: 8/10

Godzilla Resurgence- What Do We Know So Far? [News]

It’s the 29th of March today, exactly four months until the premiere of Shin Gojira, the new Japanese Godzilla film (since the release of Godzilla: Final Wars). Therefore, as a Kaiju fan, I thought it would be a good idea to gather all the information about this production in one place and slightly comment on the news as well.

1. Who’s going to direct?

Godzilla Resurgence is, in fact, co-directed by Shinji Higuchi (Attack on Titan) and Hideaki Anno (Evagelion). What is more, the two filmmakers also took care of other aspects of film production with Higuchi supervising visual effects and Anno writing the script. To be honest, I haven’t seen (yet) anything from Attack on Titan franchise, but after watching the trailer for Live-Action movie and reading some reviews about it, I have mixed feelings about Higuchi. On the other hand, Anno is the father of Evangelion franchise and an extremely successful animator, but he rarely did something outside of anime genre (Love & Pop, Ritual). Thus, I can understand Toho’s decision to turn the making of new Godzilla into collaborative effort, with a director already familiarised with visual effects and another one able to provide decent storytelling.

Pictures of who to blame (Hideaki Anno & Shinji Higuchi ) if the movie turns out to be a flop.

2. What’s the cast?

So far, only the three leading actors were named by Toho and they are:

 

From left to right: Yutaka Takenouchi, Hiroki Hasegawa and Satomi Ishihara

The names of the characters the actors are going to portray on screen are, respectively: Hideki Akagi, Ladou Yaguchi, and Kayoko Ann Peterson.

Information about these characters is very little. Allegedly, the character og Ladou Yaguchi is going to be the main protagonist, whereas Kayoko Ann Peterson will be some kind of an American agent (most probably sent by her superiors to evaluate the King’s rampage in Japan).

3. Who’s the composer?

The movie will be scored by Shiro Sagisu, a composer who already worked with Higuchi on Attack on Titan and Anno on Evangelion, so the choice of him by the directors is understandable, but having in mind really mixed quality of Godzilla soundtracks (through Heisei and Millennium series), I’m a bit worried. Did Toho even try to get in touch with Mischiru Oshima? However, if Alexander Desplat was able to brilliantly score Godzilla (2014), I just hope that Sagisu will also deliver some great themes. 

4. Teaser Trailer

Teaser Trailer was released in December 2015, coinciding with the announcement of the cast and the composer. The video from the youtube channel can be viewed here:

Personally, I think that Legendary Pictures made more effort with their own Teaser Trailer back in 2010, following the announcement of their Godzilla film. What do we get here? People running and screaming plus the King’s classic roar. I understand that they didn’t want to show anything important, but it’s already the end of March and there’s NO proper trailer!

Back in December 2013, Legendary electrified the fandom with their leaked trailer (nobody will convince me that this was not unintentional) and this happened six months before the film’s premiere! Come on Toho! Get a grip and give us some proper film footage already.

5. Godzilla’s appearance

With regard to the King’s appearance, of course, it’s obvious that it’ll be different from Gareth Edwards’s flick and Godzilla: Final Wars. As visible on the poster, the design is indeed quite rough, which is an interesting move, but the eyes are quite disturbing (in a negative way). I don’t want the King to have eye problems again as in the Showa series!

However, some rumours surfaced in January 2016 via bloody-disgusting.com that the King will have three separate looks in the film, with the final one being the most similar to the classic appearance.

The supposedly “leaked photos” below (as presented by Gomaru Island and August Ragone).

Yet, as August Ragone claims, the rumour about the three appearances cannot be taken seriously, since it may simply be a misinterpretation of his own story that the King’s suit is "operated by three people").

Yet, what is definitely officially known is the King new height: 108metres/ 355 feet tall. Oh please, height is not the most powerful feature of Godzilla. Stop making him taller and taller, because soon his head will protrude from Earth’s atmosphere.

6. The Official Site

Needless to say, Toho also launched the official site promoting the film: http://shin-godzilla.jp/

Nevertheless, it is extremely poor in content (poster, trailer, cast info and news rss) when compared to still active Legendary’s official site of Godzilla 2014: http://www.legendary.com/film/godzilla/

7. Thoughts

On the whole, even though there are only four months left, I'm impatently looking forward to this movie. It seems that Toho is not confident enough about their picture in view of such a moderate marketing, but hopefully this will improve from May. Most probably the movie won't get a cinematic release in Poland, so I'll have to wait a few more months for Blu-Ray/DVD release... Anyways, it's Toho's new Godzilla, so not watching it would be a sin.