The superhero movie is in crisis? Not if you watch this Japanese smash hit from Neon Genesis Evangelion genius Hideaki Anno. In Germany, Shin Masked Rider is available on Amazon Prime Video
I hadn’t seen a single minute of the Kamen Rider series before and was still thrilled by Shin Masked Rider (OT: Shin Kamen Rider). The Japanese superhero film was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the human-insect series and premiered more or less unnoticed on Amazon Prime Video in Germany in 2023. On the occasion of Moviepilot’s annual review, I would like to give a grasshopper’s arm to the spectacle, which tells of the fight for good in an imaginative, bloody and melancholy way
Hideaki Anno first remade Godzilla, then Kamen Rider
Hideaki Anno is what is commonly referred to as a sci-fi god. The Japanese director and writer created the influential Neon Genesis Evangelion series. But he also dabbles in other franchises. He commented on Japanese disaster politics with the bug-eyed monster tadpole in Shin Godzilla 2016. This was his first reboot of one of the so-called tokusatsu series, which draw their entertainment from elaborate special effects. He wrote the screenplay for Shin Ultraman (2022) and Hideaki Anno was back in the director’s chair for the reboot of Kamen and Masked Rider respectively.
(Shin Kamen Rider)
Kamen Rider saw the light of day in the TV and manga world in 1971. Then as now, the villains work for the SHOCKER organization, which kidnaps people, “upgrades” them as insect hybrids and brainwashes them. Student and motorcyclist Takeshi (Sôsuke Ikematsu) is one of the victims, but is freed in time by the reformed SHOCKER henchwoman Ruriko (Minami Hamabe). As Masked Rider, he goes into battle against formerly human spiders, wasps and other creatures and gets ever closer to the winged head of a conspiracy.
A superhero movie full of character and bursting heads
Shin Godzilla featured the animalistic destruction of city blocks, the action in the Masked Rider reboot is more down-to-earth. Motorcycle chases, fights and the occasional bursting head alternate.
The usual blockbuster epic of the superhero film is countered by a truly handmade look. This begins with the sleek insect costumes, continues with visual effects that seem to come from a different era and is also reflected in the hasty camera work. Elegant is not the term I would use for the staging, but rather enthusiastic. As if the lens itself is sometimes shocked by the twists and turns of the story. And there are plenty of them.
(Shin Kamen Rider)
Shin Masked Rider takes an overwhelming approach, both in terms of the exhilarating action moments and the heartbreaking twists and death scenes. But thanks to the B-movie charm and the serious treatment of the heroes who are torn from their lives, this doesn’t get on your nerves.
Shin Masked Rider is streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Shin Masked Rider is rather a prime example of a superhero reboot: on the one hand, the costumes and effects weave links to the long history of the franchise. On the other hand, Hideaki Anno feeds his film with such world-weariness that an unmistakably idiosyncratic signature remains on the “brand product”.
In a year in which more prominent super-insects failed creatively, Shin Masked Rider triumphs. This movie has as much character as one is hardly used to from superhero franchises anymore.
