WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Ultraman: Rising
Summary
Ultraman: Rising, Netflix’s new kaiju movie, makes me even sadder that Guillermo del Toro never directed aPacific Rimsequel. The newUltramanmovie is not tied to Netflix’s CG-animatedUltramanseries and instead introduces an all-new set of characters.New Ultraman Ken Satoreturns to Japan as he tries to balance his professional and personal lives, only to discover that raising a child can be more difficult than taking down monsters.
Although the idea of having Ultraman taking care of a baby kaiju may not have seemed that exciting at first,Ultraman: Risingwas a very fun movie.The film had a lot of heartwarming moments between Ultraman and his kaiju child, yet it also had a lot of action.Ultraman: Rising’s endingwas particularly action-packed, with two Ultras and two kaiju fighting a mecha.
Ultraman: Rising’s Final Battle Reminded Me How Great Pacific Rim Was
Considering thatUltraman: RisingandPacific Rimare both kaiju movies, it is only natural that they share a lot of similarities. However,Ultraman: Rising’s final battle made me particularly nostalgic about Guillermo del Toro’sPacific Rim, which premiered in 2013. Dr. Onda, the villain ofNetflix’sUltramanmovie, was piloting a ship that could turn into a giant robot designed to take down kaiju. When in battle mate, Dr. Onda’s mecha looked very similar to the Jaegars fromPacific Rim, particularly Gipsy Danger. The fact that the final battle happened in the ocean also made it veryPacific Rim-looking.
Even thoughUltraman: Risingis animated, all the giant monsters feel like they weigh what they’re supposed to.
AlthoughUltraman: Risingfocuses on the found family dynamic between Ken and Emi, the movie includes quite a few exciting kaiju battles.Ultraman: Rising’s ending sees Ultraman, Ultradad, Mecha-Gigantron, and Emi joining forces to fight Dr. Onda’s mecha. Earlier in the film, Ultraman had to fight Mecha-Gigantron, a cybertronic version of a fallen kaiju. Even thoughUltraman: Risingis animated, all the giant monsters feel like they weigh what they’re supposed to. It takes time for a punch to be thrown. The movie has a clear sense of scale, which is also one of my favorite things aboutPacific Rim.
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Will Guillermo del Toro Ever Direct Another Pacific Rim Movie?
Del Toro didn’t direct Pacific Rim Uprising
During an interview withColliderin 2023,Guillermo del Toro explained why he didn’t directPacific Rim 2. According to the filmmaker, the studio missed the deadline to make a deposit for the soundstages in Toronto, which would cause the production to be delayed and moved to China. Del Toro, who was set to directThe Shape of Wateraround the same time, exited the project and was only credited as an executive producer inPacific Rim Uprising. Unfortunately,Pacific Rim Uprisingwas a disappointing sequel, and a third movie never happened.
I didn’t see the final movie because that’s like watching home movies from your ex-wife. It is terrible if they’re good and worse if they’re bad, or the opposite. You don’t wanna know. So, I didn’t see it. I did read the final script, and it was very different. Some of the elements were the same but very different.
Although there is no indicator thatPacific Rim 3will happen, let alone with Del Toro as the director,Pacific Rimstar Charlie Hunnamrevealed he would only return if Del Toro was involved. Sadly, over a decade afterPacific Rim, no other kaiju movie managed to balance fun action and a sense of scale quite like Del Toro’s film. Of course, there have been amazing giant movies since then, including the ones from the Monsterverse. Still,Ultraman: Rising’s final battle reminded me of how much I wished Del Toro’sPacific Rimsequel had happened.
Ultraman: Rising
Cast
Ultraman: Rising is an action-adventure film and is a new entry in the Ultraman franchise. Directed by Shinji Higuchi, this film returns to the series roots and centers on a new hero, Ken Sato, who takes on the mantle of Ultraman to protect Earth from monstrous threats.
