I spent yesterday morning watching Ultraman X: The Movie (Not Rated; 72 minutes), which will be released on Blu-ray ($19.98; AMAZON * WALMART * BEST BUY) this Tuesday by Mill Creek Entertainment. Also, the movie will be released on a Blu-ray set with Ultraman X: The Complete Series (AMAZON * WALMART * BEST BUY).
Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi, the 2016 movie is a spinoff of the Ultraman X television series, and it marked the 50th anniversary of the Ultra franchise that began in 1966 with Ultra Q. Also, it was the first Ultraman movie to get a theatrical release in the United States.
The plot centers on treasure hunter and reality TV host Carlos Kurozaki (played by Michael Tomioka) removing a gem that hid in an underground pyramid. While broadcasting live on television, he accidentally releases the deadly monster, Zaigorg. The creature want's the gem returned, so it spawns an army of giant monsters to run amok. The only hope Earth has is 20-year-old Daichi Ozora (played by Kensuke Takahashi), a human who can transform into Ultraman X. However, this battle is too big for this Ultra to handle, so he must rely on his human friends at the Xio (Xeno Invasion Outcutters), Ultraman Tiga, and the original Ultraman to help him defeat Ziagorg and the other monsters.
Final Thoughts
I'm more of an old-school Ultra fan, as I'm not too familiar with the "new generation" series and movies, besides the ones I've been reviewing on this blog. Ultraman X: The Movie wastes its first six minutes on a recap of the television series. I'm taking a guess they did this because of the USA theatrical release, even though the series never aired here. After the recap, it's action-packed till the end credits, which showcases scenes from the series.
The Kaijus in this film looks better than anything Hollywood can make with their over-priced and over-used CGI effects. The costumes used for Zaigorg and the other monsters are incredible. The production used a blend of traditional and low-budget CGI effects. I'm not a big fan of CGI, but it works well here.
The plot is about as simple as you can get. A powerful kaiju is hellbent on destroying Earth and it's up to a human who can merge with an Ultra to save the day. Yeah, that sums everything up.
The Kaijus in this film looks better than anything Hollywood can make with their over-priced and over-used CGI effects. The costumes used for Zaigorg and the other monsters are incredible. The production used a blend of traditional and low-budget CGI effects. I'm not a big fan of CGI, but it works well here.
The plot is about as simple as you can get. A powerful kaiju is hellbent on destroying Earth and it's up to a human who can merge with an Ultra to save the day. Yeah, that sums everything up.
The picture and qualities on the Blu-ray are exceptional. The audio is in Japanese with English subtitles and there's an English dub option. There are no special features or bonus extras. However, the Blu-ray comes movieSPREE digital code.
Overall, Ultraman X: The Movie is a short, entertaining flick with plenty of heart, humor, and action scenes.
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