Ever since her mother passed away, resourceful 12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) has been living alone in their apartment on the outskirts of London. She has no problem taking care of herself, making money by stealing bikes and keeping social workers off her back by pretending to live with an uncle. But her charming life is upended by the arrival of Jason (Harris Dickinson), her absent and carefree father whose sudden reappearance forces Georgie to confront her reality.

With her debut film, British director Charlotte Regan makes her voice heard with this bold, vibrant and joyful tale of two emotionally tangled people. Although you’d expect similarities to last year’s brilliant Aftersun, Scrapper somehow manages to sidestep all of the trappings you’d expect of tales about father-daughter relationships and working-class life to deliver a breath of fresh air for British filmmaking.

Originating as a Japanese television series in 1966, Ultraman followed the adventures of a giant humanoid alien who comes to Earth to defend humanity from all manner of cosmic monsters AKA kaiju. If that sounds a bit campy, rest assured that it absolutely is – and this big-screen reboot lovingly leans into that with gloriously retro storytelling and effects. It hails from the same duo behind 2016’s Shin Godzilla, and they once again deliver a fresh, modern take on a well-known Japanese pop culture icon designed to enthral both new viewers and age-old fans alike.

The film follows members of a special government task force who are working to defeat the pesky kaiju continually attacking Japan (and only Japan). That is, until Ultraman unexpectedly appears to save the day before vanishing just as quickly. Is he a friend or foe? And will he return when they are next in need?