Shin Kamen Rider

Both Shin Ultraman and Shin Kamen Rider should've been TV shows. They possess too much content for a 2 hours film. That said, Shin Kamen Rider is far more enjoyable than the jumbled mess that is Shin Ultraman. I'm not particularly a fan of extremely fast paced movies, especially those that jump introductions and speed through character growth moments, but the way Anno directs live action movies (almost) always gets me. That said, I felt that the 3rd act fell kind of flat. It slowed down too much and without [spoiler]Ruriko to carry the movie (best character)[/spoiler], it struggled to keep my attention/interest. Hongo just wasn't that interesting, let alone Ichimonji and Ichiro Midorikawa (KR:0).

I guess it's ok, although it doesn't stand out for the action. For someone who did not know the original material, it does not have much interest except for the presence of Anno in the direction.

There’s hardly anything redeemable in this movie. A complete mess in every possible way, not so much because it wants to pay homage to the tacky tropes of tokusatsu, but because everything has been conceived and executed poorly. Even the cinematography is terrible, with even grainy iPhone shots interspersed with soap opera-like glossy sequences.

If "renewing" the franchise means giving it a structure akin to Anno's previous works, incorporating poor CG at every opportunity, and turning the hero into the government’s hound, I guess I will stick with the old (not that I was a fan). It’s hardly anything more than lazy tropes put together in the most confusing way possible. An unapologetic failure with no chance of redemption.

Honestly, I was loving the movie, but they ruined it at the end (like almost all Japanese movies for some reason I don't understand). The character in Kamen Rider 2 was handled very poorly, as was the villain. There were some things that did not have a conclusion (I think even including the message of the film itself), this along with a lot of wasted potential, the last fight was terrible (not only because of the direction of the performances but because of the camera movement and logic itself) and Kamen Rider's death scene made no sense. The villain told him "would you seriously give your life for another person?" BUT IF THEY DIDN'T GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR ANYONE, THEY BOTH DIED. The entire ending was bad, poorly handled and lost everything that made the film great in the previous 75% of it. Also Takeshi, Ruriko and EVEN K were wasted. I would have done much more with them. It leaves me quite sad, honestly.