Here’s a thing. In a grim future, where humanity is at the edge of extinction (because what other futures are there, really?), five brothers set about changing their unenviable fate and a giant robot is born from the ashes of their effort. Thus is the plot of Brave Storm, the reimagined tokusatsu film that merges the mythologies of two special effects drama series, Silver Kamen and Super Robot Red Baron. Still with me? Because I have names and titles, some of which may be of interest to fans of the Kamen Rider and Ultraman franchises. This movie has some deep cuts in the world of toku.
Leading the cast is a notable line-up of tokusatsu actors, including Watanabe Shu (Eiji, Kamen Rider OOO) and Yamamoto Chihiro (Laiha, Ultraman Geed). Watanabe is seen in the trailer piloting what looks like the famed Red Baron itself, while Yamamoto is still slicing up bad guys, as usual. Among them are actors Daito Shunsuke (Hentai Kamen), Izumiya Shigeru (Godzilla: Final Wars), Tamoto Soran (Kamen Rider Amazons), and Tom Fujita (Kamen Rider Amazons).
On writing and directing duties is tokusatsu veteran Okabe Junya, former vice-president of Ultraman’s Tsuburaya Productions and founder of Blast Entertainment, from which this lovely piece of toku trivia has been gifted to us. His other credits include Dark Soldier D, Godzilla vs Biollante, and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, so you know he’s no novice when it comes to beasts and bots.
I love that the words “cat shit” are on the screen in big, red letters here. I don’t want context. I just like that the words “cat shit” are used at all in the actual title cards for a theatrical movie trailer.
Brave Storm hits Japanese theaters November 10, 2017. It may not be a great film, but it’ll surely be great to watch.
