An expansive library of Pokemon Movies [11,12+13]

The world of Pokemon is full of fantastic beasts and adorable animals in every shape, size, species and ability known to man! Within this amazing planet is also a plethora of theatrical movies based off the anime based off the video game. Over the years I've noticed a change in these movies which I wish to talk about.

[Released in 2007 and based primarily on the forth generation of Pokemon games, Diamond and Pearl in 2007 also]

It might come to some as a surprise that I've broken the two movie per blog convention this time. It's because these three movies are intertwined with one another as its own trilogy since they're all connected via legendary Pokemon, events and the fact that they actually talk about one-another as if an established canon actually exists outside of stock footage and those two Mewtwo movies.

This movie revolves around two legendaries of the dubbed, Creation Trio. Dialga and Palkia who are the Pokemon of Time and Space respectively.

The two of them meet and in their battle between dimensions, they start making ripples effecting reality in destructive ways.

Frankly, this trilogy in particular is my all time few Pokemon movies just because of these themes of tampering with dimensions, creation, time and space. The very fabric and its thread that maintain our world and the next!

Deities clashing leaving a bigger impact than any other legendary Pokemon can!

But let's see how far this takes us first.

Darkrai is also in this movie but doesn't hold any heavy lore that's used in the rest of the trilogy.

Instead Darkrai is your friendly neighbourhood legendary that everybody hates due to the nightmares he's able to spread.

I say friendly just because Darkrai has no evil intentions to speak of and protects the inhabitants of the movies set city from Dialga and Palkia.

The movie ends with regular anime means via a soothing song (because anime).

Of course the story doesn't end there...

[Released in 2008 and based primarily on the forth generation of Pokemon games, Diamond and Pearl in 2007 as a teaser to the third game in the fourth generation of Pokemon, Platinum released in 2009]

The next into what I call the Sinnoh series!instalment

This time it revolves around the multiple dimensions that exist for Dialga, the time Pokemon, Palkia, the space Pokemon, the world that humans and other Pokemon live and Giratina, the Pokemon who rules the distortion world. An opposite realm to the world of humans and Pokemon.

Apparently Giratina was banished to the distortion world by God himself (who I shall reveal unsuspensefully in the next movie) for reasons that don't really need explaining as once again, it changes nothing story wise.

Something else strange that also doesn't hold much in the story is Giratina's two forms he takes on between dimensions. One more snake like and the other with feet. He levitates in both forms so I see no reason why it has to change. A little pointless of course.

I would enjoy this movie a tad more if it wasn't for one thing...

Yet another tiny, annoying Pokemon character

Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy... each tiny Pokemon character always ends up being a serious liability. Mew almost dies, Celebi almost dies, Jirachi gets used and abused and Manaphy leads Captain ZekromBeard (Some people might get that joke) to Atlantis!

Shaymin is just the same.

He/she's cocky and never shuts up about flying and going to a flower garden for a migration thing. This cockiness always gets them in trouble and this constant need to get that damn flower garden leads them to even more trouble.

I only have an ounce of respect for this Pokemon and that's because it looks way too adorable as a regular hedgehog.

Interestingly, even though all other Pokemon movie stories have no connection to the games, this time there really is a distortion world only available in Pokemon Platinum!

The story isn't anything amazing to go on about. Giratina wishes to leave the distortion world and apparently an ability Shaymin possesses can allow him to leave. Meanwhile a scientist has a machine he plans to use to harness Giratina's ability to move between dimensions... which doesn't make sense. They make it clear that Giratina can do that but Giratina needs Shaymin to- You know what, I'm going to stop giving my time and effort into understanding a plotline which doesn't even matter in the grand scheme of things. Besides, the villain is doing it to rule over the desolate wasteland. With an intention like that I don't he deserves anyone's time if he's going to be written so poorly.

There is one thing I want to bring up before moving on...

Regigigas is also in this movie. A bit obligatory if you ask me.

There's no rhyme or reason. There was no build up or origin story. Just a glacier collapsing revealing a now awakened Regigigas who later helps hold the same glacier back from destroying a village. Even the main characters just stand there and acknowledge its existence like it's just a rare oddity and not a legendary at all! This was so lazily plugged in because they wanted Regigigas to get some exposure so players of the game can look for it. Event stuff and whatnot.

[Released in 2009 and based primarily on the forth generation of Pokemon games, Diamond and Pearl in 2007 as a teaser to the remastered games in the second generation of Pokemon, HeartGold and SoulSilver released in 2010]

I find it hard to believe that they made a movie based around yet another Mewtwo clone! Or a Lucario clone depending on how you view things.

Unfortunate that this 3 Pokemon mashup couldn't have at least looked more tasteful

Yes, Arceus was also betrayed and has a vengeance towards humanity.

The story is about the Pokemon whose the equivalent of God restoring some land using the Jewel of Life, which is apart of him. When the time came to return the Jewel for purpose of... existing I suppose, the humans of that time (that's right, I said Time) tried to destroy Arceus to keep the Jewel because they believed that the revitalised land would become desolate again.

So there's your copy and paste character right there.

The story though, to an extent, has a very religious tone to the whole thing which doesn't surprise me considering the God Pokemon character it revolves around.

Angelic instruments, bright gold and white lights and that Arceus lives in another dimension much like Giratina whose like the equivalent of Satan, Dialga and Palkia. But I digress.

I suppose some people might be wondering what the connection is that I described this movie initially as a teaser to the Gen 2 remake games, HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Apart from dates, this is the reason why:

They aren't as shamelessly plugged in as Regigigas because they actually do something. This does indeed segway nicely into another cameo of a Pokemon in this movie who isn't as shamelessly plugged in (sorry to describe it the same way) but equally as ignored.

Be honest, nobody really cares that much for Heatran. Most players probably overlook him because of how pointlessly added to Diamond and Pearl he was.

Once you've completed the league you're able to travel to two islands. One has Cresselia whose essentially a roaming Pokemon (which means you have to chase it for all eternity to catch it) who comes with some backstory about her anti-nightmare powers, and a bigger island with the Battle Tower, the Super fishing rod and 3 more towns. One of them including the final contest hall or something along those lines. Heatran's also there but there's no backstory or epic quest. Just a wonder up a mountains cave, a guy takes a stone and he appears. It's boring and totally overshadowed by the rest of that island.

Having Cresselia live on her won island and have some story behind her singles her out and makes her noticeable. Heatran stinks and this movie knows it since he's just a henchman. No origins, just Heatran's face.

Sorry for the ramble.

I almost forgot to mention the Time travel in this movie!...

Yes...

There is time travel that Dialga does. Not a whole lot else to talk about other than it was used so Ash and his mates could travel back in time to stop Arceus from rampaging in the future in his fit of rage. One such mate is... What's her face.

She has an unexplained power to communicate with the heart of a Pokemon.

I think I've made it obvious by now that assuming from my constant skipping scenes and shallow depth of detail that I'm describing the film in, I'm bored of this movie.

I enjoyed the time travel, what little there is of it, and maybe a little of the ancient lore they're throwing about to almost a biblical level but because it brought up dumb questions and had useless cameos in it that didn't even help more the story forward, I'm just left asking for more or just for another movie that better reflects the ideas of the Pokemon games or something more modern to reflect the technology.

Remember that? Remember the previous Pokemon movies that I talked about bringing something interesting and new whether lore driven, world building or just character development?

The most I liked about this trilogy is the bigger picture that there are multiple dimensions.