ebiros2 This is a darker Ultraman that's set in a parallel universe. The movie is targeted for more mature audience, and it was made in the same time period as the Ultraman Nexus that also featured a darker mood.The movie closely follows the story featured in the first episode of the original Ultraman. Defense force F15 pilot Shunichi Maki (Tetsuya Bessho) encounters a red sphere from outer space. Prior to this event, another defense force pilot Udo (Kenya Oosumi) encountered a similar ball of light (this time blue in color) and transformed into a monster. From Udo's transformation, Maki is also suspected to turn into a monster and gets arrested. But his alter ego was Ultraman who came to capture the monster that took over Udo's body. Some homage to the original Ultra Q is also paid in this movie where Maki becomes a pilot of Cessna for a private corporation. The movie was part of the Ultraman N Project that was supposed to create a new appeal to the Ultraman series. Ultraman Noa, this movie, and Ultraman Nexus shares a common connection that became clear towards the end of Ultraman Nexus. But ultimately, this new darker vision of Ultraman series was unpopular with the audience, and the project was canceled.This Ultraman is really not Ultraman in my opinion. It lacks the style worthy of a super hero. Other may like the more realistic depiction of Ultraman, and opinions may vary depending on the viewer.

BA_Harrison Even though the rubber suits and miniature model cities have been enhanced by CGI, this 2005 re-imagining of the enduring Ultraman character still has that typically cheesy kaiju aesthetic, possibly because the film-makers didn't have a big enough budget to make things look as slick as they might have liked, although I prefer to think that it was done intentionally in order to give the movie that unique charm one expects from a Japanese 'superhero versus monster' movie.Either way, the film is lots of fun, with a really nicely designed creature in the shape of The One, a hideous, armour-plated, life-form absorbing beast with three heads (one that shoots energy blasts) and a massive pair of wings, which ultimately ends up several hundred feet high—but he's nothing that Ultraman can't handle; the two battle it out on land and in the skies causing mayhem and destruction on a massive scale before the hero inevitably vanquishes the monster and peace returns to downtown Tokyo.It's nothing particularly revolutionary perhaps, but it's spectacular and consistently entertaining, and as far as I am concerned, a great way to spend an hour and a half or so of your time.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.*** Just re-watched the film and didn't enjoy it quite as much the second time around (the first half is fairly uneventful), although the final smack-down between Ultraman and The One is still a lot of fun.***Revised rating: 7/10

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

malcolm (wildfire160) I was very impressed by Ultraman,i was expecting it to be a cheesy piece of badly made fluff but to my surprise i found it to be quite well made and very well acted...OK maybe the sfxs weren't up to ILM or WETA standards but they tried really hard and even though it still had that typical Japanese "man in a suit" look the model work production design and visual effects did look good...In lots of films of like this the child actors normally come across as quite bad and almost unbearably cute(which i hate in a film) but these were good something not usually found in this type of Japanese film...Its sometimes very hard getting the balance right between campy fun or serious genre films,its much easier to make a successful comic/campy film than a film like Ultraman which takes itself very seriously get it wrong and the film will turn into a nightmare... something that doesn't happen in this film..overall it was a good film well made and enjoyable to watch...well worth catching on TV/DVD