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An expansive library of Pokemon Movies [1+2]

Henry Atkins
Dec 6, 2017
5 min read

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.

I do apologise for beginning yet another multipart series based solely on one franchise. Especially since I just finished a 3-parter on Ben 10 2 weeks ago. But then again I doubt many people would be reading this. I doubt many people would even notice the majority of the posts in the film category were written by me? Besides, I feel this is worth while since it'll be an important comment on pumping out content possibly just for the sake of pumping out content for a franchise that, to take a page out of JonTrons book, "Bridge the Generational gap".

[Released in 1998 and based primarily on the first generation of Pokemon games, Red and Blue released in 1996]

The reason I wanted to start this series is because of the ideas and morals as well as stories the movies can make for us that the video games couldn't until much later in the 3DS games with its fancy cinematic camera angles and facial changes or the considerably short anime episodes.

For instance the movies are able to add more lore and empathetic characters like an actual world oppose to the games which in its purest form consists of 4 things. Catching, Collecting, Training and Battling. It's very calculable and straight forward. More on the use of Calculable later.

The story is about MewTwo. The Pokemon created in a Team Rocket lab in an attempt to clone the legendary Pokemon Mew but for evil intentions they genetically modified the clone to be the most powerful Pokemon there ever was. MewTwo, upset about his purpose for existing, steals other trainers Pokemon to create more powerful clones to establish an army and a new world order to replace the evil and weak humans and current Pokemon that MewTwo sees.

The movies conversation piece on how the clone feels about being into the world as a copy of someone else, as a weapon and to be betrayed by everyone they meet in this world (up until the ending of the movie of course).

The movie also tackles as its most important moral of the movie that it doesn't matter where you come from. What matters is what you do.

However what's more interesting to me is the strange third moral that doesn't quite fit in the Pokemon series. Especially this far into the franchise.

During a scene before the finale where the main character Ash sacrifices himself to cease the fighting between MewTwo and Mew to prove that not all humans are bad, the other Pokemon and their clones were fighting each other. Pikachu doesn't want to fight as much as the other Pokemon and the clones believe they must fight even though they feel conflicted about it.

Soon after the other characters comment on how Pokemon shouldn't fight like this and how fighting is just plain wrong.

One of the main 4 elements that Pokemon is about is battling. The anime always covers this up with the idea of Pokemon having consent over whether they want to fight or not no matter which side it is for.

And this is why I find this particular Pokemon movie so intriguing.

This movie seems like it's supposed to top off the franchise as it ends there. All the training you've done and battling with other Pokemon. All leading up to this movie which questions your actions.

But this is where my use of the word '"Calculable" starts!

This comic strip accurately explains what I mean.

There are large jumps between how the games operates and how the show cooperates.

The show gives actual feelings and personality to the characters and creatures featured, however the games are all about numbers and, there's that word again, "Calculable".

Gen 1 Pokedex in Stat total order

If it wasn't for this ideology confliction, this whole movie would make even more sense. The movie revolving around MewTwo being the most powerful Pokemon there ever was is consistent in both canons.

[Released in 1999 and based primarily on the first generation of Pokemon games, Red and Blue in 1996 as a teaser for Pokemon Gold and Silver released in 1999]

I started this series with these 2 movies because they were, out of all the Pokemon movies, my favourite.

This one comes second to the first in my list because it doesn't present as many philosophical questions and ideologies as the first movie but it does what the original games haven't been able to do until Diamond and Pearl.

World Building!

The games were very straight forward with a simple objective, sometimes some NPC gossip just to say "this is going n at Sylph Co." or something along those lines to help move you along.

It's very linear but the movies expand on everything! Legends and foes with backstories to them as well as ideas which, like I've mentioned before, the games haven't been able to achieve until much later.

Legends and backstory have been betting a little better in the games until then. The lab diaries on Cinnabar and the 3 legendary beasts of the burned tower as well as Ho-Oh. Very unimportant stories to the game.

Pokemon 2000 was one of those Pokemon movies that's supposed to hint at the newest game coming out as oppose to the exact same thing happening in the TV show itself. There's been alot of these.

The story was about a collector of rare artefacts and Pokemon who seeked the 3 legendary birds Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos to send the world out of balance to summon Lugia, the next generations main legendary Pokemon. He found all of this out through ancient legends which foretold of a chosen one as well (which for predictable reasons was the main character, Ash Ketchum).

Because of the collectors actions, Ash follows the legend by visiting the 3 islands of Fire, Ice and Lightning to return the corresponding jewels found on each to an altar, play a song and save the world from calamity as the balance of nature is thrown off.

What is this?

An Adventure!

It's a proper movie. Not exactly a movie based on what you do in Pokemon but about the world it's all set in. An epic tale that will make people watching it want to buy the latest game and want to catch the legendary Pokemon in the movie for bragging rights. It's also a great tale of the hero, Ash. In fact this could have been a great place to end the saga for Ash if not by beating the Pokemon League. Him saving the world. Frankly I say this from a part of me that has watched the whole first series of Yu-Gi-Oh and am consciencley comparing it to Pokemon at the moment.