Since 1966, Tsuburaya Productions has been giving the world the Ultraman world of movies, series and mangas…and there have been several. This weekend, Netflix released a sleek computer animated feature based on the franchise, and it is pretty good!

The animation is beautifully done, particularly the backgrounds, and for once there is a message of the importance of a good father in a family. I love to see that. However, the main goal was all in good fun with a cute baby kaiju and sight gags a plenty. Plus Gen X legend Gedde Watanabe voices a significant role in the film. It’s a fun watch for families, but if you’re an Ultraman purist, it isn’t going to be a standout.

I do recommend it for a fun evening escape.

However, what caught my eye, or ear rather, were three of the songs featured in the soundtrack, most notably, one old school punk memory triggerer from…the Sex Pistols?

Yes, in one moment of hijinks, you do hear the punk icons’ “Pretty Vacant” prominently featured:

The soundtrack also later features the catchy “Blue Heart” from Japanese punk band 10-Feet, formed in the late 1990s. This release is from 2019, and it is cool to hear it included.

One thing to note: the soundtrack, composed by Scot Stafford, took advantage of the popular vocaloid technology for the theme of the baby kaiju, Emi. No, this song isn’t a banger, but if you listen you’ll hear he used the voice of a very famous vocaloid, Hatsuni Miku. That in itself is really cool.

The show’s theme is a collaboration between DJs Diplo and Oliver Tree, but much better was the end credits song from a relatively new artist Alicia Creti. It had a great R&B bluesy sound and was a nice way to wrap up the show.

Ultraman: Rising is currently streaming on Netflix.