Kamen Rider J

Keita Amemiya's 1994 Japanese film is a feature from a long-running hero series. Three aliens in human form prepare a rite to feed a great being arriving on Earth. Kenji, investigating the deaths of animals and trees in the mountains, disrupts the rite and transforms to fight back. The film adds something to the series' usual pattern: the hero can reach giant size and the final battle is fought at that scale. Amemiya is known for his visual design; the costumes and creatures are handmade and the effects limited to what the period allowed. It runs short and the narrative moves straight into action. Who it's for: those who follow Japanese hero series. Who it's not for: viewers new to it; the film begins without explaining its rules and looks for no depth of character.