As the Super Sentai rapidly approaches its 50th anniversary we've seen the format played around with a bit in recent shows, but there are some traditions that just seem to be set in stone. One such example is the Toei's annual Summer movie double bill, in which Super Sentai usually draws the short straw compared to the longer and more elaborate Kamen Rider offering. 2024 is no exception, as Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit screened alongside Kamen Rider Gotchard: The Future Daybreak. The first big-screen outing for the 48th Super Sentai series (but now officially 49th team), the film was written by series show runner Atsuhiro Tomioka and directed by main director Shojiro Nakazawa.
When the Planet Trickle is conquered by the Hashiriyans and its people arrested, its Princess Nicola Keydoor flees to Earth! She is pursued there by Demon Thunder, a high ranking Hashiriyan with the fastest lap time to conquer a planet. Demon Thunder has issued an ultimatum - either the Earth hand over the Princess or he will obliterate it with a planet-destroying missile from space.
While the ISA has opted to comply with the Hashiriyans, Shirabe Saibu tasks the Boonboomgers with defeating Demon Thunder before the missile is launched. The Hashiriyan Catching Captain isn't alone though, creating a Karumaju that hijacks the Boonboom cars! As the Boonboomgers race to save they day, they also teach the Princess what it truly means to put your hands on own steering wheel.
Between King-Ohger slightly playing with the format and whatever the hell Donbrothers was doing, Boonboomger's first movie outing feels like a return to business as usual. The half-hour runtime doesn't allow for much more than an extended episode, and even the plot bears some similarity to previous movie offerings from the franchise (particularly Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger). As such Promise the Circuit isn't really a film looking to break the Super Sentai mould, but like the series it stems from have a whole lot of fun within it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - in fact it makes the film fantastic comfort viewing, particularly with how entertaining Boonboomger has been in general. That said it returns to a time when these films stood out a lot less, particularly now when they don't even have features like new movie-exclusive mecha to show off.
What we do get though is a very enjoyable adventure that does a good job of highlighting the Boonboomgers as a team. One could perhaps argue that Taiya and Mira get a little more focus than the others (and that's arguably true of the series as well), but overall its reasonably balanced between the members and they all get a moment to shine - whether it be story-driven or comedically. The same can also be said for Saibu, who as usual works brilliantly both as an ally to the Boonboomgers and an easy source of comic relief. Though both title of the film and the appearance of all the Boonboom Cars at a racetrack at the beginning of the film perhaps suggest that it might be a little more race-orientated, it seems the show is still presumably saving that for its big finale.
As far as new characters are concerned there isn't a whole lot to say about Princess Nicola Keydoor, other than the show's continued brilliance when it comes to ridiculous naming puns. For the majority of the film she's both quiet and reserved, her appearance mainly for the sake of plot but also adding some nice scenes with Mira where she explains why they are helping her and what she's learned since becoming a Boomboonger. Though she isn't necessarily telling the audience anything they already know, its a good way of showing how far she's come over the course of the series and an opportunity for her to help someone the same way Taiya helped her. That all said, one of Boonboomger's "Final Lap" posters does feature her necklace, which means the character may have some relevance later on in the show. Of course this could end up just being her mentioned or included somehow to properly tie the film into the show's canon (just like how a movie-exclusive mecha would often make a surprise appearance toward the end of a series), but the repeated shots lingering on the necklace could suggest otherwise. The film also features a cameo from Japanese YouTuber HIKANIN, who might not have quite as much impact on those unfamiliar with him but even in that instance provides some fun little scenes as well as a little bit of fourth wall breaking as he is hastily pushed aside for the film's main plot.
The rotation of Hashiriyan generals throughout the show already lends itself well to the introduction of a movie-exclusive villain, and Demon Thunder is able to make a relatively good impression here without overstaying his welcome or feeling like he should have had a more extended run in the series itself. Though a bit more one-dimensional than his series counterparts, he fits the story well while the formula one car motif is both a great fit for the Hashiriyans and Boonboomger's overall aesthetic. Personality-wise he's a little more on the sinister side, but of course the Sanseater trio aren't too far behind to balance things out. Also assisting Demon Thunder however is Circuit Grumer - a Karumaju with both a great design and a gimmick that film doesn't really capitalise on enough. Having the Boonboom cars turn against them could and should have been a much bigger part of the story, but instead largely comes off as just another flashy attack rather than something that could have had some emotional resonance.
But when it comes to spectacle Super Sentai movies still definitely know how to deliver some great action set pieces that surely look even better upon the big screen. Promise the Circuit revs up into high gear from the very beginning, opening with an exhilarating forest fight sequence where the team face off against some familiar foes. This is later followed up with a high-speed chase scene that lives up on Boomboonger's name, before finally bringing it all together for an action-packed finale at a location that is indisputably the home of Super Sentai movie finales. Even the roll call sequence is suitably amped up, bringing in both Bundorio and Byun Diesel to finally make it a whole team affair. Even if the running time doesn't suggest so, you can always rely on a Summer movie to feel like a bigger deal visually. However it is disappointing to see the film forgo the usual mecha sequence to round it all off, because although the franchise has become a lot more lax about them in recent years it feels like a much bigger part of Boonboomger's DNA.
Much like how the series itself feels like a return to the classic Sentai formula, Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit is very much a return to the standard Summer movie setup. That is, for better or for worse, a perfectly enjoyable if somewhat unremarkable standalone adventure. Though it may feature all the usual tropes fans have been seeing in these films for decades, the strength of the Boonboomger cast is more than enough to see it through. There are plenty of fun moments, but with both a cast and theme like this once again you can't help but wonder what it would be like if these films were allowed to be slightly bigger. Who knows, maybe things will change once the franchise as the franchise hits that big milestone in 2025.
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