Takeshi Hongo has been kidnapped by the secret evil organization SHOCKER and transformed into a grasshopper mutant cyborg. However, with the help of Ruriko, the daughter of his mentor and traitor to the organization, he manages to escape. Now, it's up to the pair to fight SHOCKER and stop his plans to dominate humanity.
Shin Kamen Rider is both a retelling and an homage to the original 1971 Kamen Rider TV series. There are many recognizable characters and numerous shot-for-shot recreations in the film. That said, it's not afraid to change the story of the original, dramatically in some cases. Also, despite its loving connection to the original, you don't need to know anything about the 50-year franchise to enjoy and understand this movie. However, his reverence for the TV show is also the source of the film's main problem.
Director: Hideaki Anno
Writers: Hideaki Anno, Shotaro Ishinomori
Stars: Sôsuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto
As with Shin Ultraman, the latest tokusatsu recreation penned by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, Shin Kamen Rider feels like it should have been a miniseries rather than a movie. The film is divided into five distinct acts, each with its own largely independent plot and a mutant cyborg to be defeated. Unfortunately, the 120-minute nature of the film means that not everyone gets the time they need. This is most evident at the beginning of the film, where the origin of Kamen Rider, the backstory exposition dump, and the first big battle are all concentrated in the first 15 minutes.
All of that said, the issues stemming from the episodic nature of the film are largely offset by the main couple and how they change and grow throughout their adventures together. Takeshi is a kind-hearted man who suddenly goes crazy and blows people's heads off with his super strength. The son of a police officer, he finds his actions unforgivable. The blood on his hands haunts him throughout the movie, even when he decides to fight SHOCKER. But what really keeps him going is his relationship with Ruriko. Granting her mentor's dying wish to protect her saves him early on, but what they build together allows him to keep fighting until the end of the film.
Ruriko, on the other hand, seems cold and logical, focused solely on defeating SHOCKER. But below the surface, she is faced with just as much internal turmoil as Takeshi. While they may be evil, each mutant they face is someone she knows; some of them are even people she sees as friends. It may be for the greater good, but that doesn't mean she isn't betraying and killing the people she grew up with. Fortunately, Takeshi can see and understand both sides of her. His kindness and understanding allow her to face what he feels instead of self-destructively burying it in the background.
We get a true partnership of the pair: the two against the world. SHOCKER wants them dead. The police see them as allies who cannot be trusted. However, they are the world's only hope. They are easy to cheer for and all the emotional beats around them hit well. Despite the action and the stakes to save the world, the movie still feels like a personal story about them.
On the visual side of things, this looks a lot like an Anno movie. It's full of weird camera angles and quick cuts, keeping things visually interesting even during the dullest of expository dialogue. The camera work can be distracting in some fight scenes, making it hard to follow the action. On the other hand, the film has some amazing static shots, from beautifully composed landscapes to close-ups of our heroes in their most emotional moments.
Shin Kamen Rider wears an amalgamation of 1970s and modern style tokusatsu costumes. For the most part, this works fine. Rider's outfits are strikingly similar to their 1970s versions, only a few more details or color changes were added. And it's amazing that even something as simple as adding a trench coat to our hero makes the classic design feel modern. However, there's still a bit of a disconnect between the classic designs and the movie originals, especially when it comes to the villains with their high-tech looking masks that glow with LEDs.
As for the music, it is full of reimaginings of classic themes and music tracks. However, none of them feel out of place in the film. Like the rest of the presentation, it almost perfectly threads the needle between retro and modern.
Comments
Post a Comment