Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 6, 2020

This is the movie only release for the 2017 film 'Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds!' The featureless disc is identical to that found in the Mill Creek's larger 'Ultraman Orb' Series + Movie Set. The film was briefly covered in that review, and find below a full video and audio review, as well as new screenshots, for this individual release which Mill Creek brought to market several months after that complete collection. At time of writing, there is no individual release housing only the TV series, making this release redundant for those who already purchased the boxed set.

Official synopsis: A mysterious item is delivered to paranormal investigators SSP. SSP members Naomi, Jetta and Shin determine that it is a transformation device… the X Devizer that housed Ultraman X both during and after his merging with Xio agent Daichi Oozora (Kensuke Takahashi). Gai Kurenai (Hideo Ishiguro), the human form of Ultraman Orb returns from his wanderings to search for X… unaware that this is just the first sign of a new threat to the Earth. The villainous space witch Mulnau has allied with Ultraman Orb's arch enemy Jugglus Juggler to use the Dark Ring she now possesses. The dark ring draws the most evil hearts in the universe and amplifies the owner's abilities, giving Mulnau the power to capture the three Ultra Warriors, Ultraman X, Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Victory and transform them into jewels for her collection. Jugglus aids her for reasons of his own, while the evil Troops of Aliens of the Planetary Invasion Coalition lurk sinisterly...

Unfortunately the movie struggles to find an engaging distinction against the TV show, playing with the same feel for cadence and construction, only extending the length to what amounts to about 2.5-3 episodes worth of runtime. Make no mistake, the story is fine, the action is fine, the acting is fine, the visuals are fine...but "fine" doesn't really cut it, unless one's expectations for the movie are limited to an extended continuation of the television show with no broader scope or scale. The film does explore the universe by way of crossover guest appearances, which manages to give it something of a draw beyond the standard fare Orb television episode, but it's merely an expansion on what Orb has been about from the beginning rather than any kind of revelation. It's a fair send-off but fans might understandably be left frustrated if only by unfulfilled expectation.

Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As is typical with modern Ultraman Blu-ray releases from Mill Creek -- Ultraman Geed, Ultraman X, etc. -- Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! looks terrific on the 1080p format. Colors are bold and bountiful, showcasing brilliant and fully saturated tones across a wide spectrum of sources, from Ultra costumes and Kaiju suits to natural greenery, from colorful action delights to loud clothing colors. The image rarely relents from a steady diet of perfect color output, punctuated by superior black levels and perfectly realized skin tones. Clarity is excellent, too, yielding richly realized textural elements which include essentials like character skin and hair, clothing fabric definition, and of course the Ultra and Kaiju suits which in close-up are showcases for this resolution, allowing viewers to soak in every fine detail, particularly in the Kaiju costumes which are often bumpier and more complexly designed in contrast to the more streamlined Ultra suits. Environmental details offer textural abundance as well. The picture suffers from little in terms of banding, noise, aliasing, and other maladies often associated with digital shoots.

Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For whatever reason, the Japanese language DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack (the only audio option for the film; optional English subtitles are included and default to "on") lags a bit behind the Orb TV series, lacking the same authoritative depth and density, spread and spaciousness even in the two channel configuration. The opening battle on the Hawaiian island lacks both width and muscle. It's not aggressive, not particularly loud or engaging at reference volume, sounding more shallow and cramped compared to the TV show. There's a fair feel for depth to stomps and gunfire during a fight in chapter three. Core definition is fine, music enjoys sound clarity and a modest effort at width, but expect little stray overall from the imaged center portion of the stage. Dialogue does benefit from the center localization and is adequately detailed and prioritized.

Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This individual Blu-ray release of Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! is identical to the disc Mill Creek bundled into the TV series set. That disc contains no extras, and neither does this one. The main menu screen offers only options to "Play" the movie and toggle subtitles on and off. Mill Creek has included a MovieSpree digital copy code. However, no DVD disc is included and this release does not ship with a slipcover.

Ultraman Orb: The Movie - Lend Me the Power of Bonds! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Little truly "disappoints" in the Ultraman universe if only because there's so little deviation that disappointment can only really come in the finer points, not the sweeping details, which are often interchangeable one series, even one generation, to the next. Such is certainly true with the Orb movie, which plays without much oomph behind it, following essential guidelines but not distinguishing itself all that much beyond its runtime. Story is decent, action is fine, but it never really grabs the audience in a way that would see the film thrive and stand apart form the series it follows. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is plenty good, however, featuring exceptional video and decent, if not slightly lacking, audio. No extras are included, but that's par for the course for these Ultraman releases. A Movie Spree digital copy of the film is also included, allowing fans to enjoy it on the go. The movie and the Blu-ray are recommended, but more so as part of the set which includes the corresponding TV series; this release is entirely superfluous for anyone who already own the set.