[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

("The Best Rider Movie", though... that first Heisei Generations, maybe, for partly nostalgic reasons, but I also think it's sort of perfect in the storytelling and pacing?

When Heisei Generations came out, I really loved it and thought there was a strong chance it'd end up being another movie I'd keep coming back to over and over the same way as Mega Max. It just sorta didn't end up being that for me? Despite the bold claim I just made, I wouldn't necessarily fight anybody who tried to tell me Heisei Generations is a more narratively cohesive film, but despite all the things it has in its favor, it's never quite been in my heart the way this one is.

It might honestly be the Showa reverence that pushes Mega Max over the edge for me? When I say Mega Max is probably The Best Rider Movie, it sort of means something obnoxiously specific in my head that's worth explaining. It's not about it being my favorite (still Paradise Lost!), it's not about me believing it's better crafted by some list of objective metrics (there are actually quite a few out there that are this awesome in their own ways, including the other two you mentioned) -- it's just like, so holistic as a Kamen Rider experience in way that's so hard to beat.

That's one of the benefits that comes with it being less focused on doing one specific thing. It kind of does everything all at once -- so many characters, so much big mindlessly fun action, but also some actual storytelling to chew on -- and it happens to be really really good at doing all of those things individually, while also doing a decent enough job tying it together just enough for it to all flow smoothly, even when there isn't actually much connecting plenty of the elements when you stop to think about it. I don't actually know if it IS The Best Rider Movie, but it feels like the one that deserves the title of The Best Rider Movie the most to me.