[Daikaijuman54]

Oh boy, Movie War Mega Max! I actually really enjoyed this- *Director's Cut* Well, jokes on me. Looks like I'll just talk about the normal version.

The OOO portion: For context, when I first watched this movie, I had never seen OOO, yet that didn't prevent me from enjoying this section. Kamen Rider Poseidon is one of my favorite Movie Rider designs, and the fact that he follows OOO aesthetic was a really neat detail, given that Kougami gave him those (what a guy), of course, Aqua being a souped up, water-themed Ichigo is also great (Jet Ski Rider!). I did rewatch this when Toei Tokusatsu World uploaded this during their 50th anniversary celebration, so I was able to appreciate this so much more. I really should get around to the OOO movies...

The Fourze Portion: I can't dislike Gentarou. Ever. Heck, the whole cast is impossible for me to hate, especially after having seen Fourze so long ago. I was watching Fourze at this point right when the movie would air during the show's run, so that was fun. After learning the cast is reference to the Showa Riders, the whole Kamen Rider club performance made so much sense to me now (I still love Gentarou doing Stronger's transformation pose when they noticed JK was missing). Nadashiko was a fun addition, despite how simple the plot was, but when it comes to Fourze, all of this just fits so well. I still love the scene where they're all pursuing Foundation X trying to recover Nadashiko, seeing the supporting cast stand alongside the main Rider is just golden.

The W portion: I also never saw W at this point in my first watch, and I still can't get used to short-haired Phillip. But I wasn't too taken aback by Joker, since I saw the W and Decade movie with Skull.

Mega Max: I know it was at the beginning, but seeing the Showa Riders is always something I enjoy, despite having never completed any of the Showa shows. Maybe it's because I like their goofy designs as the Showa nutcase I am, or maybe it's just seeing such classic designs continue to have a presence all this way (Imagine if Marvel stayed with their original designs for the MCU ).

Getting back on track, the final boss looks dumb, even during my first watch, I've tried figuring out if his design was based on any previous Toei work or something, since many of Fourze's opponents seem to be, but never got around to it. Anyway, seeing W, OOO, and Fourze together getting to know each other will always be some of my favorite interactions in Toku (amazing how a Highschool boy is taller than a self-proclaimed Hard Boiled Detective). But boy is the action tons of fun, from seeing the three Heisei Phase 2 Riders using all of their forms to blast at hordes of enemies, to the Showa Riders showing the new kids they can still take out the villains, and of course, the obligatory Movie forms. I'm going to be that guy and say that I love Super TaTo Ba, which might have been the inspiration for the first Power-Up forms used by some of the later seasons (like RabbitTank Sparkling), and Rocket States is a fun form, whose color scheme I actually really like.

Overall, it's a fun movie, maybe it's not the best, maybe the Showa Riders are just shoe-horned in because it's the 40th Anniversary (Which they are), but I enjoyed this, even as one of my early Rider movie experiences.