Last Updated on June 21, 2024 by
Ultraman: Rising is a 2024 movie Directed by Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima. The film Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black with a rum time of 1h 57m theater released June 14, 2024.
Ken (voiced by Christopher Sean) is a baseball superstar of the famous team, LA Dodgers, with his mother Tamlyn Tomita; Ken’s father (Gedde Watanabe) was an Ultraman and thus busy with his superhero activities being an inadequate father for little Ken. However, when his mother meets a bizarre fate, presumed dead, Ken goes back to Tokyo to play football for the local team’s junior division unbeknownst to everyone, he also begins his secret transformation as the new Ultraman while he disdainfully decides not to rekindle the relationship with his aging father.
When Ken starts learning the ropes of being Ultraman — while focused on winning a baseball championship, his ego alienates coaches and teammates — Ultraman: Rising has an element of surprise that is quite unexpected according to the plot of the show. While defeating a kaiju, who perishes during the battle, Ken learns that Kaiju has a newborn baby. This darling little creature is in great danger of being killed by the brutal soldiers of the Kaiju Defence Force commanded by the ruthless Dr Onda (Keone Young). Ken has no paternal feelings, but he does not surrender the defenseless baby to Onda; He and the baby go into hiding.
As expected, all sorts of half-witty hijinks ensue as Ken tries to raise this baby monster with help from the supercomputer/O korkus/sister-figure Mina, voiced by Tomita, not to mention the chaos which ensues once this baby monster begins to realize its potential. This is a lesson that ought to deter such a self-serving young man and one that Tindle, who co-wrote the screenplay, no doubt wanted to impart to this errant son who ends up healing and reconciling with his father. Ultraman: Rising doesn’t have the subtlety that other films in the modern blockbuster era have, but the movie gets an emotional weight – especially when Ken meets his father again and learns the reason behind why he spends his time as Ultraman will be understandable in the future.
One of the standout aspects of Ultraman: Rising is the exceptional voice acting. Christopher Sean brings Ken to life with a performance that captures the character’s complexity and growth throughout the film. His portrayal effectively conveys Ken’s journey from a self-centered baseball superstar to a responsible superhero. Supporting him, Tamlyn Tomita and Gedde Watanabe add significant emotional depth, enriching the narrative with their nuanced performances.
The direction and creativity brought by Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima offer a fresh perspective on the Ultraman saga. The film uniquely blends sports drama with superhero elements, providing an engaging plot that keeps the audience invested.
The character of Mina, voiced by Tomita, adds a light-hearted and supportive dynamic to Ken’s journey, balancing the more serious aspects of the film with moments of levity.
The emotional weight of Ultraman: Rising is another of its key strengths. The film excels in its poignant moments, especially the reconciliation between Ken and his father. The exploration of Ken’s feelings towards his father and his growth as a guardian to the baby Kaiju adds a significant emotional depth to the narrative.
However, Ultraman: Rising is not without its weaknesses. The humor, while appealing to some, occasionally tries too hard to be cool and can feel out of place. This inconsistency in tone may detract from the overall experience for some viewers.
In particular, the comedy show sparks on some aspects and folds on other aspects so that, at one time, the film’s tone feels off.
One of the aspects that the film lacks is character development. Despite these positive aspects, the transition from a narcissistic baseball player, Ken, to an Ultraman and guardian seems rather abrupt. All in all, despite the good idea that is at the core of his story, the creator failed to do it justice by providing a gradual and more layered transformation of the main character’s personality. On the same note, some of the characters, including the evil Dr. Onda, could have been well developed to increase the rate of dramatic moments in the story.
One of the disadvantages that may be observed in the film is that the pace is not consistent in some moments. Certain scenes remain lengthy and protracted, making it difficult to create a smooth continuity, whereas others seem rushed, with insufficient preparation time. This creates a sense of inconsistency in pacing which in turn has an impact on the flow of events in the movie and results in a more jerky transition from one perspective of Ken’s life namely as a baseball player and the other as Ultraman.
Ultraman: Rising is a satisfiable work of Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima which expands the aspects of Ultraman and makes it interesting. Although there are some problems in the sphere of humor and characters’ development, the movie does not lose its advantages, such as impressive voice performances, the work of the director, and an emotional approach to the plot. Ultraman: The growth of this station is consonant with audiences of different ages. In summary, one can anxiously assert that the film aptly conveys the tenor of the Ultraman series while incorporating fresh ideas to be deemed a noble entry in the franchise.
Ultraman: Rising 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
Ultraman: Rising is Rated PG by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for Thematic Elements Rude Humor Some Language Sequences of Violence/Action.
Violence: The film focuses on many scenes of a superhero and fights with monsters known as kaiju. These sequences include elements of rather mild to moderate violent action like punching, kicking, and Energy Blasts. It is an action movie but it does not have any explicit or violent scenes of killings. Blood or extremely injured is not portrayed anywhere. There may be some scenes that will be scary and exhilarating for young children because some characters are in dangerous situations.
Language: There is very occasional and rare use of Lorn Words but no Vulgarity or abusive language is used. Such mild expletives as ‘darn,’ and ‘heck’ may be used, so long as parents occasionally use them in their home.
Sexual Content: Specifically, there is no element of sexual nature, including sexual references, in the movie. It doesn’t include any romantic scenes or scenes that may be interpreted as provocative, which makes it appropriate for family.
Alcohol/Drug Use: The film does not portray the taking of drugs, alcohol, and smoking throughout the film. No characters at all are involved in substance use and characters are depicted positively.
