The closest Kamen Rider ever came to North America was as the "Masked Rider" adaptation back in the early 90's... and even then, required a guest-appearance in "Power Rangers" for it to launch. Ugh.
It's actually kind of a funny feeling watching this movie. For Ultraman (released 2004), the remake theatrical one-shot was a big-budget FX extravaganza (well, big for Japanese sci-fi anyway). You had action scenes showing Ultraman's super powers, the dimension where he exists only has a giant floating form of light, scenes featuring aerial combat, etc... but it seems like the makers of Kamen Rider went out of their way to make it look unusually plain - like they really wanted it to look a lot like the original television series from the mid 1970's.
So what do you get, if not an FX-laiden remake?
Well, it actually felt a lot like a stunt show you would expect to see on stage. There's tons of fight choreography and motorcycle stunt driving. And you do get some interesting story twists: this is not a retelling of the Rider mythos - it's an all-new story... even if they really did make it look "un-flashy" (heck, there weren't even any transformations - instead they opted for simple camera cuts whenever Kamen Rider changes from his civvies to his costume!)
Is there CG work? Yes - some of the fight-scenes do have some effects to show speed or feats of strength. But it's so slick it blends in fairly well with only a few exceptions. In fact, I tend to think that perhaps the makers intentionally wanted to distance themselves from Ultraman.
Do I give a thumbs-up? Well... yes, actually. I did like it a lot despite the inherent cheesiness that is in all Japanese takosatsu-series.
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