DVD Corner

Ultraman: Towards The Future and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero- The Complete Series Blu-ray Review

2 shows for the price of 1.  

For years now, Ultraman Blu-ray releases have been frequent. This time around Alliance Entertainment is giving Ultraman enthusiasts a double feature of the complete series of “Ultraman: Towards The Future” and “Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero.”

“Ultraman: Towards The Future” is a 13 episode series from 1990. Traditionally, Ultraman series are Japanese productions, but this one is an English language series that is also a Tsubaraya and South Australian Film Corp. production. The series revolves around Jack Shindo- an astronaut who was on a mission to Mars. Jack encounters Ultraman Great fighting a monster (Gudis). Gudis manages to escape and transform into a virus to wreak havoc on Earth. Ultraman Great, meanwhile, merges with Jack who returns back to Earth. Jack/Ultraman Great team up with Earth’s UMA organization which battles monsters. The series is big on environmental messages as the plots tend to involve the Gudis virus infecting and corrupting Earth’s winds, volcano, ocean oxygen, etc. Of course, there’s plenty of monster action including Kilazee and Kodalar in the grand finale. 

An English Tokusatsu series may sound weird to Ultraman persists, but “Ultraman: Towards The Future” does at least have a unique vibe instead of feeling like another formula retread. The show plays like a cross between an 80s British sci-fi series and an Ultraman series. Admittedly, the action is a bit clunky, the Ultraman spandex suit looks supremely cheap, and actor Dore Kraus (Jack) just might be the worst lead in the entire Ultraman franchise, but there’s an attention to story here and the environmental messages (and the integration of Australia into the story) prove effective. 

“Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero” is a 1992 follow-up to “Ultraman: Towards The Future.” The 13 episode series was a Japanese-American production. The series was essentially an American remake of the 1966 original. The story centers around the WINR defense team who discover an alien race (the Baltans) are invading earth. One of the WINR members (Kenichi Kai) becomes Ultraman Powered’s host. Aside from the Baltans plotlines, there are plots involving other monsters (Zumbolar, Dada, Gomora to name a few). 

From a production value standpoint, “Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero” dazzles. This series features better sets, lighting, special effects, direction, and especially the Ultraman and monster costumes. Alas, the costumes are so good that the production team was clearly too worried about damaging them. As a result, the fight sequences are profoundly disappointing. If you can look past that though, this is an exciting English language series that certainly benefits from higher production values. Sure, the stories are essentially retreads, but as a one-off it is at least an entertaining Tokusatsu series.

“Ultraman: Towards The Future” and “Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero” is a must for completists. For the more casual fans, the 60s series are still the gold standard.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How do the shows look? ‘Towards’ looks more like an upscaled Laserdisc while ‘Ultimate’ features a deeply impressive restoration that makes the series look brand new.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How do they sound? The sound on both series is very crisp.

The lone extra is a booklet with episode guides.

May 27, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Tokusatsu, Tsubaraya, Ultraman, Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero, Ultraman: Towards The Future, Ultraman: Towards The Future and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero Blu-ray Review