Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

dimagic Giant monster movies can be fun, when it's old Japanese B-Godzilla or newer Cloverfield.But Ultraman is not like that at all. This is in the league of Power Rangers, very childish with people dressed in costumes and fighting each other on the miniature sets so they will look like giants. The story is also lame, nothing to challenge the mind. This movie is for kids under 8, people that want to see a superhero movie will be disappointed. I wanted to turn this off after first 20 minutes, but instead I just watched it in fast forward. I am not familiar with the original animated series, so the fans may enjoy the movie because of the nostalgic reasons. For me it was just waste of time.

darthsmythe1138 Ultraman the Next is a basic re-imagining of the original Ultraman. The acting is well done. Tetsuya Bessho does a great job as Shinichi Maki, the leading man who becomes Ultraman after a fighting plane accident. He portrays his role very emotionally, especially when he is captured by the government. The child actor in this is actually likable! He even brought a tear to my eye when he told his father Maki to go on being a pilot, even though he is sick and in the hospital. Moving on to the effects, they are amazing, rivaling Hollywood's work in the field. Using a flawless realistic suit, green-screen combo, they are able to produce monster effects that break the "Man-in-rubber-suit" stereotype. The CGI is amazing, though a bit sloppy during flying sequences. Ultraman Next's design is done amazingly well. I especially think the coloring of the armor plating is nice. The One, Ultraman's foe, is also very well designed. The second form looked too much like Zilla for my tastes, but the third form is incredibly solidly designed. Similar to the Balrog from LOTR, the design has a few unique things to it. 2 heads protrude from it's shoulders, and giant crow wings show up. The only thing that keeps this movie from getting a 10 from me is the score. Other than the Ultraman theme, none of the songs really "clicked" with me. Conclusion: Ultraman the Next was an amazing film, and is a must own for any kajiu fan. My verdict: 9.5/10

teknomanblade The movie was great, the story was spectacular, and the characters were very likable. I love the fact that they brought an old hero back and gave him a new make-over. The music is a rock-style of the original Ultraman music. I hope that if you are a great Ultraman fan, you will get it. I could only watch it with Japanese subtitles, but I still love it. The only problem that I had, was the fact that they used a pre-existing Ultraman from the Ultraman Nexus universe. I would have preferred something more in the line of the original Ultraman. I did enjoy that they did not kill the story with to much special FX, but the battles were spectacular. This movie would make the late Tsuburaya very proud!

S_Forgel If you were a kid who grew up in the 70's or 80's, you've probably heard or seen something about the superhero character known as "Ultraman", the silver and red colored hero who battles skyscraper sized monsters in Japan, all while using Martial Arts moves and keen looking powers, very similar in the tradition of the Godzilla franchise. The only major difference is that "Ultraman", in his many different guises or series (Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Gaia, Ultraman Tiga, etc.), is always the 'good guy', with the huge, ugly looking monster to be touted as the 'bad guy', and not somewhere in between like Godzilla, who can either be a 'bad guy' or a 'good guy' depending on the particular movie he appears in.The "Ultraman" series (movie as well as television) has always been about good versus evil, with the titular character being on the side of good, usually defending the Earth (in whatever universe it may be in) against a rampaging monster.In true tradition of the "Ultraman" franchise, this movie, simply titled "Ultraman" (or "Ultraman Next") is a re-telling of the original 1960's series storyline, similar to the re-telling of the Batman film franchise with the film "Batman Begins".From the typical 'good versus evil' standpoint, "Ultraman" 2004 sets its sights on not only a younger audience, but a teen, young adult and adult audience as well.Immediately, the younger audience will be dazzled by how Ultraman makes his dramatic appearance in this film, whereas teens, young adults and adults will feel a bit of nostalgia from seeing one of their favorite heroes get called back into a visually updated and re-designed character and premise.Unlike the old television series and movies, where the shows or movies play out like an episode of "Power Rangers", complete with sci-fi based settings and vehicles, this particular "Ultraman" film takes place in a universe much like our own, where beings and things like "Ultraman" should not exist and are not really ready to be accepted.Like "Batman Begins", "Ultraman" (or "Ultraman Next") is believable in a sense where it just might be realistic enough to actually happen, if there were actual forces that exist in the universe who are willing to interfere with and ultimately defend the well-being of this galaxy's inhabitants.Sure, this movie still has the 'guys in the rubber suits', then again, so do recent superhero films like "Batman Begins", "Fantastic Four", "X-Men 1 & 2", "Daredevil" or "Spider-Man 1 & 2". Those movies made the comic book superheroes look and seem realistic enough to be accepted as live action film counterparts, and "Ultraman" definitely takes the ball and puts it into play, right up there with the big, Hollywood produced superhero films. Of course, Japanese film companies usually don't invest too much into films of this genre, as they don't want to invest millions upon millions that American film companies do, because their audience is primarily Japan, whereas Amercian produced films have the entire world in mind when their films are made.Still, the production values in "Ultraman" are quite high and easy to see, especially in how serious they made the storyline as well as the character designs for this film. There isn't too much excessive blood or violence, but it does appear when it's necessary to the storyline. I would have to say that this movie would fall under the "PG" film category if this film were to be released stateside. Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to bring an American theatrical, let alone DVD release of this film. Your only chance in seeing this film would be to rent it from a video store which specializes in foreign films (probably not possible to rent from a place like Blockbuster or Hollywood video) or to purchase it directly from a place which allows importation of Japanese DVDs.This was definitely worth the viewing, especially if you're a fan of the original Ultraman TV shows or movies.