Steve Reviews: Pokemon The First Movie

0:00 so not too long ago I attended the MCM Comic Con in London they will never find the more wretched Hive of scum and villene the best place for all your ludicrously overpriced merch surrounded by a group of degenerates whose closest interaction with a shower had been when their ceiling sprung a league but it's also the best place to hang out and chat with fellow nerds nerds such as myself and of course I went to Comic-Con dressed as my usual Ash Ketchum outfit yes I'm not cool being dressed as someone from Pokemon naturally gears you towards other Pokemon fans and so the common discussions begin to take place was Charmander the best gen 1 Starter Pokemon are gold and silver the best

0:45 Game Boy games and would you rather do Officer Jenny over Nurse Joy the answer to all of these questions is of course yes but then there was a question that did not have such a unanimous answer and that was did the first Pokemon movie actually suck now don't get me wrong as a kid I freaking love this film I mean it was the goddamn Pokemon movie but but I did remember leaving the cinema with a bit of a grudge and not liking it as much as I should have not even caring to watch it again for many years after but I can't quite remember why that was the case the hype around this film back in the day was insane everyone was playing the games everyone was watching the

1:31 shows and the trading cards pretty much had a black market cult to them and now we were getting the film that was going to Star both Mew and Mewtwo two mysterious yet powerful Pokemon which have been teased in the TV show and the fact that you needed to put in a cheat code or glitch the [ __ ] out of your game to even get new on the Game Boy made it all the more mysterious and desirable the film was also further hyped by the marketing campaign trailers posters and behind the scenes sneak peeks were everywhere Burger King did these awesome gold-plated Pokemon cards that would come in a protective Pokemon ball and when going to see the film in cinemas you'd even get this awesome looking ancient Mew card yeah this was gonna to be one hell of a watch the epic battle between Mew and Mewtwo so we get into

2:17 the cinema and we're ready to jump into this bad boy and and what the hell is this [ __ ] yeah so before the main film even begins we were given this separate segment at the beginning titled Pikachu's vacation this short film has nothing to do with the main film and I imagine it was only included to make up for the unusually short 75 minute run time of the main film but honestly the shot is okay in on itself Ash's Pokemon meet a group of rival Pokemon they have some competitions between each other before finally deciding to work together to free a stock Charizard though I'm pretty sure Onyx alone could have easily freed him all by himself but hey Teamwork Makes the Dream Work right because there's no dialogue from the Pokemon

3:02 trainers much of the humor comes from visual gags which is always nice those speaking of visuals there are these weird cut shots between scenes of random Pokemon some are cute and others are just weird what the hell are they smoking as a kid I didn't mind seeing this short film it was more Pokemon content after all plus we also got a sneak peek at two of The Next Gen Pokemon so that was pretty neat but now that that's all done onwards to the main film oh boy and man you know you're cocky with your franchise and you're already calling it the first Pokemon movie now I'm fairness by the time the English dub was getting released Japan had already made the second movie so they knew another one was coming there will be more Pokemon

3:48 movies we're hopeful that next year we'll be introducing yet a second movie and after that a third one so there will be many more movies in the Pokemon franchise it opens with a group of scientists who have successfully cloned what they deem to be the most powerful Pokemon in the world Mewtwo cloned from the legendary Pokemon Mew upon Awakening Mewtwo questions what the purpose of his creation was and after hearing that he was nothing more than an experiment he lashes out destroying both the lab and the scientists we dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokemon and we succeeded Jesus this got dark fast we've gone from the fun and light-hearted Pikachu's vacation to the mass murder of

4:35 scientists from a tortured soul and that's not even with the darker deleted scene that was in the original Japanese version but I'll be talking more about that later Giovanni the leader of the criminal organization Team Rocket sees Mewtwo's power and offers to team up with him promising Mewtwo that he'll help him control his powers but after Mewtwo learns that Giovanni season is nothing more than a servant U2 once again lashes out and escapes which was actually a scene we saw back in the TV series apparently certain episodes from the anime were intended to tie in with the events in the film and would act as a kind of prequel to the main film is that Pokemon unknown no available data no data though due to the

5:21 controversy going on with the Porygon episode causing seizures amongst some audiences this ended up delaying the tie-in episodes though an interesting idea I do think it's better just to have the film as its own Standalone product and not be reliant on external episodes to fill in any plot gaps as you're just gonna end up alienating some of the audience I suppose we did get a bit of a tie-in episode for when Gary ended up battling Mewtwo in the TV series but you didn't need to see that in order to understand what was going on in the film Mewtwo heads back to his original Island declaring war on both humanity and Pokemon I will find my own purpose Purge this planet of all who oppose me the reign of Mewtwo

6:08 will soon begin huh bit of a character shift he goes from wanting to find his purpose in life to suddenly wanting to purge the world of everyone in it man Mewtwo had a bigger shift in character than Daenerys in Game of Thrones [Music] you know what [ __ ] those bells now it's worth noting that in the Japanese dub Mewtwo's character is handled completely different but again I'll talk about the differences between the US and Japanese dub later on in the video we then cut to our main Trio Ash Brock and Misty where Ash is getting into a Pokemon battle with a random trainer that's right I am too weak to work for the Pokemon battle isn't work

6:53 that progress at least his mouth is working I must admit I do love this opening scene it has a pretty sick cover of the standard Pokemon theme song and we get to see how the animation has been stepped up from the TV series and hold the [ __ ] up that's not one of the original Pokemon yeah seen the first hints of the next generation of Pokemon was a pretty big deal back then I remember me and my best friend at the time absolutely creaming our pants when we first saw this not literally though this fight is awesome my one gripe with it is that despite Golem here being a rock type Pikachu somehow manages to electrocute him boy I really hope somebody got fired for that plunder seeing his remarkable

7:39 performance Ash is then invited by a Dragonite to a Pokemon tournament where only the greatest Pokemon trainers are allowed oh and uh fun fact the crew joked at how dragonite's handbag might actually create a fashion trend amongst men I mean steady on guys carrying a handbag around is what got Tinky Winky banned in some countries no seriously [Applause] uh is there a rewind button oh Brock you borderline sexual predator you it's a girl girl oh yeah you're right about that she can violate my rights the gang arrive at the Port where they hope to set off for the island I love how this is meant to be an invite for the greatest trainers in the world and this guy's just brought

8:25 along his freaking canopy respect unfortunately due to a bad storm no boats are sailing from the harbor and it's been told that the Pokemon center is closed due to missing a Nurse Joy she sure looks familiar yep I mean all the nurse Joys look practically identical not to miss out on the tournament some of the trainers decide to brace the storm and set out on their Pokemon to the island with our Trio taking a boat from Team Rocket disguised as Vikings still existed not being from America I had to look up what this line meant and it turns out to be a little joke at the Minnesota Vikings football team perhaps I'll alter my own version tailored for a British audience I didn't

9:10 know Vikings still existed and despite the boat getting capsized the trio managed to make it to the island with the few other Pokemon trainers that also managed the weather's storm it's capable of braving the storm have proven themselves worthy in my Master's eyes which means I'm guessing this random trainer on the Pharaoh must have died from the chat for fearodude live the life without fear row though I'm telling you it's a good thing this guy with the Caterpie didn't also make it to the island otherwise he would have obliterated Mewtwo's ass and this film would have been over I decided to fly over it was easy hurricane Windsor a breeze for Pidgeotto here uh actually that's a Pidgeot not a

9:56 pidgeotto boy I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder the trainers have then shown that the person behind all this is Mewtwo to which one of the other trainers is outraged that a Pokemon can't also be a Pokemon trainer [Applause] and it's revealed that Mewtwo's assistant is actually the missing Nurse Joy to absolutely no one's surprise whatsoever [Music] probably not the first one to say that in Brock's presence meanwhile Team Rocket sneak into the island via a side entrance and discover a lab which is creating clones of Pokemon Mewtwo then

10:43 summons these clones claiming them to be superior to the original Pokemon and so pitzy's clone Pokemon against the China's original oh boy now we get to see Charizard in action arguably Ash's most powerful Pokemon and my personal favorite this is gonna be amazing just like how he epically defeated magma in the TV series let's [ __ ] go Charizard oh yeah so the Clones make pretty short work of The Originals and though it was disappointing to see Charizard get his ass kicked I'm not gonna lie when were you watching this film that fight scene still gives me goosebumps [Music] after the originals have been defeated

11:29 Mewtwo now starts capturing them along with the other Pokemon where they are taken to the lab to be made into more clones that is a sand slash not a Sandshrew and that's a Scyther not even remotely close to an Alakazam did the English dub crew even watch the show apparently four kids did respond to the errors and said they decided to leave them in when they noticed it as one it was signed for the kids to point out and two it would be in character for Team Rocket to get the Pokemon names wrong I don't know that just sounds like a we couldn't be asked to change it kind of excuse boy I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder Pikachu also gets captured but Ash

12:15 manages to grab one of Mewtwo's balls that sounds a bit weird and in turn causes the Pokemon clone machine to break the Clones are hatched and make their way to Mewtwo but Ash and The Originals aren't too far behind all right yeah I know it's a kid's show with some pretty cheesy moments but my God this scene really takes the mantle but man this moment must have really given Ash main character syndrome as despite witnessing Mewtwo withstand a flamethrower and even a Hyper Beam attack Ash now thinks he can defeat Mewtwo with a single punch [Music] ouch just as Mewtwo is about to end Dash Ash does manage to get some main character

13:01 plot armor as he is saved by the legendary Pokemon Mew I actually really like mew's personality in this his happy-go-lucky and almost childlike Persona conflicts perfectly with the serious and quick to anger tone of Mewtwo determined to prove he is stronger Mewtwo challenges Mew to a fight along with his Clone Army against the originals you don't prove anything by showing off a lot of special powers and that a Pokemon's real strength comes from the heart yeah because it really seemed to be that way earlier so a battle commences against the clones and we get what is probably the most controversial part of the whole film this just proves that fighting is wrong yeah so the franchise which is basically just glorified cockfighting is now trying to preach to us about how

13:49 fighting is wrong this would be like if Thomas the Tank Engine tried to preach to us about the use of fossil fuels it's a good message in on itself but it's in the wrong film Pokemon aren't meant to fight not like this what are you talking about this is exactly how Pokemon fly they even have moves such as bite tackle and scratch hell they fire [ __ ] laser beams at one another and in the wild according to various Pokedex entries they even prey on one another you absolute [ __ ] munchers now this is where I'm going to talk about the Japanese version compared to the US version the original Japanese dub of the film has a much bigger focus on existentialism and what it means to be a

14:35 clone so when the originals and clones are fighting it's less so that fighting itself is bad but more so the reason as to why they're fighting now unfortunately the Pokemon movie I purchased on Amazon only came with the English dub but if you have Netflix there is the CG remake of the Pokemon movie where you can watch it with the original Japanese dub or you can just watch it via other methods but you didn't hear that from me so to show some of the comparison check out the dialogue changes between the two versions Pokemon aren't meant to fight not like this [Music] is why can't you two understand it's not right to force Pokemon to battle this

15:21 way this just proves that fighting is for home [Music] I'd rather risk my life out in you to storm than watch these Pokemon destroy each other the US dub also really botched Mewtwo's character in the original Japanese dub Newton's character is much more around his existential crisis of being a clone and just wanting to fit in with the world he's not really portrayed as a villain and falls into a much more gray area of morals especially when we see the cut opening segment of Mewtwo's backstory in this Mewtwo meets a clone of the scientist's daughter named Amber

16:07 Amber tells Mewtwo it doesn't matter who you are or what you are be a human or Pokemon all that matters is that you're alive then the short tragically ends with Amber and the other starter Pokemon fading away and dying this segment was cut from the Western release because they believe that having this existential theme would be too dark and difficult for kids to handle I mean yeah could you imagine if they made a Kids film today revolving around existentialism and death quite a terrible movie that would be now this origin story did eventually get released with an English dub but only as a bonus section in the spin-off film Mewtwo returns better late than never I guess but it really was a disappointing loss from the original film the reason the US

16:52 dub changed Mewtwo's lines to make him more villainous was so that the movie had a clear evil character to pit against or in other words simplify it to be more black and white again here's a couple clips of dialogue for you to compare a human sacrificed himself to save the Pokemon foreign [Music] they will never enslave me this cannot be my destiny the world will heed my warning

17:38 the reign of Mewtwo I am the new ruler of this world the master of humans and Pokemon alike humans you have served my purpose I am sparing your lives for the moment [Applause] this change of character is saying that the producers would later admit they regret doing but you know damage is already done guys another change was in the musical score most notably that the US soundtrack would add music or dialogue to scenes that were originally

18:26 silent foreign [Music] would add in music and even extra voice lines from where the original was silent My my what do we have here a fallen friends oh dear now this may be controversial of me but I think I actually do prefer the US soundtrack over the original but maybe that's coming from a pure Nostalgia perspective as I even have a soft spot

19:12 for the corny as [ __ ] brother my brother Vocal Track [Music] seen the devastation from the fighting Ash begins running back to try and stop the madness [Music] I don't know why but this moment always made me laugh eventually Asha makes it into the battlefield and in a desperate attempt to stop the fighting stands between Mew and Mewtwo but in doing so gets caught between their blasts now this is the moment in the film where everyone talks about how they cried when viewing it Ash getting turned into stone whilst Pikachu desperately tries to revive him with all the other Pokemon crying around them and

19:58 I've gotta say didn't really feel it and that's not me trying to sound impressive or anything oh you're hard don't get me wrong I felt sad watching it and I cried plenty of times during animated films the death of Bambi's mum I bald at the death of Dinobot in beast wars and the death of littlefitzman I still struggle to watch to this day but this just didn't do it for me and I think the main reason for that is because I knew this was a fake owl they weren't actually going to kill off the main protagonist of their franchise just like that not to mention that I think the whole bringing him back from the tears of Pokemon is just plain stupid as far as I'm aware this was never foreshadowed in the TV series and in the US release of the film it is only

20:43 mentioned in one brief line of dialogue in their sorrow the water of their tears somehow restored the lives lost in the storm yeah it is mentioned a bit more in the Mewtwo's origin story my dad used to tell me a bedtime story that when Pokemon are sad and they cry their tears are filled with life this is just silly I mean is this how the Pokemon centers work but behind the scenes the Pokemon are just being abused for their tears to be used in Medical Treatments is that how the healing potions work every bottle you use was at the cost of a thousand crying jigglypuffs now imagine in the original Japanese version this scene was more to show that both the originals and clones can feel the same way and can cry

21:28 together but it still just feels like a lame cop owl so after witnessing the events Mewtwo realizes the wrongs of his actions and that human and Pokemon can live together in peace and we get this line which I'll admit still holds up to this very day I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are and you know despite the corniness of it all it is a pretty wholesome ending maybe I was a little harsh on this film maybe it wasn't as bad as I remember it being back in the day maybe it transpired here I will always remember or perhaps for you these events are best forgotten oh

22:15 oh now I remember why I didn't like it now I remember why I didn't care to watch it again they actually did it they pulled the hole you won't remember anything so none of this will be Canon all the experiences you had all the lessons you learned about how fighting was wrong it means nothing now yes but theoretically if someone watched the events of that simulation from start to finish only to find out that none of it really happened I mean you don't think that would should be just like a giant middle finger to them that's what really ticked me off when I saw this film even as a kid I remember the sheer disappointment upon seeing this hey guys how did we wind up in this place anyway well I guess we're just here because we're here brilliant fantastic [ __ ] you

23:03 despite all that re-watching this film I actually overall enjoyed it yeah it's not without its flaws character Motors pinball all over the place the moral seems a bit hypocritical and the ending does feel like a massive middle finger to the audience but it's still an enjoyable watch the run time is a bit short but that does also mean we get into the action relatively quickly and the pacing never really feels too stagnant I love the fight scene between the Pokemon especially with the upped animation quality and as Pokemon fans we did finally get to see the legendary Mew Mewtwo on screen along with a lot of other cool Pokemon too and the film was overall a commercial success in both Japan and the West earning just over 172 million dollars from its five million dollar budget

23:48 making it the highest grossing anime film of all time in the US so I would recommend you going back to check it out if you haven't seen it in a while but I will say if you want the full experience of the Pokemon movie try watching it in the original Japanese dub if you can especially with the uncut Mewtwo origin story as I feel like it adds more character depth and offers a more mature message than the Western dub did it may not be the legendary spectacle I wanted to be but overall it was still a pretty decent catch and don't cry on YouTube you should be happy you're alive and life is wondering is wondering

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