The idea is to bring father-child stakes into all this mayhem, which works to a degree. But in the movie’s desire to wring tears...The film winds up having it both ways once too often.

| Jun 18, 2024

Ultraman: Rising will likely touch viewers, especially ages 10 and under, for its story of a young man trying to be a good dad while also reconnecting with his own estranged father, in what ultimate becomes a parable about responsible parenting.

| Jun 18, 2024

Ultraman: Rising may be a kaleidoscopically color-timed action adventure of throw-down battles, but it’s really about parenting in its many shapes and forms.

| Jun 17, 2024

“Ultraman: Rising” is a bit longer than it needs to be, but buoyed by a strong voice cast and a unique point of view that blends elements of superhero action with heartfelt family drama, it’s an effective reinvention of a franchise...

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 14, 2024

“Ultraman: Rising” is a contender for best animated movie of the year, one of the best superhero movies in years, and one of the all-time greatest American adaptations of a Japanese franchise

| Original Score: 95/100 | Jun 14, 2024

“Ultraman: Rising” lacks a noteworthy vision of what it means to be a parent, let alone an adult struggling to wear several hats at once.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 14, 2024

This is probably the first creature feature where the kaiju functions as a vehicle for a Three Men and a Baby-type narrative about muddling through as a new parent. It’s a decent metaphor as it happens.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 13, 2024

If Ultraman wants to conquer the world, he’ll have to try something livelier than a cartoon that looks like a kids movie but lurches about like a saccharine family drama.

| Jun 13, 2024

Director Shannon Tindle and co-director John Aoshima’s feature needs to pick up its pace and not bang the drums so loudly its message about the importance of family. We get it already.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 12, 2024

A fun, sincere, and thoughtfully conceived piece of kids entertainment. And it’s liable to make young viewers more curious about the world around them -- not less.

| Original Score: B | Jun 7, 2024

This English-language charmer boasts vibrant visuals that mostly make up for a fairly pedestrian story about a selfish baseball superstar who begrudgingly accepts his responsibility to be the new Ultraman.

| Jun 7, 2024