Film

Ultraman: Rising

Name: Ultraman: Rising
Genre: Animation, Science Fiction, Family, Action
Released: 2024
Cast: Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, Julia Harriman

A sprawling, visually gorgeous animated feature about a hotshot baseball player who inherits his father's role as Tokyo's giant-monster defender. It's brisk, funny, and genuinely moving—a film that trusts its audience to care about the father-son relationship as much as the kaiju battles. For anyone who wants spectacle with soul.

TMDb rating

4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love warm, sincere family stories where a big monster-fighting spectacle sits on top of a character who is bluntly learning what being a parent or a hero costs.

Skip it if the kaiju fights are kinetic, but the film pauses often for earnest heart-to-hearts, so it suits you less if you want relentless monster mayhem or a sharp adult edge.

What it asks of you: Expect a brisk runtime of under two hours, lots of motion, and a steady swing between goofy comedy and sincere feeling that rewards staying with the quieter beats.

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

If you liked this

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse2023

Dazzling animation that treats movement as an art form, a hero grappling with inherited responsibility and family legacy, and a script that balances humor with real emotional stakes. The action sequences are genuinely inventive.

But The middle act prioritizes setup over payoff, the ending is deliberately incomplete, and if you want a neat narrative bow this will frustrate you considerably.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse poster

Big Hero 62014

A story about a young man stepping into a larger role while processing grief and learning to lead. The animation is warm and expressive, the humor lands consistently, and it earns every emotional beat without manipulating you.

But It's a Disney film made for broad appeal, so nothing here will surprise you tonally. If you're looking for edge, you won't find it.

Godzilla Minus One2023

A kaiju film that makes the monsters mean something—a meditation on trauma, survival, and what we inherit from history. Stunning black-and-white cinematography and a lean, devastating screenplay. Pure cinema.

But It's slow and deliberately unglamorous. If you want spectacle without existential weight, this film will test your patience.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Ultraman: Rising

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners2022

Both feature young protagonists forced into roles larger than themselves—but where Ultraman finds hope in family, Edgerunners explores what happens when family and systemic forces offer no safety net. Mirror-image visions of responsibility and legacy.

A ten-episode anime masterpiece about a kid trying to survive in a neon hellscape, with animation that's consistently stunning and a willingness to devastate you emotionally. It's both a spectacular action series and a genuine tragedy—rare to find both done this well.

But It's graphically violent and deals with addiction, death, and despair. The ending is genuinely dark and offers no comfort. Not for viewers seeking cathartic triumph.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission2021

Animated superhero action that doesn't condescend to its younger audience. Smart action design, character moments that matter, and a villain with actual conviction. It proves anime films can deliver both thrills and heart.

But You'll get more from it if you've watched the series. The plot is straightforward and the third act leans into familiar beats.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission poster

Encanto2021

A family story wrapped in fantasy, with gorgeous animation and a score that burrows into your head. It's about feeling like you don't belong and learning your worth isn't conditional. The humor works for kids and adults.

But The plot is fairly predictable and the resolution comes together quickly. Some find the pacing front-loaded and the ending rushed.

The Lego Movie2014

Wildly inventive animation, genuinely clever writing that works on multiple levels, and a surprising amount of heart underneath the mayhem. It's funny without trying too hard and sincere without being sappy.

But The constant pop-culture references and manic pacing might feel exhausting rather than exhilarating. Some find it tries too hard to be cool.

Pacific Rim2013

Giant robots fighting giant monsters with real style and purpose. Guillermo del Toro brings visual sophistication to blockbuster fun, the action is coherent and thrilling, and the film trusts its premise completely.

But The character work is thin and the dialogue is sometimes clunky. If you're here for intimate drama you're in the wrong film.

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A film about a boy who doesn't fit his world's expectations, learning that his differences are his strength. The animation is glorious, the flying sequences are genuinely moving, and it respects both humor and heart.

But The first act is slow to establish the stakes, and the villain reveal is fairly obvious. The ending is earnest in a way that can feel saccharine if you're cynical.

Kung Fu Panda2008

A comedy that's genuinely funny, with action sequences that are visually clear and entertaining. Jack Black's voice work is pitch-perfect, the kung fu is beautifully animated, and the story about finding confidence works.

But It's broad and accessible to the point of predictability. The plot hits every expected beat and there's nothing here that challenges you.

Love, Death & Robots2019

Like Ultraman's core dynamic, it's about a man confronting an overwhelming force he didn't ask to face, but where Ultraman finds heroism and growth, Bad Travelling suggests some burdens have no noble answer—just survival and compromise.

A 20-minute animated sci-fi horror story about a man forced to captain a ship with a monstrous stowaway. It's gorgeously grotesque, narratively tight, and trades superhero triumph for something far more morally complex and disturbing. Mature animation used brilliantly.

But It's viscerally unpleasant to watch—graphic body horror, existential dread, and no heroic resolution. If you want your protagonist to win, this will anger you.