When I see a lot of negative reviews about this film, I was prepared to lose my ticket money.
Instead, it's an unforgettable experience I had over the years. This is the Kamen Rider I wish to see: sadness, but determined to protect, the heroism grow strong from it.
For a lot of people complain for the bad fight cinematography/a lot of CGI, this is actually what the late creator of Rider, Ishinomori Shotaro had in mind.
For the entire movie is actually a Remake to his 1971 manga, which go a different route compare with the OG TV show a lot of people expected.
The short and gorey fight is exactly how the Shocker Combatant get killed in the manga, the TV cool fight scene are inaccurate to a Cyborg who can punch in TONS force. As well the dissolve effect after each Augment die, is an element taken from both manga and earlier OG TV show episode.
The amateur camerawork are not only an elements taken from 70s show, but also to given the viewer a sense of a moving manga panel. In fact the film"fast paced plot" was way too longer than the manga, for an example, Ichimonji in the manga was never transform and got free from his brainwashing after taking a shot to the head, and suddenly have a change of heart to destroy all the Shocker Rider(Phrase Batta Augs original self) without any explanation, the film freeing him from brainwashing by Ruriko was done better in compare with manga.
As well, Ishinomori was never shown to focus on relationships like Anno does in the film: in the manga Ruriko was shown to hated Hongo due to believing her father was killed by Hongo, and is constantly being an annoying damsel in distress in OG show. While the film, Ruriko was capable to defend her and become a good companion to Hongo, finally left a impact to him and Ichimonji(who regret she being the price of him free from brainwashing).
The dark scene and anti climax fight are definitely something Ishinomori sensei will do, if one read his manga adaption of his Tokusatsu, he usually have a hobby of ending his villain in the most anti climax way, while in a dark scene which need the reader to re-reading the page to figure it out what happened.
For the CGI, I was fine with it for what happened behind the scene of X and Skyrider: they have the power setting of good at water combat, flight, yet in the TV series, they rarely shown the ability, likely because the limited technology in that time, it can't create the image in his mind, which lead him to request to drop power related scene.
He would love the CGI for they are closed of his mind(at least according to the manga).
So instead of a work that can only enjoyed by Anno fans, it's a work that only can be enjoyed by Ishinomori manga fans.
So I recommend to read Ishinomori sensei manga before watching to the film, honestly, both are a fun ride.
Instead, it's an unforgettable experience I had over the years. This is the Kamen Rider I wish to see: sadness, but determined to protect, the heroism grow strong from it.
For a lot of people complain for the bad fight cinematography/a lot of CGI, this is actually what the late creator of Rider, Ishinomori Shotaro had in mind.
For the entire movie is actually a Remake to his 1971 manga, which go a different route compare with the OG TV show a lot of people expected.
The short and gorey fight is exactly how the Shocker Combatant get killed in the manga, the TV cool fight scene are inaccurate to a Cyborg who can punch in TONS force. As well the dissolve effect after each Augment die, is an element taken from both manga and earlier OG TV show episode.
The amateur camerawork are not only an elements taken from 70s show, but also to given the viewer a sense of a moving manga panel. In fact the film"fast paced plot" was way too longer than the manga, for an example, Ichimonji in the manga was never transform and got free from his brainwashing after taking a shot to the head, and suddenly have a change of heart to destroy all the Shocker Rider(Phrase Batta Augs original self) without any explanation, the film freeing him from brainwashing by Ruriko was done better in compare with manga.
As well, Ishinomori was never shown to focus on relationships like Anno does in the film: in the manga Ruriko was shown to hated Hongo due to believing her father was killed by Hongo, and is constantly being an annoying damsel in distress in OG show. While the film, Ruriko was capable to defend her and become a good companion to Hongo, finally left a impact to him and Ichimonji(who regret she being the price of him free from brainwashing).
The dark scene and anti climax fight are definitely something Ishinomori sensei will do, if one read his manga adaption of his Tokusatsu, he usually have a hobby of ending his villain in the most anti climax way, while in a dark scene which need the reader to re-reading the page to figure it out what happened.
For the CGI, I was fine with it for what happened behind the scene of X and Skyrider: they have the power setting of good at water combat, flight, yet in the TV series, they rarely shown the ability, likely because the limited technology in that time, it can't create the image in his mind, which lead him to request to drop power related scene.
He would love the CGI for they are closed of his mind(at least according to the manga).
So instead of a work that can only enjoyed by Anno fans, it's a work that only can be enjoyed by Ishinomori manga fans.
So I recommend to read Ishinomori sensei manga before watching to the film, honestly, both are a fun ride.