The opening title card sequence is an understated Mythology Gag to the original series: an updated version of the screenful of swirling paint that reconstitutes into...the Shin Godzilla title card...before a flash of red overtakes it and the title card for Shin Ultraman: A Fantasy Tokusatsu Film appears. All set to the audio of the original show's title card sequence, punctuated with the iconic trumpet blast.
The opening montage is one for the humans. Of the six Kaiju that appear in the montage, five of them are defeated with the JSGDF's firepower and scientists' ingenuity.
When Shin Gomess emerges from the tunnels, a battalion of tanks are sent in to defeat it. Unlike the nigh-impervious Shin Godzilla, this Gomess is defeated by tank fire by nightfall.
The Mammoth Flower is defeated with a two-prong attack on its weaknesses.
The frost-spewing Peguila is defeated after a scientist (unnamed, but implied to be Yumi Funaberi) figures out its weakness, allowing the JSGDF to bring it down.
The Kaigel and Pagos crises are both resolved under the newly-formed Katokutai.
The "battle" between Ultraman and Neronga. After getting back on its feet from the giant's landing, Neronga turns his horns forward and fires a high-power stream of electricity at Ultraman. Ultraman's response? He tanks it like it's nothing, just taking a few steps forward through the the sustained lightning. Once Neronga runs out of power, it starts turning invisible again to escape. But Ultraman doesn't panic. Instead, he slowly set up his Specium Beam, firing it directly at Neronga.
As Gabora's radioactive beam can cause immense radioactive damage to the environment, Ultraman tanks the beam and absorbs all the radiation, slowly advancing forwards with his hands outstretched, before killing the kaiju with a straight punch to its jaw.
How does Hiroko Asami get inside the room where Kaminaga is being held prisoner? She cuts through the door's deadbolt. With a buzzsaw.
Ultraman's battle against Zarab in and out of the latter's Imitation Ultraman form. When Imitation Ultraman attempts to flee, the real Ultraman fires the Spacium beam point-blank and launches the impostor into the sky, revealing him to be Zarab in disguise. All while the original Ultraman's victory theme plays in the background. The two extraterrestrials then engage in an intense aerial dogfight, culminating with Ultraman bisecting Zarab with an Ultra Slash.
Ultraman vs. Mefilas begins with the cordial extraterrestrial establishing his combat prowess by swatting the Ultra Slash that killed Zarab away with his bare hands like it's nothing. What follows is the most gripping, evenly-matched battle in the movie up to this point, with the ending being both combatants engaging in a Beam-O-War that ends with both of them firing their beams point-blank against each other. The fight being set to the absolutely awesome An Out Of Body State is just the icing on the cake.
The finale. Just one gargantuan CMOA for both humanity and Ultraman overall. With Zetton looming over to destroy the planet, and Ultraman having already lost once before, Taki and the greatest minds among humans work out part of the Beta Capsule technology and aids Ultraman with a plan for the final confrontation. Which consists of Ultraman activating his Beta Capsule a second time, creating a six-dimensional hole attack with which he must ram right through both Zetton's energy shield and fireball. All set to Is Humanity to Die?
Even better? The movie finally uses the classic rise sequence! They even use it a second time when Ultraman triggers the Beta Capsule a second time, with a new background reminiscent of Ultraman Ribut's rise sequence in Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga. And it's not just Fanservice for Ultraman fans—it's a weaponized rise sequence, allowing Ultraman to smash through Zetton's shield and neutralize the terakelvin projectile.
The Music
Shiro Sagisu returns to score the film, having composed Shin Godzilla prior, and this being his second Tsuburaya outing after SSSS.GRIDMAN. Just like with Shin Godzilla, he recreates classic tracks and adds his own modern flair to them, accompanied by his own tracks with rock, techno, and classical opera to make the giant battles seem even more bombastic.
The grand return of Ultraman's victory theme from the original show accompanies Ultraman finally turning the tide against the impostor and solidifying the SSSP's trust. The jazz is swapped out for electric guitar riffs, and for the final stretch the horns and brass are phased out completely and replaced with only the electric guitar. It manages to treat those who loved the original music just as much as they loved the original show.
is just the icing on the cake.