This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Crappy film

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

First of all, the negative review(s) you might read here definitely do not reflect the opinion of all die-hard fans of the classic Kamen Rider series. You can see that their review 'usefulness rating' are very low anyway, meaning most people don't agree with their baseless reasons for bashing something new.I watched the original Kamen Rider series as a kid back in the 70s, and it was really good entertainment for the time. Rewatching these classics about 30 yrs later, I feel the nostalgia, but understandably not too impressed with the old fashion FX and fight choreography. So, pulling this franchise into the 21st century is a very good idea to me. I just couldn't get into the other "Rider" series because the story isn't about Hongo. And the Riders only look derivative of the original and therefore not as good.It really brought back fond memories when the classic title theme was played at the beginning of The First. I totally love the introduction of Kamen Rider 1. Since the character is introduced during the night, the light-up eyes effect was an excellent idea! The use of CG effects in the movie was well...very effective. Some good examples include: when Kamen Rider 1 jumped off the building landing on the ground with all the broken window glass around him. Also when Kamen Rider 1 and 2 are fighting each other, the concrete busting punches and kicks are really powerful looking. These are not just eye candy FX but used very effectively to show the invincibility of these super-human characters.As for the villains, the intricate wire-work was very well done. I especially liked the battle with 'The Spider' where high-flying moves are done in conjunction with speeding motorcycles and among trees. The original series (if watched today) lacked some of these FX scenes to thoroughly convince me that Kamen Riders have any real special powers. Well, other than the big kick that ends the show every time. But for a youngster in the 70s, that was enough to keep me role-playing "Kamen Rider" endlessly with my friends during recess. One other cool idea in this new franchise: we can see that the "grasshopper" heads of the Riders after transforming is really just a helmet. They can take it off to reveal their real human faces. This allows the actors a much greater range of emotions while they are Riders. It also confirms for me that the Rider transformation is just changing into the suit, not changing into another being like Ultraman. For Kamen Rider, I rather like the idea that they are still human inside.Overall if you were a fan of the original, I think The First is a must see, but still good entertainment if you just happen to like superheroes and anime. I hope that I'm not offending any fans of the other 'Rider' series when I say that they're just not the same as Kamen Rider. But "The First" successfully captures that magic from the past, and relaunch it with modern film production values. 9/10

I watched the movie recently. I gotta say I LOVED IT. Friggin' amazing.Pro:-Loved the romance between Hongo Takeshi, Asuka and Ichimonji Hayato. -Excellent acting. They were so good. -The Shockers. My gosh. I loved them all, especially Spider. -The subplot about two illness people who later became into Cobra and Snake. I loved that subplot. I must say it's nice to see them together and then became into villains. -The wire work were excellent. Well done. -The Choreography Fights were really well done. -The Legendary Actor who used to play as Kamen Rider V3, Hiroshi Miyauchi... it was NICE to see him in this movie. I hope he comes back in the sequel (If the rumor is true). Hiroshi Miyauchi FOREVER!Bat looks very interesting and it reminds me of Agent Aburera from Dekaranger.Con:-One thing that bothers me, it's like something went go fast. I wish they put the UNCUT version in that movie, just like Hakaider Movie. But heck, it was very enjoyable to watch.Overall, this movie gets an A-. Good plot and subplot as well. Also, Behind-The-Scenes was really cool. I must say it's a worth to buy it and watch the movie!!I'm definitely looking forward to see the sequel...if the rumor is true.HENSHIN!

A lot of people seem to dislike this movie. I don't know why though, I really liked it. I've just recently gotten into the Kamen Rider series, but that doesn't mean I only like the new stuff. I've only see Kamen Rider Den-O and all of Kamen Rider Black (which many think is the best), and I really liked this movie. The fight scenes were great, though they could have been longer, and I loved the costume design on the Riders. The story was pretty good and the acting seemed quite good. Maybe I'm wrong though, I don't speak Japanese...Anyways, if there is one thing I wanna say about this, it's that you should give it it a chance. Some people like it, some people don't. See for yourself!

Next to Ultraman, Godzilla and possibly Tetsuwan Atom, Kamen Rider is probably one of the most recognized of the Japanese heroes. Ever since his debut in 1971, Ishinomori Shoutaro's insect-themed, motorcycle riding, "bug-eyed" hero has become an almost iconic character to millions of fans not only in Japan but also across the world. The original Kaman Rider series ran for an amazing 98 episodes and spawned a long running franchise which lasts to this day. Nagaishi Takao's "Kamen Rider: The First" is the first attempt to revisit the original hero in nearly two decades (although several "new" Kamen Riders have appeared since). While "Kamen Rider: The First" does a good job at attempting to reinvent and update the original Kamen Rider character for a 21st Century audience, it also tries its hardest to appease fan boys of the original 1973 series (who are now probably now in their early 30s) . The resultant movie is however an odd hybrid that doesn't quite know what it wants to be – tribute, redo or reinterpretation? By looks alone it would seem that director Nagaishi wanted to go with a tribute to original TV story. The subtle changes to the Kamen Rider costumes for example are not striking and stay very true to the original costume designs of the hero characters. The global evil organization "Shocker" is back again as the main antagonist with even one of its original leaders, Shinegami Hakase portrayed by the late, great Amamoto Hideo making an appearance (interestingly Nagaishi's decision to use stock footage of Amamoto in character in the movie parallels Bryan Singer's similar decision to use stock footage of Marlon Brando in the upcoming "Superman Returns" film). There are also other casting winks at the franchise with several actors from other Kamen Rider TV series playing parts in this movie, the other most notable cameo being Miyauchi Hiroshi (who portrayed Kamen Rider V3) portraying Rider mentor Tachibana Tobei.Yet as with Kitamura Ryuhei's recent "Godzilla: Final Wars", KRTF is also quite a bit different from the original (not all for the best). While the original Kamen Riders #1 and #2 were cyborgs, these new "Hoppers" are alluded to be biologically altered humans with no cybernetic enhancements (quite possibly to make them more akin to "Spider-Man"). In fact, much emphasis is placed on the fact that these Kamen Riders needed to undergo periodic "blood transfusions" in order to survive (although it quickly becomes forgotten towards the ending half of the movie).While the opponents are updated variants of his past villains albeit with more modern touches, they are revealed to be just elaborately costumed humans with genetically enhanced bodies, unlike the TV series in which they were altered human fused with the DNA of animals and given cybernetic weaponry.As with some recent Hollywood adaptations of superhero characters ("Daredevil", "Fantastic Four") a lot of the more fantastical elements that made the Kamen Rider TV series so endearing to viewers (the grand conquest schemes, the diabolical costumed monsters, the cheesy SFX, the tongue-in-cheek banter) all seem to be purposely suppressed in favor of more "adult drama" and realism. Unfortunately as was the case in "Fantastic Four", KRTF also suffered from the tweaking. The Shocker organization of the movie seemed more like a criminal cartel or mob than a global menace. I missed the likes of the Ex-Nazi reject Col. Zoru, and the flamboyant, whip wielding crazy Ambassador Hell and the sneering despot Black Shogun. As young and attractive as both Sada and ISSA are they made Shocker look more like the "Brat Pack" than a terrorist threat.There were some missed opportunities with the story as well that I wish were explored further.One of the most interesting aspects of the film was Shockers' exploitation of the characters of Haruhiko and Miyoko. Shocker used their terminal conditions as a meaning of recruiting them into their organization with the promise to ending their suffering. I wish this angle could have been expanded and elaborated further as it brought an interesting dimension to the story. What if Shocker had used the hospital as a front for its sinister recruitment and abduction plans? "Cobra" and "Snake" while not seen much in their "kaizou" (altered) forms are much more interesting if not ultimately tragic villains. In fact their stories made them even more sympathetic characters than the heroes. Nagaishi must have felt a connection with their plights as he devoted almost as much screen time to them as he did the main protagonists (which unfortunately made the heroes even more one-dimensional). It would have been interesting if similar back stories could have been applied to not only Hongo and Hayato but perhaps even to both "Bat" and "Spider", who unfortunately were just relegated to atypical shadowy movie ghouls.The overall acting from all the principals was passable if not undistinguished and the action was serviceable but not extraordinary given other similar films like "Cutie Honey" and "Casshern". I was halfway expecting the almost titanic struggles that faced the original Kamen Riders in their Toei movies of the 70's but alas this newest movie left me somewhat under whelmed and disappointed with its somewhat low key approach.