Review Take 2: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY

Author: Jack Bass Official Movie Site: Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie.

Released on April 23 on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan with import friendly English subtitles, MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie; lit. Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends- The Movie) has finally made its way into the homes of the non-Japan residing Ultra faithful. After all of the trailers, promotional stills, early reviews, and months of speculation, how does the film stack up against previous entries in the series? Much like STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982), ULTRA GALAXY represents a bold new direction for an established series. Nearly every shot of the film features some sort of digital VFX, due in large part to filming almost exclusively against a green screen. By doing so, ULTRA GALAXY frees itself from an earthy scope taking us to spectacular locations in distant galaxies, focusing primarily on the Land of Light, home planet of the Ultramen. While the digital environments are quite gorgeous, the real advantage they`ve brought to the table is a sense of no holds barred cinematography, and truly inspired fight choreography. Thankfully these assets do not go underused; ULTRA GALAXY features unrelenting action adventure for nearly its entire 96 minute running time. The story opens in the Land of Light, as we finally see the peaceful society the Ultramen have created. But these tales have a tendency to turn ugly once that great foe dramatic conflict rears its necessary head, and the highly anticipated evil Ultraman Belial is released from his prison by the ill-fated Zarab Seijin. The action really gets wild as Belial (borrowing a page from WRATH OF KHAN) seeks revenge on those that imprisoned him by assaulting the Land of Light; pacifying countless Ultras including Shodai (original) Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Zoffy, Father of Ultra, Mother of Ultra, Taro, and more! Once Belial steals the Plasma Spark (not the Genesis Device mind you), source of the energy powering the Land of Light and the Ultramen, the planet freezes over with only Ultraman Mebius, Ultraman, and Ultra Seven able to escape the instant ice age. Belial, powered by the ancient Reionyx, departs for the Monster Graveyard to collect 100 monsters with his legendary Giga Battlenizer, to begin his conquest of the universe.

Without giving too much away, the last hope for the Land of Light rests in the hands of ZAP SPACY crew member Rei, a half-Human half-Reionyx who shares Belial`s monster controlling abilities, and the hotheaded young Ultraman Zero, whom is said to have unlimited potential. The action builds to a dramatic crescendo, culminating in an emotionally poignant scene highly reminiscent of Mr. Spock`s “death” in WRATH OF KHAN. Belial and Zero, newcomers to the Ultra mythos, are sure to please long time Ultra fans. Belial, touted as the first evil Ultraman, is the type of villain you can`t help but cheer for. His presence chews up the screen, and the grave threat he poses to the heroes of Nebula M78 is palpable. Opposing him is Ultraman Zero, whom at first comes off as abrasive, eventually becoming a sympathetic hero of heroes. I for one very much look forward to continued adventures with both characters.

The brisk pacing, pulse pounding action, mind bending cinematography, and superb VFX of ULTRA GALAXY have not only set a brilliant, if somewhat less than perfect, standard for future Ultra outings, but for the tokusatsu genre as a whole. It easily bests the Super Sentai series recent outing, SAMURAI SENTAI SHINKENGER: THE FATEFUL WAR (Samurai Sentai Shinkenaa Ginmakuban Tenkawakeme no Tataka, 2009), as well as the Heisei Kamen Rider series 10th anniversary film, MASKED RIDER DECADE: ALL RIDERS VS. GREAT SHOCKER (Gekijoban Kamen Raidaa Dikeido: Oru Raidaa tai Daishokkaa, 2009). It has also surpassed my previous favorite of the Ultra series, ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT (Urutoraman, 2004), which just happened to be another experimental adventure courtesy of Tsuburaya Pro intended to revitalized the franchise. While the Ultra franchise does not need revitalization now, ULTRA GALAXY is sure to delight fans and newcomers alike.

For much more information, photos, and video clips from MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: