There’s never a dull day on Japan’s newly established SSSP Kaiju defense taskforce, led by Kimio Tamura, played by DRIVE MY CAR’s Hidetoshi Nishijima. After a particularly challenging encounter, a silver giant descends from the sky to rescue the planet. Dubbed Ultraman, this giant’s identity and purpose are a mystery. SHIN ULTRAMAN is a delightful reimagining of one of Japan’s classic superheroes, full of cosmic twists, charismatic villains, and giant Kaiju.

For thoughts on Shin Ultraman, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/Bx4vP5G81XY?t=3553]

Video Quality

Shin Ultraman makes its Blu-Ray debut with a fine 1080p video presentation that handles the balance of practical effect with the digital work pretty well. On both accounts, the effects work is in line with what you expect from the character – slightly cheesy at times, but in a good way. There are some pleasant colors within the natural world, especially when out in the lush greenery of the forests. The presentation shows off a favorable amount of depth as our characters venture out to take on these kaiju. The makeup effects along with the fabrics of clothing provide perfectly clear textural details. The skin tones are natural with a significant amount of detail present in close-ups. There are a few odd shots that take a sudden drop in quality, but we are not sure if this is baked into the master. Black levels deliver an agreeable amount of depth, but you will spot traces of banding in certain moments. There are a few areas where this disc could be improved, but overall this Blu-Ray provides a nice experience.

Audio Quality

Cleopatra Entertainment gives this Blu-Ray a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy audio track instead of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in both the original Japanese and an English dub. While it would be unfair to call this a garbage fire, you cannot help but be disappointed that this track could provide greater degree of power and nuance with a lossless track. This is not the only issue to contend with, as this disc is presented with optional English SDH subtitles. There are no standard English subtitles provided, which means if you want to watch the film with subtitles you will be subjected to descriptive text such as “door creaks” or “phone rings” alongside the normal dialogue. The subtitles that are included are horrendously formatted for one of the worst viewing experiences we have experienced for a subtitled film. If you want to experience the film in English without this annoyance, you will have to listen to the English dub. There is no perfect option here.

Dialogue comes through clearly with no issues with being overshadowed even in busy environments. Environmental sounds of the world such as the bustling office emanate from the surround speakers in noticeable ways. There are some favorable ambient details in the different locations to make them feel more alive. The score suits the movie and is balanced well with good fidelity. The action-packed confrontations make a pretty big impact, but once again this feels like it could have dug deeper with a lossless track. The audio track accomplishes the basics of what you want it to, but it likely could have been a richer experience with a full lossless track.

Update 8/13/23: It appears Cleopatra Entertainment has listened to (some of) the complaints about this release, and they have issued a replacement disc to fix some of the formatting errors, some of the previously untranslated text that opens the movie and the untranslated lyrics of the music. We have the new disc in hand, and everything appears to be in much better shape when it comes to these issues. The audio is still presented in lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and the English subtitles are still of the SDH variety complete with descriptive text, but the outright errors seem to be corrected. While we wish these other drawbacks could have been fixed, we are always grateful when a company makes an effort to recognize their mistakes and implement a replacement program.

General retailers should now have the corrected disc, but if you have previously purchased this release on Blu-Ray or DVD or find your new purchase to be sourced from some of the old stock, you can request a replacement via the following method provided directly from the distributor:

Send an email to support@cleopatrarecords.zendesk.com with the following info:

Please include proof of purchase and version (Blu-ray or DVD). Make sure to include your full name and address in your reply as well. Once confirmed, we can send you a replacement disc.

Thank you for your patience and support. Please allow us 7-10 business days to process and send you your replacement disc.

Special Features

Slideshow: A three-minute collection of stills from the production of the film are provided here.

Trailers: This disc provides a minute-and-a-half trailer for Shin Ultraman. There are also trailers provided for other Cleopatra Entertainment titles including The Ghosts of Monday, Area 51, Baphomet, Scavenger, A Taste Of Blood, The Hex and Skin Walker.

Final Thoughts

Shin Ultraman feels destined to appeal to established fans of the franchise, but those who only have a fleeting familiarity with the material should probably sample some before committing to a purchase. Anyone who has seen some of the television adaptations knows the Tokusatsu genre is not as self-serious as blockbusters elsewhere around the world. The story is nothing revolutionary, but watching Ultraman brawling with some interesting looking kaijus is enough to get us to tune in. The dynamics between the humans are decent, even if some of the character quirks feel a bit strained. It is a fun surprise to find Hidetoshi Nishijima among the ensemble cast members, but otherwise most do not stand out in any particular way. The film offers light entertainment, but it does not wow you enough to want to go down an Ultraman rabbit hole. Cleopatra Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a passable A/V presentation and a paltry selection of special features.

Shin Ultraman will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on July 11, 2023.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cleopatra Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.