Marvel’s The Fall Of Ultraman
Marvel Comics? The Fall of Ultraman is coming to a screen near you. The film is the climactic finale to a ten-episode event, and it will feature a host of characters from past Ultraman series as well as some new faces. It also has a very interesting storyline that hints at what the future may hold for the franchise.
The final chapter of the show takes place in a post-apocalyptic 2032 Tokyo where the SSSP is disbanded, and Ultraman himself is now a museum display. However, the surviving members of the team are reunited when their world is threatened by unknown dark forces. In order to save their home planet, they must reunify once again to become the United Science Patrol.
While all of the Showa era Ultraman series share similar set-ups – an alien hero from another world, a defense team that fights alongside them, and plenty of rubber-suited monsters to throw at them – each series brought its own unique flavor and style to the table. From different tones and themes to varying special effects techniques, this period was one of great creative innovation for the series.
The series to watch
This is the series to watch for fans of classic Sunrise-produced mecha anime from the 70’s. It has all the wild space opera concepts that made the original series so popular, from bands of rebellious fire pirates and two-dimensional mystical mirror worlds to damsels in distress and intergalactic treasure hunts. It also has all of the returnees from the previous series including Zero and Dyna, as well as the new hero Cosmos. This is also the series that features the most prominent role for a character named Bemular, an intergalactic reptilian monster who can grow to 164 feet and assists the USP in their missions.
The series was written by the same writer behind the Dyna and Nexus series, Keiichi Hasegawa, who brings all of his trademark sexy humor and big action to this last hurrah for the classic series. Its a lot of fun, and is a fitting swan song for the franchise that was once the most prolific in all of Japanese animation. Its available on a Mill Creek Blu-ray set, as well as streaming on Shout Factory and Tubi. Its the best way to get your fix of classic space opera.