Shin Ultraman – Cleopatra Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2022
Director: Shinji Higuchi
Writer: Hideaki Anno
Cast: Akari Hayami, Daiki Arioka, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masami Nagasawa, Ryo Iwamatsu, Takumi Saitoh, Tetsushi Tanaka

Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 112 Minutes 29 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese, Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"There's never a dull day on Japan's newly established SSSP Kaiju defense taskforce, led by Kimio Tamura, played by Drive My Car's Hidetoshi Nishijima. After a particularly challenging encounter, a silver giant descends from the sky to rescue the planet. Dubbed Ultraman, this giant's identity and purpose are a mystery." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Shin Ultraman comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.8 GB

Feature: 19 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, the image looks crisp, black levels are strong, and compression is good. That said, the CGI moments do not look as crisp as the rest of the film.

Audio: 4/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese, Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo English)

This release comes with three audio options, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in Japanese, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English, and a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English. All of the audio mixes sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. Included are removable English SDH subtitles that match the English language tracks dialog. Also, there is Japanese text in the film that is not translated.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image slideshow with music from the film playing in the background, a theatrical trailer (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), and seven unrelated trailers for films also released by Cleopatra Entertainment.

Summary:

In 1966, Ultraman began as a TV series that would lead to additional TV series and feature films over the course of six decades. Though Shin Ultraman is the 37th Ultraman film, it is best described as a reimagining of the Ultraman character. Created by special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya, who is most remembered for his collaborations with Ishirō Honda. His special effects played a large role in bringing the monsters to life in the Kaiju films that were released by Toho.

The narrative revolves around a Japanese government agency named S-Class Species Suppression Protocol, which has been tasked with eliminating Kaiju that are terrorizing Japan. Though they are very good at their job, one day they meet their match, and it is only because of the intervention of Ultraman that the kaiju is disposed of.

When watching the original TV Ultraman series, one of the things that immediately grabs you is its use of miniatures and practical special effects. And though CGI has gotten a lot better over the years, there is something special about practical special effects, despite their being a product of their time. Fortunately, for fans of practical special effects, Shin Ultraman is a mixture of CGI and practical special effects.

Even if you have not seen any Ultraman films or TV series, Shin Ultraman’s opening setup does a great job filling in Ultraman’s backstory. That said, at 112 minutes in length, the narrative does have a few peaks and valleys. Things tend to move along briskly up until the moment when Ultraman’s identity is revealed. After that, things tend to drag until the finale, when Ultraman swoops in to save the day.

From a production standpoint, the positives outweigh the negatives. And yet, there are a few areas where some viewers might have difficulty. Notably, the tone of Shin Ultraman, which at times borders on satire, and the endless amounts of time spent on mundane character interactions. And when it comes to Ultraman battling Kaiju, these are easily the strongest moments. Other strengths are the enthusiastic performances and the special effects, which hold up really well. The use of practical special effects evokes a feeling of nostalgia. Ultimately, Shin Ultraman is a film that you are either going to thoroughly enjoy or quickly lose interest in.

Shin Ultraman gets a good audio and video presentation from Cleopatra Entertainment. That said, the lack of English subtitles that translate the Japanese-language track makes this release difficult to recommend.

Written by Michael Den Boer