Ultraman: The Next (2004)
Dir. Kazuya Konaka
The article states that the film is part of a three-phase reinvention called the Ultra N Project, an undertaking that was designed to reinvent the hero for an older audience. That seemed like an excellent jumping on point for someone like me.
Prior to it I was watching the awful Ultraman Ginga TV series. The difference is staggering.
The titular hero doesn't appear until approx 40+ minutes into the running time. Until then it focuses mostly on crafting a drama about an F-15 pilot named Shunichi (Tetsuya Bessho) who loves to fly almost as much as he loves his wife and young son.
