Blu-ray Review - Ultraman: Towards the Future and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero

Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990)

When we talk about the sprawling legacy of Tsuburaya Productions, the early 1990s often feel like a forgotten frontier. After Ultraman 80 ended its run in 1981, the franchise went into a sort of live-action hibernation on television. The silence was finally broken not in Tokyo, but in the rugged landscapes of South Australia. Ultraman: Towards the Future (known in Japan as Ultraman Great) stands as a fascinating anomaly: a high-concept, environmentally conscious co-production that attempted to westernize the Giant of Light without stripping away his soul.

The series opens with an ambitious scope. Astronauts Jack Shindo and Stanley Haggard are exploring the surface of Mars when they witness a titanic struggle between a silver giant and a grotesque, pulsating entity known as Gudis. This isn't just a monster-of-the-week; Gudis is a sentient virus, a cosmic cancer that seeks to assimilate all life. When Stanley is killed and Jack is left stranded, the silver giant—Ultraman—merges with Jack to save his life and pursue the virus to Earth.

What immediately sets Towards the Future apart from its predecessors is the shift in tone. While the Showa-era series often leaned into a whimsical, almost fairy-tale science fiction, this Australian venture is steeped in the anxieties of the 1990s. The Gudis virus acts as a metaphor for environmental decay, thriving on the pollution and greed of humanity. The Universal Multipurpose Agency (UMA) isn't just a military force; they are scientists and investigators trying to manage a planet that seems to be rejecting its human inhabitants.

Visually, the show is a breath of fresh air. Moving the production to Australia allowed for stunning location photography. Instead of the familiar miniature cityscapes of Toho stages, we see Ultraman battling monsters in actual forests, vast deserts, and near real coastal cliffs. The sense of scale is handled with a level of grit that was revolutionary for the time. The creature designs are equally impressive. Eschewing the rubbery "man-in-a-suit" look for more organic, animatronic textures, monsters like the Tasmanian Devil-inspired Deganja or the horrific, insectoid Majaba feel like biological entities rather than toys.

Dore Kraus brings a quiet, contemplative intensity to Jack Shindo. Unlike many Ultra-hosts who are eager heroes, Jack carries the weight of a survivor’s guilt and the heavy burden of harboring a god-like alien. His relationship with Ultraman is less of a partnership and more of a symbiotic necessity. The supporting cast at UMA, particularly Gia Carides as Jean Echo, provides a grounded human perspective. They aren't just there to provide exposition; they have distinct personalities and often clash with the military bureaucracy that views Ultraman as a potential threat.

However, the series isn't without its growing pains. The pacing can occasionally feel glacial, a byproduct of the "prestige" TV approach that prioritizes atmosphere over the frenetic action Japanese audiences expected. The fight choreography is more methodical and heavy, emphasizing the sheer mass of the combatants. While this adds realism, it can lack the kinetic energy found in the series that followed.

Despite these minor hurdles, Towards the Future remains a landmark entry. It proved that the Ultraman mythos was flexible enough to exist outside of Japan and could tackle complex ecological themes without losing its sense of wonder. It’s a somber, beautiful, and deeply sincere attempt to move the franchise forward into a new decade.

Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (1993)

If Towards the Future was an attempt to reinvent Ultraman in the Australian wilderness, Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (known as Ultraman Powered) was a full-scale Hollywood reconstruction. Produced just a few years later in the United States, this series took the opposite approach: rather than creating a new narrative, it sought to "remaster" the 1966 original for a modern, international audience. The result is a glossy, technically stunning, yet oddly restrained love letter to the roots of the franchise.

The premise is a direct mirror of the original 1966 series. The Alien Baltans, looking more sinister and detailed than ever before, arrive on Earth with an invasion fleet. They are intercepted by Ultraman Powered, a sleek, blue-eyed guardian who merges with Kenichi Kai, a member of the elite task force WINR (Worldwide Investigative Network Response). From there, the series becomes a "greatest hits" tour of iconic monsters—Red King, Neronga, Dada, and Gomora—all redesigned with a level of intricate detail that remains breathtaking to this day.

From a production standpoint, The Ultimate Hero is a marvel of its era. The creature suits, designed by Hollywood effects veterans, are some of the best to ever grace the franchise. They look like living, breathing organisms with moving musculature and translucent skin. The sets are expansive, and the use of forced perspective and high-speed photography creates a genuine sense of immense weight and scale. When Red King bellows in the American Southwest, you feel the vibration.

Kane Kosugi, as Kenichi Kai, brings a youthful energy and physicality to the role of the host. The WINR team feels more like a specialized tactical unit than the science-patrol archetypes of the past, reflecting the "techno-thriller" aesthetic popular in the early 90s. The dialogue and character interactions are distinctly Western, aiming for a cinematic feel that aligns with the blockbusters of the time.

Yet, for all its visual splendor, The Ultimate Hero suffers from a curious paradox. The suits were so expensive and intricate that the actors were reportedly instructed to avoid heavy contact to prevent damage. This leads to fight sequences that feel strangely polite. Instead of the grappling and high-flying kicks common in Tokusatsu, Powered and his foes often engage in a slow-motion dance of shoves and energy beams. While this emphasizes the "god-like" power of the characters, it can leave action junkies feeling a bit cold.

The narrative also sticks perhaps too closely to the source material. By following the 1966 beats so accurately, it sometimes misses the opportunity to forge its own identity. It works best as a "Remastered Vision," showing us what the classic battles would look like with a 1993 Hollywood budget. The finale, featuring a truly terrifying rendition of Zetton, manages to capture the dread and stakes of the original ending while amping up the cosmic scale.

Mill Creek’s release of the Complete Series Combo is a vital piece of preservation. For years, these two "international" seasons were relegated to grainy VHS bootlegs or expensive Japanese imports. Seeing them in high definition allows the artistry of the creature effects and the ambition of the world-building to finally shine.

The Ultimate Hero is a fascinating experiment in cross-cultural adaptation. It captures the "coolness" of Ultraman with unparalleled visual fidelity, even if the heart of the action beats a little slower. Together with Towards the Future, it represents a unique era where the Giant of Light was a global traveler, proving that whether in the outback or the canyons of California, the need for a hero remains universal.

The Ultraman: Towards the Future and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero double pack is now available to own!