Firstly, i am not a follower of the kamen rider series although i do know them since i was a kid. Kamen rider is pretty iconic in Japan and Asia, just like Ultraman and Godzilla.

Helmed by the brilliant Hideaki Anno, the mastermind behind the Shin series (Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman), this film stars Sosuke Ikematsu as Kamen Rider 1. What really drew me to this film is actually Minami Hamabe.

The story basically starts from the creation of Kamen Rider. Minami plays Ruriko Midorikawa, the daughter of the brilliant scientist Dr. Hiroshi Midorikawa, who is basically the creator of Kamen Rider 1. It's basically a story of the war between Kamen Rider and an "evil" organisation called "Shocker". Que the inverted comas because there's a reason for it. Watch it to find out.

I have been a fan of Minami Hamabe since forever. To see her reuniting with Emoto Tasuku (they both starred in the drama series Dr. White) is indeed a treat. I really loved her acting here. She just embodies her character really well.

The CGI used is pretty interesting. Some may find the fighting scenes rather dizzying or bloody but i personally enjoyed them. I liked the chemistry between Ruriko and the 2 Kamen Riders. Overall, the acting by all the casts were great. Although this is essentially an action-movie, there are some really well-done touching/sad scenes.

PS: there are actually quite a number of cameos by popular actors and actresses such as Masami Nagasawa and Yutaka Takenouchi. Keep an eye out for it.

Overall, this is a great watch. The storyline is good and consistent. Although this movie's box office performance isn't as good as the previous two shin series, it is still the highest grossing kamen rider film in history. I believe the lower box office gross is due more to the fact that the Kamen rider series itself is not as popular as that of Ultraman and Godzilla.

Is it worth the watch ? DEFINITELY!