Kamen Rider Build and Lupinranger VS Patranger Summer Film Reviews

The Japan team of TokuNet reviews the summer movies of Kamen Rider Build and Lupinranger VS Patranger.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers. Please be advised.

Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en Film

Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs Keisatsu Sentai Patranger en film follows Kairi, LupinRed, and Keiichiro, Patren#1, the leaders of the Lupinranger and Patrangers, being captured by the Ganglers, forcing them to work together while the mysterious detective Herlock Sholmes (Naoki Tanaka) tracks the rest of the team.

The premise for the movie is the perfect setup for the divisive nature of two starring teams with different goals working together for once. However, due to Sentai summer movie’s short run time, it never gets to be fleshed out. That doesn’t hold the movie back from being jam packed with some of Sentai’s best ever choreographed action scenes and top notch cinematography that rivals and exceed any other mainstream movie. If you like LuPat, you’re going to be very happy here. – Tom, Senior Editor

I ended up missing a good chunk of the beginning (due to reasons), but from what I’ve watched, the film was a solid entry in the Super Sentai Summer movies. Some of the best action to date in the series you’ll find in this movie. And whether you’re a Lupinranger or Patranger fan, both Reds have moments to shine. Some scenes in the film don’t get fleshed out as much as they should (due to the running time), but the action at least will hold you over. – Tony, QC Editor

Considering there was only 30 minutes of screening time, it was filled with great action of both in suit and untransformed members, amazing camera action with surprising events in the story itself. Both Sentais had their time to shine, especially the two main characters Kairi (Lupin Red) and Keiichiro (Patoren #1) who were made to team up together in the Gangler world. The CGI of the two robots were awesome too, and it was new and refreshing to see two robots fighting together on the same scene (since they haven’t collaborated together in the tv series with their robots). Personally, I felt that the film was in climax all the time, filled with excitement in all scenes. – Riku, Translator

I am a Sentai person. I love all the movies. That is what I watch them. If I didn’t love Sentai the way I did, I would gladly wait for this to come out on (legitimate) streaming and wait for another absolutely delectable V-CiNext. HOWEVER. The action on this thing is absolutely brilliant and a perfect example of the marvelous craft tokusatsu is. The people making this had lots of fun both thinking up and executing these scenes. The CGI is noteworthy because…well, it is good! There was a glimpse of a script somewhere but it probably was my imagination. As a Pato fan, I felt the movie was nicely balanced and everyone had a chance to shine properly. – Kuni, Senior Editor

Kamen Rider Build: Be the One

Be the One takes place after the conclusion of the war seen in Kamen Rider Build. A new government has been established with new governors leading each part of the country, all of which are part of the carefully crafted “Build annihilation plan”, which sees Kiriyu Sento, Kamen Rider Build himself, becoming a target of every Japanese person. It’s a battle that will see Ryuga Banjo, Kamen Rider Cross-Z, and Kiriyu battle each other as well as the arrival of the mysterious and deadly Kamen Rider Blood. The trailer teases the “destroyed bonds between partners” while stating that “two people can bring about a miracle”.

I’m embarrassingly behind on Build and the movie is an integral piece to the show’s story, which went over my head, but that didn’t stop it from being very enjoyable. Narratively, it’s as serious as the TV show, although it has its fair share of laugh out loud moments. Kazuya Kamihoriuchi, the director of this and Heisei Generations FINAL, is a name you’ll have you to memorize soon as he’ll be the hot next thing.  You definitely will need to watch this to complete Build. – Tom

I’m happy to say that Be the One is one of the best summer films Toei has released. The first major sequence in this film is horrifying and hilarious (all I can say is, look out for the guy in the helicopter) but from that point on, I knew I was in for a ride. The comedy is some of the best I’ve seen in recent Kamen Rider films. And just like the TV series, you have moments of silence to really feel the weight of what’s happening with Sento. And if you’ve been watching the TV series, you know that’s some of the best scenes in the entire show.

As of this writing, the TV series hasn’t spoiled the movie. So if you haven’t had the chance to watch the film, I highly recommend you do when you get the chance. – Tony

Since the story focused mainly on the relationship between Sento and Ryuga, the movie had a serious mood pretty much throughout the whole time. Though it was serious, the comedy scenes were hilarious (especially Kazumi and Gentoku’s scene), and I’m sure it would make any Build fan laugh their heads off. Zi-O’s debut was awesome too, it was exciting to see the previous Riders and enemies again on screen. Another amazing summer Rider movie, a must-watch film for all Kamen Rider Build fans. – Riku

Build has the advantage of a very competent cast that gives the movie enough emotional weight for it to be taken seriously and providing legitimately funny moments. I think the biggest highlight of this particular movie is the many risks the director took building and shooting the story and seeing these attempts pay off generously. The weak points of the movie are the exact same weak points of every Kamen Rider Movie: some really outlandish plot points that almost rip you out of your suspension of disbelief, hence preventing you from enjoying the movie and the fact that you can skip the movie entirely without really missing anything (this last one is a very personal preference though). Three Quarters full bottle. – Kuni