Film

Himitsu Sentai Gorenger: The Movie

Name: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger: The Movie
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
Released: 1975
Cast: Naoya Makoto, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Baku Hatakeyama, Yukio Itô, Lisa Komaki

Action

Gorenger: The Movie is a 1975 Japanese action romp where five color-coded heroes battle a masked monster over stolen secrets. It's brisk, earnest, and entirely unironic—fight choreography that means it, miniature destruction that delights. Made for kids but made *well*. If you love tokusatsu or vintage action cinema that knows exactly what it is, this rewards your enthusiasm completely.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love goofy, earnest 1970s tokusatsu, where colourful heroes in cheap suits chase a villain through ordinary streets with total sincerity.

Skip it if you want slick modern effects or a steadily building plot; this brisk twenty-four minutes runs on rough staging, stock fight beats and camp.

What it asks of you: Twenty-four minutes, a quick hop from chase to chase, and a willingness to laugh with it rather than at it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Ultraman: The Next2004

Honma's film treats the rubber-suited superhero genre with genuine craft and emotional weight. Stunning practical effects, strong action, and a monster design that genuinely unsettles. Shows what the format can do when treated seriously.

But Slower and moodier than you'd expect from a tokusatsu film. Long stretches of character and contemplation will feel slack if you want wall-to-wall action.

Kamen Rider: THE FIRST2005

A reimagining of the classic rider that respects the source while delivering visceral, inventive action sequences. Great stunt work, real tension, and a protagonist who feels genuinely tested. Tokusatsu cinema at its most accomplished.

But The plot is deliberately faithful to 1970s originals, which means it can feel repetitive and overfamiliar if you know the property well already.

Destroy All Monsters1968

Toho throws every monster in their arsenal at the screen in a movie that understands spectacle and restraint simultaneously. City destruction, practical miniatures, genuine charm. This is tokusatsu DNA at its purest.

But By modern standards the pacing feels glacial and the human plot is genuinely tedious. The monsters are what you're here for, and they don't always appear fast enough.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Himitsu Sentai Gorenger: The Movie

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Dead Zone1983

Both center a team or individual fighting hidden enemies while wearing a non-negotiable identity that separates them from civilians. But where Gorenger is about the thrill of the fight, Dead Zone is about the cost of knowing too much.

Cronenberg's adaptation is a smart thriller about a hero with strange powers forced to operate outside normal society. David Bowie-era atmosphere, Walken at his most intense, genuine dread threaded through it all.

But Bleak and political in ways that will feel very far from the bright action you came for. The film is interested in moral burden, not heroic triumph.

Mothra vs. Godzilla1964

A monster battle film that understands visual storytelling and genuine stakes. The miniature work is astonishing, the creature designs are iconic, and it moves with purpose and style.

But The human drama is earnest but thin, and the pacing between monster scenes can feel slack to modern viewers accustomed to faster cutting.

Dai Sentai Goggle-V: The Movie1982

A solid entry-level Sentai film that delivers exactly what the TV show promises: clean action, bright colors, a team that functions. Good introduction to the format's appeal.

But Safe and formulaic—it doesn't push beyond what the weekly show already does. If you want something that expands the concept, this won't provide it.

Man Who Causes a Storm1957

Same studio, same practical effects philosophy, same confidence in human stunt work and miniatures. This is what Toei knew how to do before Gorenger—the DNA is visible in every frame.

A Japanese action-adventure film with real stunt work, practical destruction, and genuine style. Post-war cinema that proves Toei had enormous craft before tokusatsu ever existed. Urgent, beautiful filmmaking.

But Black and white, subtitled, pre-CGI everything. This requires patience and openness to how cinema worked before color television arrived.