Ultraman is the answer from Japan for the problem that is kaiju. Giant monsters like Godzilla have been running rampant in Japan for decades. As an answer, a doctor created a way of defending Tokyo and other cities from these giant monsters. The doctor could only do this for so long before getting too old for the job anymore. He ended up passing the mantle onto his son. The problem is that his son has other interests instead of defending his home from giant monsters. 

Ken Sato/Ultraman (Christopher Sean) is a successful MLB baseball player in America. He enjoys his life, but he decides to come back home to Japan to play for his hometown team. Baseball is huge in Japan, so it’s mutual. His fans want him as well. That’s not the only reason why he came back home, though. He takes the mantle of Ultraman back home with him. He gets the call to go and confront a giant kaiju, but things don’t go exactly as he planned.  He finds out why the kaiju was rampaging through the city. It’s a giant egg that he ends up in his possession. 

There are two different storylines going on in this animated take on Ultraman. Both storylines have to do with maturation elements.  Sean’s character has a hard time living up to his father’s legacy and expectations while also dealing with his situation of taking care of what comes out of the giant egg he inherited. All the while trying to be a star and role model for his hometown baseball team. He has a lot on his table. The father stuff makes a lot of sense in this movie.

A romantic element and a villain also have big roles in this story. An aloof government agency plays a part in setting the stage for a great final confrontation. Any stories like this have to have a good villain, and that plays a huge part in causing the differences between the father and son. Father and son drama is nothing new in films, but this one uses the familiar trope very well. I liked how the script uses this story point throughout the film. The romantic element is here but not touched on as much as I’d liked. It could have been handled better.

With any animated film, you have to genuinely judge the animation in said film. I think this is good computer-generated animation, but it’s not great. The colors and style were fun, but it just didn’t blow me away like some Pixar, Dreamworks, or Illumination animation has done in the past. It’s not genetic, as some have been this year I’ve seen in movies, but it wasn’t great from my perspective. It’s good for a Netflix movie, though, and maybe fans of the IP may quite like it more than me.

Dan’s of Utraman old and new hopefully will like this version of the popular monster fighter. I, who was familiar with this character, was entertained by the film but didn’t love it. As an animated Netflix movie, it worked for me because it separates the more serious IP and gives it a face-lift. Yes, I know there is an animated series, but that was more anime and much more serious than this film is. ThisI’dd say is more geared towards kids. It may help them explore this world and character more after seeing the movie. Such as asking their parents about the world of kaiju and Godzilla. It could create a whole new generation of fans. Who knows? For that, it may work for Netflix and the animators behind the movie. 

Ultraman: Rising isn’t a serious take on the popular worldly known Kaiju fighter, but it is a fun one. It has many events of maternal situations that lead to drama and comedy alike. As a baseball fan and fan of giant Kaiju monsters, I had a lot of fun with this lighter take on Utltrman. The animation isn’t exactly the best by computer animation standards, but I feel it didn’t take away from my or I think other people’s enjoyment of this movie. It will be relatable for many people I’m sure of it. It’s at the perfect home where parents can watch it over and over again on Netflix. It has a rewatchability factor to it that people will like.

This starts streaming on Netflix June 14th 2024

3 stars

Dan Skip Allen