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Shin Ultraman

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Shin Ultraman

Shin Ultraman (シン・ウルトラマン, Shin Urutoraman) is a 2022 Japanese superhero film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno. A reimagining of the 1966 television series Ultraman, the film is a co-production between Toho Studios and Cine Bazar, and presented by Tsuburaya Productions, Toho Co., Ltd., and Khara, Inc. It is the 37th film in the Ultraman franchise, and Anno and Higuchi's second reimagining of a tokusatsu series, following Shin Godzilla (2016) and preceding Shin Kamen Rider (2023). The ensemble cast includes Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, Tetsushi Tanaka, and Hidetoshi Nishijima, with Anno and Bin Furuya as Ultraman. In the film, an extraterrestrial accidentally kills a man while battling a kaiju and takes on his appearance and place at the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol to protect Earth from further threats.

In the summer of 2017, Anno was tasked with writing a proposal for a trilogy of Ultraman productions by Takayuki Tsukagoshi, the future chairman of Tsuburaya Productions. A year after completing the plan for the trilogy on January 17, 2018, Anno wrote the first draft of Shin Ultraman's screenplay on February 5, 2019. However, his participation in the film had to be deferred until the completion of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021). Tsuburaya officially announced the film had begun production on August 1, 2019. Principal photography took place during late 2019 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Hiratsuka and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kōfu and Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture, and Ichihara in Chiba Prefecture, and wrapped in November. Post-production was decelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in editing taking roughly two-and-a-half years.

After being delayed from a summer 2021 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shin Ultraman premiered in Japan on May 13, 2022. The film grossed $34 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing Japanese film of 2022 and the most commercially successful Ultraman film. Critics praised its direction, characters, editing, cinematography, visual effects, musical score, and action sequences, but some criticized the screenplay's structure and perceived lack of themes. It received eight nominations at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize, including Picture of the Year, and won three.

Following the invasion of several kaiju in Japan, the government establish the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol (SSSP) to eliminate further threats. When the SSSP respond to an attack by an S-Class kaiju dubbed "Neronga", a silver giant extraterrestrial emerges from the sky and defeats Neronga. However, the incident leaves SSSP member Shinji Kaminaga injured while trying to save a lost child. Analyst Hiroko Asami is transferred from the Public Security Intelligence Agency to the SSSP and partnered with Kaminaga, who seemingly recovered from his injuries; Asami submits a report on the silver giant, dubbing it "Ultraman". The SSSP respond to another S-Class Species attack by a kaiju dubbed "Gabora". Unbeknownst to the SSSP, Kaminaga transforms into Ultraman, now adorning red and silver colors; he defeats Gabora before it could attack a nuclear waste storage facility.

Another alien, named Zarab, makes contact with the SSSP, with the intention of establishing an accord with Japan's government. After Kaminaga learns of Zarab's true intentions to influence countries to destroy each other by triggering conflict, he is neutralized and kidnapped by Zarab. To discredit Ultraman, Zarab attacks parts of Japan disguised as Ultraman and leaks footage of Kaminaga's transformation; resulting in an international manhunt. Asami receives Kaminaga's transforming device, the Beta Capsule, for safekeeping from Zarab. Asami finds and frees Kaminaga but is captured by Zarab herself. Kaminaga retrieves the Beta Capsule and transforms into Ultraman, saves Asami, and exposes Zarab's disguise before defeating him.

While Kaminaga goes into hiding, Asami is kidnapped and transformed into a mind-controlled giant by another alien, named Mefilas. Demonstrating good faith, he reverts Asami back to normal size using the Beta Box, a large variant of the Beta Capsule. Mefilas strikes a deal with the government to supply them with the Beta Box for deterrent purposes in return for unconditional obedience. Kaminaga disagrees with Mefilas' plan and conspires with the SSSP to stop the exchange. They successfully hijack the Box and Ultraman engages Mefilas in combat. Mefilas rescinds his plans after noticing Ultraman's superior Zōffy observing their battle and warns Ultraman of a coming threat before departing Earth with the Box.

The SSSP are briefly detained for aiding Ultraman but are soon released after their Chief convinces his superior that Ultraman coerced them. Kaminaga converses with Zōffy in the forest where Kaminaga was injured. It is revealed that Kaminaga was not injured but killed by debris when Ultraman landed. Inspired by Kaminaga's sacrifice, Ultraman had assumed his identity to better understand him. Zōffy informs Ultraman that he is to face punishment for breaking their planet's code of merging with a human. Believing that humanity would pose a threat if they could evolve into giants, Zōffy employs the ultimate weapon Zetton to eradicate them.

Kaminaga warns the SSSP of this, leaves them a flash drive, and flies to Earth's orbit as Ultraman to stop Zetton. Defeated, Kaminaga is hospitalized while the government decides not to disclose humanity's fate to the world as a final act of mercy. SSSP physicist Akihisa Taki opens Kaminaga's flash drive and uncovers the basic principles and theorems of the Beta Capsule and higher dimensional domains. After Kaminaga regains consciousness, Taki reveals to him the method that he and international scientists had devised to defeat Zetton. Kaminaga transforms into Ultraman and opens a black hole by igniting the Beta Capsule one millisecond before Zetton fires its heatwave. The black hole swallows Zetton and Ultraman but Zōffy rescues Ultraman.

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