The Best and Worst Pokémon Movies
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Pilo
I'm sure most people using this site saw at least a few of the Pokémon movies as a kid, but if it's been a while (which it probably has) you might be wondering how many of these movies really hold up. Well, today we've assembled our team of super dynamic, rough and tumble, rusty trusty movie panelists to answer that question exactly.
| Mewtwo Strikes Back | The Power of One | Spell of the Unown | Celebi: Voice of the Forest | Pokémon Heroes |
| Click on the images to reveal everyone's thoughts! | ||||
Pilo
Since this is the first movie in the franchise, it's a given that a lot of people will have fond memories of it. So, naturally, I had to take it upon myself to look at the movie under a more critical lens to see if it held up and, surprisingly, it fared pretty well.
A startling departure from the TV series in terms of overall tone, this movie disarms you with its mostly lighthearted and comedic first half and then comes at you full force with the climax, and oh man, I was not expecting to enjoy said climax as much as I did. You know, for something targeted at kids it's surprising not only how strong this movie's themes are but how dark it is. It has things like Mewtwo being born a slave to humans and searching for purpose in its life, a message about how we should treat other people, and Ash literally dying. It's nothing that makes you reevaluate your entire life or anything, but the film clearly had a lot of heart put into it and it's not hard to see why it had such a big impact on so many kids watching it.
As a side note, in terms of resource allocation, the movie had a lot of fantastic animation throughout but the animation quality sort of peters off towards to the end. In the first half of the movie we're treated to a lot of great looking scenes, but the big climactic fight between the Pokémon and their clones, which the entire movie had been building up to, amounted to what looked like little more than tame cat fighting. This didn't impact my enjoyment of the movie too much, but I still thought it was worth mentioning. Overall, this one gets a pass.
pokemon4eva
The year was 1999, Pokémon has become a cultural phenomenon, DNA and cloning were some of the most discussed topics in science, and Mewtwo Strikes Back arrived to America. It was a commercial success and an instant classic for Pokémon fans.
But…were those changes from the original material really worth it? The change to Mewtwo's personality from a confused Pokémon that searches for answers to a more vengeful and arrogant villain that wants to destroy the world, and of course, the anti-violence messages in a franchise that primarily consists of monsters battling each other. Yikes, it looks like they tried to pander to the audience of children and paranoid parents as much as possible. I guess I can understand, this was the first movie after all, but I can't help thinking that maybe keeping those plot points intact might have given it a better reception.
The movie itself is still great for the usual Pokémon movie formula that will develop afterwards, and Mewtwo is an awesome villain with understandable motives. We got to see how determined our heroes are on the big screen for the first time, navigating through a storm just to be the very best and facing the strongest Pokémon at the time and its near invincible army. While I love the prologue with Fuji and Amber and think it's one of the best segments, I really dislike their attempt at drama with the Pokémon fighting each other and everyone just lamenting the situation instead of doing something to prevent it, which leads to Ash's sacrifice. And even though I prefer the Japanese version, I admit the 4Kid version's score is fantastic and it fits the scenes quite well (run, Pikachu, run!). Except for the end theme, how dare they ditch Together with the Wind…
Naziel
This is an excellent film, far exceeding the quality of the first one. The plot is up to the mark, and the legendary Pokémon appear with all their splendor and beauty.
I can say with great freedom that this film is iconic. The lack of control that causes the villain to try to capture the three legendary birds (Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos), as well as the subsequent chaos and accentuated rivalry after they were rescued by Ash and his friends reaching, such a point that it could cause an apocalypse or mass destruction. And that's where everything starts to make sense.
The fact that the production staff added a legendary Pokémon that mentions an apocalypse that only "the power of one" can achieve seems great to me! I was left stunned at the end when Ash put in the last ball; everything started to look like The Legend of Zelda, as the girl played the Lugia song with her ocarina and the pillars magically began to shine to follow the rhythm. Then, seeing the legendary birds including Lugia begin to wake up again and all the chaos begins to evaporate leaves you a feeling of inner improvement.
As a side note, I love how they included Team Rocket in this movie.
TJ
I felt like this movie was definitely better than the first one but still had its flaws. My main concerns were that there were several weird and/or illogical moments that occurred throughout the movie. For example, the scene where Melody somehow flies up a flight of stairs with the heavy boat and the scene where Ash and Lugia sink to the bottom of the ocean but somehow come out alive were just ludicrous (how did Ash not drown?). Another moment that made absolutely no sense was when the villain captures Ash and the gang, releases them while talking to them, forgets to put them back into the cage, and then wonders how Moltres and Zapdos escaped... The villain's name was never referenced and he didn't seem to have any backstory, which also felt weird. Aside from these nitpicks, I thought the movie was really good. The animation was fantastic, especially in the battles. One thing that caught my eye was how beautifully illustrated and animated the legendary birds were, especially Moltres because of its flames and fire attacks. I also appreciated the Generation 2 Pokémon that were seen and how the plot was rather clear and concise. The composition of the music was also well done and tied everything together. All in all, this movie is a classic and is probably one of the better Pokémon movies.
Naziel
When I was a child, this movie really touched my heart. I used to watch it every time it was broadcast on TV and since then it's been the Pokémon movie that I remember most fondly from my childhood. However, now that I've seen it again, I have to say that I do not remember it this way.
I really liked how they told Molly's story from the beginning. A girl who, because of fate, lost her mother and her father, thus becoming an orphan. From that moment, her great desire to recover her family united the Unown to try to fulfill her desire by bringing a "father figure" in Entei. Each story is told in a way that, in my view, fits very well into your mind and helps form a greater connection between the protagonists.
On the other hand, I think the story slows down when the main cast arrives. I find it funny that in every Pokémon film they end up involved in a series of crazy events one after the other; this time it's everything from them taking Ash's mother to the confrontation against the Unown. If you look at the film without the initial context, you can feel the great selfishness of Molly in some points; however, once you understand the reason for her actions, you can not get mad at her.
pokemon4eva
This is Takeshi Shudo's last Pokémon movie he wrote, and boy, what a way to go out. Spell of the Unown has been my favorite ever since I first watched it, and a good part of it is thanks to the antagonists.
Molly Hale, a little girl that just lost her father (and her mother some years ago) to the Unown, unintentionally awakens their reality-shifting powers and now they can bring her fantasies to life, including her "papa" Entei. Molly also wants a "mama", so Entei takes Delia Ketchum, and now it's up to Ash and friends to save his mother…oh, and I guess the crystallizing town too. The Legendary Pokémon is fully aware he is a simulation and he doesn't care: he serves Molly's wishes and takes care of her like a father would do. Entei's awesome, easily my favorite Legendary Beast.
The visuals and music are stunning, tracks like I Want Things Real Again and Entei's Last Stand, or the ending theme, To Know the Unknown, are so beautiful. While it’s it's still a Pokémon movie with the usual flaws like the pacing in some parts, I think it deserves a watch even for people who aren't Pokémon fans.
TJ
I remember watching this movie many years ago as a kid and the Pikachu and Pichu prequel that aired for 20 minutes before it that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot... After a recent watch, I'd say that this movie felt unique compared to Mewtwo Strikes Back and The Power of One. It was by far the best-animated movie of the three. This was the first time that Ash had been personally involved in the plot and that all of the characters had been uniquely cast. Additionally, It was the first time that a villain wasn't present and that Team Rocket had worked in tandem with our heroes to save the world.
However, the beginning of the movie felt very stiff like the anime; all of the Pokémon battles felt over the top and scripted, and there were many moments throughout the movie that just felt outright boring. The concept of the movie also was very convoluted and confusing. The movie started off with Molly being orphaned after her father was whisked away by Unown while doing research, yet the premise of her losing him was personified by Entei and the relationship between Unown and Entei was never explicitly explained. Unown essentially was able to control Molly's imagination and alter reality, causing chaos and wreaking havoc into the real world. Another serious problem that I had with the movie was its predictability. The scene where Charizard randomly appeared to save Ash and Pikachu from falling was just so blatantly obvious. Aside from this, I think that Spell of the Unown overall was good and set the stage for subsequent movies.
lyd
This movie was probably my favorite when I was a child, and to this day it holds true as one of the strongest plots in a Pokémon movie, I feel. Unlike most movies where there's an outright evil trainer trying to capture legendaries or a legendary wreaking havoc for some uncanny reason, this time the Unown are responsible for it all, the way they can simply mold reality at will is something truly impressive, and the fact that all things that went wrong were because of the wishes of a temporarily-orphaned child makes the movie have even more conciseness in this regard. Involving Ash's mom in a movie is a weird flex, but it works pretty interestingly with the plot, as clearly Molly would want a mom to make up for the fact her's hers mysteriously disappeared. And obviously Charizard is the embodiment of nostalgia, so bringing him back for this movie was a wise choice if I've ever seen one. But by far, the most important part about the plot is how Entei, despite being created by the Unown only to serve as Molly's father, ends up sacrificing himself to free Ash and his crew and, most importantly, Molly herself from that twisted dream mansion. You really can say he served his duty as a father. With the Unown gone, Molly's disappeared mother and father return, giving the story a really beautiful and happy ending, but somewhat bittersweet because of Entei's sacrifice.
Pilo
Just in case you thought I was singing the first movie's praises a bit too much, here's some proof that the older Pokémon movies aren't all fantastic.
Would you believe that the acclaimed director and animator Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL, Aim for the Top 2! Diebuster) supposedly worked on this film as a key animator? Well I wouldn't if his name weren't in the credits. This movie looks like it was swallowed up by a computer graphics program and then forced out the other end; it's easily one of the ugliest entries in the Pokémon franchise.
Notably, the Celebi movie sports a few interesting ideas. I really like the concept of a plot involving time travel (even if I found all the characters introduced in this movie turned out to be pretty bland) and the Dark Balls were a neat implementation, but all this aside, it still suffers horribly from awful CG and digital compositing issues, a fate not unfamiliar to many anime from the early 2000s. Ultimately, it's a confused mess of interesting ideas and poor visuals. I'm a bit disappointed that of all the movies this one ended up as fodder for experimentation with digital technology.
internet
When I was a kid this particular movie aired on TV surprisingly often, and I also ended up owning it on DVD twice after purchasing a boxset that included it after already owning it by itself. It's a pretty typical Pokémon movie. The location is explained, the legendary Pokémon is explained, the villain is introduced and Team Rocket somehow ends up working for them despite being significantly less brutish. But with the cool forest scenery, the cheesy yet badass villain with his evil Poké Balls, and young Professor Oak meeting Ash due to Celebi's time travel shenanigans, it has plenty of cool stuff going on. And don't forget the giant plant monster with CGI.
I think the Celebi movie is the first with both the formula I described and the crazy CGI monster stuff, but I could be wrong. It basically set the formula for a lot of subsequent Pokémon movies if it is.
pokemon4eva
Guessing by my username, you’d think Pokémon 4Ever is one of my favorites, and it is...when I was young. I still like it though, it has some interesting concepts going for it. Celebi and Sammy coming from the past (and that weird beta Poke Ball that asks a lot of questions), and the villain, the Iron Mask Marauder. He is your usual generic evil guy that wants to take over the world, but man is he intimidating with that voice (courtesy of Dan Green), how cruel he is and his mind-controlling Dark Balls that can turn even the cutest Pokémon into a blood thirsty monster.
As a whole, the movie feels like missed potential. Celebi's time traveling abilities don't serve much of a purpose aside from bringing Sam to the present, not even Iron Mask attempts to use them, and instead goes for this Celebi-Scyther-Pheromosa hybrid to destroy everything. Suicune has little presence on the film, only helping at the very end after a horrible CGI close-up. A lot of screentime is employed towards Celebi being cute and befriending Ash and friends, because of this the second act feels slow, but I personally like the contrast between this cute pixie and the soulless monster it becomes. Also, if you thought Ash's revival was a cheap Deus Ex Machina, wait until you see Celebi's.
lyd
I love how this movie depicts Celebi, contemplating the topic of time travel in quite an interesting way yet one that's still understandable to children. Bringing Sam as a character from the past is a nice twist, and seeing how he has an old Poké Ball and how he resonates with Ash is surely nice too. I'm probably going to be biased in regards to this movie, as it features two of my favorite legendaries in Suicune and Celebi, but I do think the plot is interesting enough. Having the Iron-Masked Marauder be the villain isn't really ideal, and I very much preferred other villains, but his tie to Team Rocket at least makes the plot a bit more structured instead of the typical "oh, a random evil guy is trying to capture this Pokémon" we've seen in a couple movies. The part where we see Sam's drawings, the Metapod evolving, and the kids playing with Celebi is also really nice, and shows a perspective that very few Pokémon movies actually care to show. I think this is a stellar movie, overall, and it was also one of my favorites as a kid.
Pilo
I'll be frank, this was my favorite movie hands down as a kid, so I'll try my best to avoid being biased here but you have no guarantees.
The movie opens with a gorgeous picture book sequence detailing the lore of Altomare, the island city where the story takes place. This is followed by a slightly less gorgeous race scene with these uncanny looking CG backgrounds and water. You heard me right, the CG's back, but it's not nearly as bad as it was in the fourth movie. There were a few other scenes where CG was used as well, but the opening scene was the only one I really took any issue with and for the most part the movie had some very stunning art as well. That's right, they're learning.
Aside from the looking a bit wonky, the race scene is actually pretty great. Getting aerial views of Altomare and seeing all of the spectators goes the extra mile in making the city feel actually lived in, something that's only reinforced as the characters travel around the city throughout the course of the film.
In terms of movie-original characters, this time around we have one of my favorite casts. Bianca and Lorenzo are likable and interesting and the main villains, Annie and Oakley, are genuinely detestable, which makes you want to root for Ash and his friends even more. Team Rocket also makes an appearance and although their role in this movie is extremely minor they make some excellent comic relief.
And of course, who could forget the ending? Latios sacrificing itself to save the city always brings a tear to my eye no matter how old I get and it's what made me want to revisit this film in particular so much. This is a movie I can wholeheartedly recommend to any fan of the series.
internet
This also follows the formula I described for Pokémon 4Ever. (The location is explained, the legendary Pokémon is explained, the villain is introduced and Team Rocket somehow ends up working for them despite being significantly less brutish.) But the cool Venice-inspired setting, the weird old magitek thing (another Pokémon movie trope that comes up a lot, come to think of it), and Ash totally banging Latias off-screen set it apart enough that I find both pretty enjoyable.
Naziel
I hate when movies make me cry.
Pilo
That concludes this panel. Stay tuned for next time when we dive head-first into movies six through ten.
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