Director: Sompote Sands
Distributor: Zenopictures.be, Excesso Entertainment
Duration: 104 minutes
Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman (DVD) – Movie Review
We’ve had our fair share of Toho (Kaiju) inspired games on the site, at least when it concerns the Earth Defense Force franchise, and we felt it was time to present you guys with a review of an actual Kaiju movie from a long forgotten era. When we say ‘Ultraman’ there will certainly be many that instantly think back of their childhood, as Ultraman paved the way for many other similar series or movies. While the younger generation will probably not fancy this ‘new’ DVD release of the 1974 Thai version of Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman, the diehard fans will probably have seen this one, or might miss this piece of the puzzle in their collection.
Even though many events are occurring in this monster flick, the concept is rather simple. The sun is slowly creeping in on the Earth, which causes a drought, in turn the populace to search for water wherever they go. Rain remains absent and some people are even resorting to praying to the gods, hoping the clouds will break open en deliver them with the necessary supplies to survive. While the young Koh (Ko Kaeoduendee) is one that is convinced that Hanuman will come and save them, disasters strikes when Koh loses his life while protecting the temple from bandits. He does get some sort of a second chance when Hanuman inhabits his body, exacts his revenge and is looking into a solution for the drought. It seems the ‘sun god’ will receive a visit from this ancient being soon.
Meanwhile Dr. Siwut (Yodchai Meksuwan), a devout atheist, is looking for a more scientific solution, namely firing rockets into the sky, hoping to create rain himself by attacking the clouds. Sadly, something goes horribly wrong (as expected) and in the process he wakes up several ancient beings who will reign terror on his facility and soon after , on the world. Only Hanuman will be able to intervene, but it seems he will need some additional help from the different Ultramen.
The flow of this movie is quite hard to describe as sometimes the events that are occurring are just nonsensical at best and don’t really contribute to the overall story. In A few scenes, especially when Hanuman is saving Anan, things turn trippy rather fast, making it seem like someone took some special ‘cake’ and mushrooms for breakfast. That being said, things turn into a true Kaiju experience the last thirty minutes of the film, and while things look a tad cheaper than the Japanese productions, things get rather authentic and amusing. This movie could have been a lot better if they trimmed down a bit of the beginning of the movie and added a bit more proper fighting scenes.
Another remark that drags down this joint production of this movie is the fact that Hanuman steals 90% of the ‘superhero’ primetime and the Ultraman posse just dangles in the back to provide some additional punches to the baddies when the time is right, to fade in the shadows once things are over. Then again, things are easily forgiven when you see some building toy models being crushed by people in poorly designed costumes.
Acting performances are both dreadful and authentic, at least for the time frame the movie was created. You’ll be treated to loads of overacting, not only by facial expressions and a ‘loud’ dub, but also due to hand gestures, silly dances and certain slapstick sketches, which both add to the atmosphere as well as break it down. It shows that the Thai producers didn’t have that much experience in finding the proper actors for the job, but it has certain merits to see inexperienced people prancing around like guests from the local loony bin.
This DVD release comes with no special features and while this movie is directed at a certain audience that already has some foreknowledge of the subject and the source material, it would have been a fun opportunity to add some additional information about the Ultraman series. Extra information, or a bit of history could have been something to lure a younger audience into the Kaiju world.
Sadly, even though movies like this are to be enjoyed with your brain turned off, it seems the translating cast also took a few days of personal leave as the translation of this title is simply horrid. More than often the last word of a phrase is only a few letters, with the end of the word being chopped off. Names also often tend to shift in spelling, making it quite hard to know the actual name of a character (Sivu, Sivut, Siwut?). Other than that, a new lick of paint when it comes to sound and video quality would have been nice, but it’s easy to assume this would cost quite a pretty penny to reach a rather limited audience.
Conclusion
Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman is one of those titles you’ll either love or hate with your entire guts, and those who experience the latter will find no redeeming qualities in this piece of ancient history. That being said, those who are into the Ultraman universe or Toho movies will find this one a fun title to watch to experience a bit more of this world, but even then there are many better movies on the market. Then again, this piece would make a fun addition to your Ultraman collection and it presents you with a few giggles during its playtime.
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