Ultraman Zero: Good movie but...

[FlashNeko]

I finally got around to watching the second Ultraman Zero movie recently and I was surprised by how much I wound up liking it (especially after I seemed to be the only person on the planet who HATED the first one). There was just one minor issue that ended up bugging me though (aside from the very occasional glimpse of the CGI chugging but that comes with the genre).

Was anyone else slightly disappointed that Ultraman Noa wound up only being a Mcguffin instead of properly joining the other heroes to fight?

It's nice that they acknowledged Nexus existing to a degree but... it just felt like a wasted opportunity for him to only be a magical bow and arrow.

 

[Daikamonohashi]

Not really. The film wasn't about him and I was just fine with him being the archetypical God-character. The heroes journey to find him, he imbues them with special powers, and he's done. Personally, I liked him in that role a lot and I think he would have trounced the whole invasion force too thoroughly had he actually fought along side Ultimate Force Zero. It's a very similar role that Ultraman King took in the previous movie - that of an observing "God" who doesn't interfere all that much but is ultimately on the good guys' side.

 

[Shteve]

I liked the movie too, but my biggest concern was that it felt rushed. They should have spread it out and made a series of it. I know that times are tough all over and money doesn't grow on trees, but Tsubaraya could easly stretched it out into a series and made character development a bigger deal all around. Just my two cents though...

Steve

 

[Lynxara]

Was anyone else slightly disappointed that Ultraman Noa wound up only being a Mcguffin instead of properly joining the other heroes to fight?

The first time around, yeah. I watched the movie a second time last night, though, and... well, this time it clicked for me. The way I read Noa's role in the movie is that he acted as the Ultraman of that universe and Zero ultimately needed his blessing if he was to use his powers freely there.

Zero earns that blessing when he uses up every last bit of power he has trying to protect people from Belial's army. So just as Zero honored Ran's sacrifice, Noa honored Zero's willingness to sacrifice himself by giving him the power he needed to protect everyone.

This is more or less exactly what Noa does in Nexus, so it's even fitting if you want to believe that Zero's Noa is the same character (in some way) as the N-Project's Noa. I certainly like to think that way, though I'm sure there's some continuity footnote that makes it impossible.

 

[knightphoenix2]

But ...

The first time around, yeah. I watched the movie a second time last night, though, and... well, this time it clicked for me. The way I read Noa's role in the movie is that he acted as the Ultraman of that universe and Zero ultimately needed his blessing if he was to use his powers freely there.

Zero earns that blessing when he uses up every last bit of power he has trying to protect people from Belial's army. So just as Zero honored Ran's sacrifice, Noa honored Zero's willingness to sacrifice himself by giving him the power he needed to protect everyone.

This is more or less exactly what Noa does in Nexus, so it's even fitting if you want to believe that Zero's Noa is the same character (in some way) as the N-Project's Noa. I certainly like to think that way, though I'm sure there's some continuity footnote that makes it impossible.

This sounds quite a bit better than it did at first, I'll go ahead and buy the movie.

But, given everything you've said above Lynxara, it brings up a disturbing question:

Why hadn't Noa already gone ahead and taken Belial down?

 

[Galaxian]

My biggest complain of Ultraman Zero was the plot. It was basically a "You're princess is in another castle" type of deal. Nevertheless, that is just a minor complain and I still enjoyed the movie thoroughly.

 

[Lynxara]

Why hadn't Noa already gone ahead and taken Belial down?

That's a bit like asking why Noa didn't show up in the first episode of Nexus and step on Mizorogi.

 

[Mr. Rhythmic]

(especially after I seemed to be the only person on the planet who HATED the first one)

You're not alone there.