Brief Summary
This video reviews the first three Pokémon movies, examining their context, additional shorts, and overall quality. It covers "Pokémon: The First Movie," "Pokémon The Movie 2000," and "Pokémon 3 The Movie," discussing their plots, animation, music, and the changes made in the English adaptations. The video also touches on the legacy of Takeshi Shudo, the writer behind these films, and his contributions to the Pokémon franchise.
- The first movie is remembered fondly despite flaws in story and animation.
- The second movie is the most consistently enjoyable and well-written.
- The third movie is the least risky and marks the start of a decline in the series.
Intro
The video starts with an introduction to the series of videos reviewing the modern series of Doctor Who, but due to copyright issues, the author decided to review Pokémon movies instead. The author expresses his fondness for the original 151 Pokémon and the unique watercolor style of Ken Sugimori. He also touches on the sense of mystery and theorizing that surrounded the early Pokémon games due to the internet being in its infancy. The author enjoyed Detective Pikachu and appreciates the rough elements of the original Pokémon anime. He will be re-watching the first three movies, giving them the benefit of the doubt while also criticizing them when deserved.
Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back
"Pokémon: The First Movie" was teased in the first series of the anime, but due to the "Electric Soldier Porygon" episode causing seizures in children, the episodes foreshadowing Mewtwo's appearance were moved to after the film's debut. The film was given a 10-minute prologue to explain Mewtwo's origin, including reworked footage from the anime. "The Birth of Mewtwo," later renamed, is an additional 10-minute prologue focusing on Mewtwo's relationship with the clone of Dr. Fuji's daughter, Amber. The author appreciates the maturity Takeshi Shudo brought to the story, even in the prequel. The film also includes a pikachu short called "Pikachu's Vacation" that is narrated by the pokedex.
The opening of the movie is dark and mysterious, establishing Mewtwo as the most powerful Pokémon seen thus far. Giovanni is manipulative, which gives context to Mewtwo's rage and escape. Ash, Misty, and Brock are invited to a mysterious event where they can challenge a great Pokémon master. Mewtwo creates a storm to ensure only the best trainers make it to the island. Team Rocket disguises themselves as vikings but are thwarted by Misty's Staryu. Mewtwo reveals himself as the Pokémon master and swiftly deals with any challengers. Team Rocket discovers Mewtwo's cloning facility, where copies of Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard awaken. Mewtwo wants to prove the superiority of its clones, leading to battles between the originals and the clones. Ash tries to stop the fighting and is petrified, but he is revived by the collective power of Pokémon tears. Mewtwo realizes the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant and wipes everyone's memories before leaving.
The English dub changed the original themes of ethics and existentialism, painting Mewtwo as more of a villainous character. The original themes were far more interesting with it being unclear as to whether Mew or Mewtwo were correct. The executives lacked faith in the kids watching the film and were not interested in the film having any longevity or being able to stand up to basic criticism. The animation is not the greatest, but the 3D visuals add some cool moments. The voice acting is zealous and fun. The film was a big success, grossing over $172 million worldwide. The soundtrack stood out as something unique to all the films.
The video also discusses "Mewtwo Returns," a feature-length episode of the Pokémon anime released on DVD, which serves as a sequel to the first film. Mewtwo travels to western Johto to find a place for the clone Pokémon to live, settling in Mount Quena. Giovanni plans an assault on the mountain to repossess Mewtwo, with Ash, Misty, and Brock caught in the middle. The film carries over more of the themes and ideas from the Japanese original. Mewtwo is more compassionate and wants to keep the clone Pokémon safe. The story wraps up Mewtwo's story very satisfyingly. The video also touches on "Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution," the full CGI remake of the first film released on Netflix in 2020, which is considered an uninspired and pointless remake.
Pokémon The Movie 2000: The Power Of One
"Pokémon The Movie 2000" wasn't teased as explicitly as the first movie in the anime but still fits in as a side story. There are two fun shorts: "Sloking's Day," exclusive to the Japanese release, and "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure." The animation in "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure" is fun, with an almost picture book style at times.
The second film is the author's favorite. The film introduces Lawrence III, also known as the collector, on a mission to collect Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos in order to flush out Lugia. Ash, Misty, and Tracy are traveling through the Orange Islands. A storm is gathering, and Ash's mum and Professor Oak are interrupted by a swarm of Digletts heading somewhere. Ash and friends make it to Shamouti Island, where the locals are in the middle of the Chosen One festival. They are introduced to Melody, who takes a liking to Ash and teases Misty about her fondness for him. Ash must collect an orb from Fire, Ice, and Lightning Island and bring them back to the shrine.
Team Rocket are standouts in this film. Ash grabs the orb from Fire Island, but Zapdos claims the island for itself. The gang is scooped up by the collector and brought aboard his ship. They work with Team Rocket to escape. The ship crash lands on Lightning Island, and Ash snags the second orb. The gang makes a brief stop at Slowking's Island, who tells Ash of a prophecy. Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno are fighting, and Lugia rises up from the sea to try and quell the fighting. Ash must head out to get the final orb from Ice Island. Misty rescues Ash with the line "And Ash is never really alone cause he's got me." Ash takes the last treasure to the shrine, and Melody plays Lugia's song, giving Lugia enough power to quell the fighting.
The story was changed from the much more interesting philosophical themes of codependence that was in the Japanese original. Lugia was originally intended to be more maternal with a female voice actress. Takeshi Sudo, one of the chief writers of the original anime series and scriptwriter for all three of the first Pokémon films, is responsible for most of the interesting philosophical themes the original version of these films tackle. He was a chronic alcoholic who also utilized tranquilizers when writing the second film. The English dub gave us great lines. The film was a financial success and was better reviewed than the first. The film had another run of movie trading cards and a soundtrack of more cheesy pop tunes. The Power of One has the best humor, most fun character moments, and a story that carried over relatively well from the original Japanese version.
Pokémon 3 The Movie: Spell of the Unknown: Entei
"Pokémon 3 The Movie" occurs between episode 155 and episode 165 of the anime. There is a charming pikachu short called "Pikachu and Pichu." The Pokémon are left to their own devices and get up to mischief.
The third film begins with Molly Hale being read a book about Entei by her father, Dr. Spencer Hale. Spencer is sucked into another dimension by the Unknown. Molly takes the Unknown tiles and summons the Unknown, which seal her in the room by covering the mansion and surrounding area in ice. She is distraught over the loss of her father, so the Unknown bring Entei through to Molly's reality. Ash, Misty, and Brock are journeying through Johto when they are challenged to a battle. They head on to Greenfield, where news reporters are covering the strange events. Professor Oak decides to investigate along with Ash's mom. Molly and Entei are getting on well, but Molly also wants a mother. Ash's mom is kidnapped by Entei and hypnotized in order to take care of Molly. Ash and the crew make their way inside with Team Rocket.
Molly makes herself look older in order to battle them. She battles Brock in a scenic field dreamscape, whilst Ash and Misty continue to search for Ash's mum. Brock is defeated, and the dreamscape shifts to be underwater, where Molly faces off against Misty. The final act evolves into a lot of fighting between various Pokémon and Entei. They all realize that they must work together in order to stop the Unknown. Entei informs Molly that she need only believe and wish that he is powerful enough to defeat the Unknown. She believes, and Entei is successful in stopping the Unknown and restoring everything to the way it was. Molly's father and mother are brought back.
The final story remained relatively unchanged from the Japanese version. Takeshi Shudo's first draft had a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil being brought back to life and wreaking havoc across the Kanto region, but it was rejected by the producers as being too risky. One actual difference between the Japanese and English versions is the scene where Molly's father returns is moved from during the end credits to earlier in the run time of the film. Takeshi continued to work on the Pokémon anime until 2002, but eventually the alcohol abuse caught up with him, and he died in 2010. The soundtrack to this film is much the same as the others. The film was a modest financial success. The third film was also the last one to be released internationally by Warner Brothers until Pokémon Detective Pikachu in 2019. The original films needed the mystery and Takeshi's writing to make them stand out.
