The monster suits are awesome-looking, and there's many action-scenes with plenty of large-scale model work. The ambitious storyline packs in UFOs, worldwide destruction, and a fleet of marauding giant monsters that look like a cross between Meganeuron (from the Godzilla film) and Legion (from Gamera 2).
#Ultraman cosmos 2 the blue planet series
But you don't have to see the series to understand the films. This film takes place after the series timeline has ended, but also doubles as a direct sequel to the first film.
#Ultraman cosmos 2 the blue planet tv
The island locations (in Southern Japan) release the characters from the small, claustrophobic sets of the TV series. In Blue Planet, there'a whole undersea race of humanoid aliens and some marvellously realised CGI alien 'whales'. The other 2 movies are more action-packed, with solid effects and imaginative storylines, which are far more enjoyable for older audiences. You can also get the series from Japan but without English subtitles. There are also behind-the-scenes clips from each episode as DVD extras. The English subtitles are sometimes pretty vague but help you follow the action. If you really want it, the entire series is available from Hong Kong on 8 DVD volumes that contain between 4 and 8 episodes each (an example of the cover art is shown above). This lack of ideas or new monsters makes the series look like its run was extended late in the day. Towards the end of the series, many monster suits from the series are re-used - it's rare in Ultraman for this to happen, usually a brand new foe arrives every episode. There's a couple of stand-out episodes, but they're pretty rare. I watched the whole thing to see if the tone changed at all. But the extended run of Cosmos (at 64 episodes) has been a hard slog to get through. Also the emphasis is on defensive fighting - Ultraman tries to push opponents away rather than harming them, it's honourably pacifistic, but limits his variety of moves.Īdmittedly the very first Ultraman in 1966 was aimed squarely at the whole family, even having a young boy help out Earth's anti-monster task force. The climactic fights are slowly staged and constantly fall back on poor video tricks. The FX are fun, the monster suits are excellently made, better so than Ultraman's, which are more creasy and ill-fitting than usual.
Fubuki looks the most convincing as a pilot, rather than the rather wet lead, Musashi. They rarely get a chance for any serious acting or even subtle comedy. The likeable cast are made to act like naughty schoolchildren. The idea that this crowd could be entrusted to save the world is constantly ridiculous. The EYES Task Force are all adults, but they act like they're in a classroom. This means less fighting and more silliness. Many of the monsters are too cute, and the EYES team are dedicated more to conservation rather than obliteration. Cosmos is a real slog to get through, and is really only for the very young. Neither is it adult, violent or creepy like Nexus, which was my previous favourite series. It's not like the complex story arc of Ultraman Nexus. There's a flimsy narrative that runs through the series about an outer space force that 'possesses' otherwise peace-loving (giant) monsters. Unbeknownst to the members of EYES, one of their young pilots, Musashi, is actually a living host to Ultraman - whenever there's danger, he can transform into the giant alien defender for a few minutes in order to save the day. They usually stall the monster long enough until Ultraman sorts it all out.
Over the years, the Japanese Ultraman series have veered between two extremes - from the hardnosed gritty action where characters even die in Ultraman Nexus, to the childish acting and cute monsters of Ultraman Cosmos.Īs always, every episode, Japan gets threatened by a giant monster.and in this series it's the EYES team that fly to the rescue from their special island base. ULTRAMAN COSMOS - TV Series (2001 - 2002)
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