This is the third "Shin" movie in what I'm not sure is really a series, or what it'd be best described as... but there are three movies now that have been either directed or written by Hideaki Anno, and each one has a title beginning with "Shin." There has been similarities in style and tone between the three, even if each has different characters and events.
Shin Godzilla is the best known of the three, and I think lives up to the hype as one of the best Godzilla movies. Shin Ultraman was one I felt a bit let down by, even if it had some fun moments and certainly wasn't a miserable watch by any means. I feel somewhere in the middle, when it comes to Shin Kamen Rider.
The biggest problem I had with Shin Ultraman is also a problem I have with this movie. It's too episodic, and I just wish all the different events were streamlined more (it's an approach that might work for some more than it works for me). I didn't feel it was as repetitive as Shin Ultraman, but some fatigue set in around the halfway mark, I can't lie.
However, it's made up for by the sheer absurdity of Shin Kamen Rider's best sequences - mainly anything to do with action. It's gleeful, weird, and surprisingly bloody at various points in the film, and whenever there's a fight or a chase going down, it's a blast.
The dialogue/character stuff in between is all decent, if you're to judge each scene on its own... I just wish there had been a bit more of a structure here, and antagonists/new characters not getting introduced right out of nowhere. That would've made me go from liking this to loving it, I reckon.
Shin Godzilla is the best known of the three, and I think lives up to the hype as one of the best Godzilla movies. Shin Ultraman was one I felt a bit let down by, even if it had some fun moments and certainly wasn't a miserable watch by any means. I feel somewhere in the middle, when it comes to Shin Kamen Rider.
The biggest problem I had with Shin Ultraman is also a problem I have with this movie. It's too episodic, and I just wish all the different events were streamlined more (it's an approach that might work for some more than it works for me). I didn't feel it was as repetitive as Shin Ultraman, but some fatigue set in around the halfway mark, I can't lie.
However, it's made up for by the sheer absurdity of Shin Kamen Rider's best sequences - mainly anything to do with action. It's gleeful, weird, and surprisingly bloody at various points in the film, and whenever there's a fight or a chase going down, it's a blast.
The dialogue/character stuff in between is all decent, if you're to judge each scene on its own... I just wish there had been a bit more of a structure here, and antagonists/new characters not getting introduced right out of nowhere. That would've made me go from liking this to loving it, I reckon.