Following the positive reception and success of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs Uchuu Keiji Gavan, Toei decided to commemorate the 30th Anniversary ofthe Uchuu Keiji series with yet another movie mainly focusing on the titular hero, entitled Uchuu Keiji Gavan THE MOVIE, which also serves as a sequel to the original series.
After a failed mission to Mars and losing his childhood friend and partner, Okuma Toya, at the same time, Jumonji Geki was rescued by the legendary Ichijoji Retsu (played by Ooba Kenji). He was then trained and groomed to be the next Space Sheriff to inherit the codename of Gavan. Together with his senior Space Sheriffs, Hyuga Kai (Sharivan #2) and Karasuma Shu (Shaider #2), he is tasked to stop the revival of Don Horror.
Following popular demand from the fans, Kai and Shu returned with their very own movies, entitled Uchuu Keiji Sharivan NEXT GENERATION and Uchuu Keiji Shaider NEXT GENERATION respectively. Hyuga Kai and Karasuma Shu have been tasked to investigate cases masterminded by the mysterious Horror Girl, along with Geki.
FIRST THOUGHTS
I remember coming across rumours about a new guy replacing Ooba as Gavan not long after Gokaiger vs Gavan and since I fairly enjoyed the movie mainly because of Gavan, I was immediately interested and was happy when the rumour turned out true. While the movie did not received many positive responses, it was one of the Toei Hero movies that I’ve enjoyed the most in that year. It was also quite a treat when they decided to make movies for the new Sharivan and Shaider as well.
THE POSITIVES
Because they are sequels to the original trilogy rather than reboots, which has become a trend even in Japan, there was hardly anything I find jarring or too different as the messages conveyed in the original series was still kept intact, as well as the execution of the transformation scenes. Even though I have not seen the original trilogy, I was still able to enjoy what was thrown onscreen and it certainly paid a lot of respect to the original trilogy. Bonus points are Ooba and Watari Hiroshi returning to reprise their roles as the original Gavan and Sharivan respectively.
WHAT WENT WRONG
As stated above, there was nothing to hate about the movies for me, though they could have been more creative with the storyline for Uchuu Keiji Sharivan NEXT GENERATION, as it was too similar to Uchuu Keiji Gavan THE MOVIE.
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
If you have seen and loved the original Space Sheriff trilogy, then yes, you should definitely check it out! If you are worried that it is a complete reboot, have no fear, because it is absolutely NOT a reboot. As mentioned above, it is a sequel to its respective series with references to the original Space Sheriff trilogy.
Verdict: 4 out of 5 Makuu Spaces!