{"id":4810,"date":"2017-11-09T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you"},"modified":"2017-11-09T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-09T20:00:00","slug":"movie-review-pokemon-the-movie-i-choose-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2017\/11\/09\/movie-review-pokemon-the-movie-i-choose-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Movie Review: Pok\u00e9mon The Movie: I Choose You!"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/0\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/0\/original.jpg\" alt=\"Main2.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>For the first time in over a decade (for many in the West, at least), Pok\u00e9mon has hit our cinema screens again with <strong>Pok\u00e9mon The Movie: I Choose You!<\/strong>, and I was lucky enough to attend one of its few screenings in the UK (though \u201cdue to popular demand\u201d, two more dates have been added on the 11th and 14th of this month). Having seen every Pok\u00e9mon movie to date \u2013 both theatrical releases and the straight-to-DVD ones (which are the majority) \u2013 I wanted to provide a personal review of Ash\u2019s latest adventure on the big screen, which is a reboot of where it all started for the 10-year-old wannabe Pok\u00e9mon Master. Naturally, the following will contain <strong>both minor and major spoilers<\/strong>, the latter very clearly marked, so if you haven\u2019t seen the film and wish to watch it without anything spoiled whatsoever, you should RUN from battle now. You have been warned!<\/p>\n<h3>Outlook<\/h3>\n<p>When the first revelations of Pok\u00e9mon The Movie: I Choose You! emerged, the film seemed to present itself as a reimagined celebratory look back over Ash\u2019s near two-decade journey \u2013 well at least to this scribe anyway. However, those expecting this will be in for a surprise. Instead, I Choose You has its own story and also homes in on the events of <strong>Season 1: Indigo League<\/strong>. But rather than simply retelling the pivotal plot points of the debut season, it presents them in a whole new light, making these moments feel fresh to both veterans and newcomers alike\u00a0\u2013 all while intertwining them within the main plot itself.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/6\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/6\/original.jpg\" alt=\"Comparison.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<h3>Setting the Tone from the Very Beginning<\/h3>\n<p>The film starts as Season 1 Episode 1 (Pok\u00e9mon, I Choose You!) of the anime did, where Ash is late to Professor Oak\u2019s Lab due to oversleeping and fails to acquire Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charmander (that order is actually his preference of Starter Pok\u00e9mon choice), and is instead left with a rather uncooperative and moody electric rodent, Pikachu.\u00a0From here, many of the happenings in the first episode of the anime occur, such as Ash failing to capture a Pidgey (much to the amusement of Pikachu), as well as the famous Spearow scene, where a flock of them chase the duo; this leads to Ash protecting Pikachu, forever cementing their bond, trust, and friendship.<\/p>\n<p>While this all strikes the nostalgic chords of the many who grew up with the anime, the portrayal of this scene doesn&#8217;t exactly match the events of how it manifested in its television show equivalent. For example, Ash doesn\u2019t take Misty\u2019s bike to escape \u2013 let alone even meet her for that matter \u2013 and so as mentioned previously the movie aims to retell the events of Ash\u2019s history, yet present them with a fresh perspective in combination with the primary story. In fact, this theme is present throughout the film, as several memorable Season 1 moments of the anime are included, but again, not in the way many may have remembered. Examples include Ash finding an abandoned Charmander with a weak flame at the tip of its tail, as well as Ash letting go of his Butterfree so it can fly south with its new pink companion.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/1\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/1\/original.jpg\" alt=\"PikaRefuse.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<h3>Characters Old and New<\/h3>\n<p>As just mentioned, Ash doesn\u2019t meet Misty, and the same goes for Brock. Aside from a minor showing during the credits, the two Kanto Gym Leaders don\u2019t make an appearance in the film at all, which may be to the dismay of some. We\u2019re instead introduced to two new spiritual character replacements who accompany Ash throughout his journey. The first is Verity, an energetic Trainer from Twinleaf Town, accompanied by her Starter Pok\u00e9mon, Piplup. She also possesses a Lapras, which Ash and friends use to cross the waters of Kanto. She vaguely mentions that her mother is a powerful Pok\u00e9mon Trainer, and that she feels she can\u2019t live up to her standards and thus hasn\u2019t spoken to her since leaving home. There are revelations around the identity of Verity\u2019s mother later in the movie, too.<\/p>\n<p>The second is Sorrel, a young Trainer from Veilstone City who aspires to become a Pok\u00e9mon Professor, accompanied by his sidekick, Lucario. He later reveals that his family owned a Luxray, and on one cold and snowy day his Luxray sacrificed itself to shield Sorrel from the cold. It\u2019s all seemingly deep stuff from both characters\u2019 backstories, but unfortunately these aren\u2019t explored much further at all, which I personally feel is a major letdown. There is no \u201cconnecting\u201d triumph for both characters and their backstories \u2013 for example we don\u2019t see Verity meet her mother or Sorrel achieve his dream in becoming a Professor \u2013 and so these insights into both characters\u2019 pasts seem almost irrelevant and pointless, aside from perhaps winning over the audience via empathy and sympathy cards.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/2\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/2\/original.jpg\" alt=\"Chars.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>We&#8217;re also introduced to Ash&#8217;s main rival of the film, Cross, an arrogant Trainer who, like many of the rivals presented throughout Pok\u00e9mon&#8217;s anime and video game series, believes that raw strength and power are the keys needed in becoming the ultimate Trainer. That&#8217;s right folks, there&#8217;s no Gary Oak \u2013 although he <em>does<\/em> make a very brief appearance right at the beginning, where he&#8217;s shown choosing Squirtle out of the three Starter Pok\u00e9mon. Cross has a Midnight Form Lycanroc that accompanies him, as well as a ferocious Incineroar that he uses for battle. Cross&#8217;s verbiage, actions, and overall demeanour makes him an easily dislikable character, and this is demonstrated even further when Ash, Verity and Sorrel find out about an act of past cruelty by their foe. Of course, this diverts from the anime, making this another great example of how the film presents old ideas with a new twist.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/7\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/7\/original.jpg\" alt=\"CrossIncineroar.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>As for returning characters, Professor Oak and Ash&#8217;s mum make appearances in the earlier stages of the film, as well as Nurse Joy throughout. It delights me to say that so do Team Rocket (Jessie, James, and Meowth), however, while comical, their roles are very insignificant \u2013 at no point do they actually meet Ash and friends, and instead clumsily &#8220;blast off again&#8221; for a total of three times. It&#8217;s a shame really, for someone like myself who grew up with the anime would&#8217;ve liked them to have said their motto at the very least, or at least pose\u00a0<em>some<\/em> form of threat to Ash and friends. Instead though, their roles are purely for comedy and serve no purpose to the main plot. Akin to Misty and Brock, more memorable faces of the anime make minor appearances in the film&#8217;s credits, for those eager fans that stick around.<\/p>\n<h3>The Crux of the Story<\/h3>\n<p>Getting to the main story here, Ash, like in the anime, sees the Legendary Ho-Oh after the Spearow incident who, unlike in the anime, leaves him with a Rainbow Wing. We soon learn from Sorrel that Ho-Oh only gives the Rainbow Wing to the &#8220;Rainbow Hero&#8221;, who is deemed the chosen one to fight it. Yeah, Ash is yet again &#8220;the chosen one&#8221;, a common theme in Pok\u00e9mon films involving the Pallet Town Trainer. Along the venture, the trio encounter three Legendary Pok\u00e9mon on separate occasions. Under normal circumstances, even seeing one of them is an extremely rare feat, but Sorrel explains that due to Ash&#8217;s possession of the Rainbow Wing the likelihood of encountering them is greater due to a legend that links them to Ho-Oh. For Pok\u00e9mon Gold, Silver, and Crystal fans, this part of the plot should prove to be a delight due to a focus on Generation II, albeit set in Kanto. But even if you prefer other generations of Pok\u00e9mon, the film does a great job of including references and critters from all generations throughout the film.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/4\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/4\/original.jpg\" alt=\"Ho-Oh.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Lurking in the shadows and watching over Ash and his crew is a Mythical Pok\u00e9mon (I won&#8217;t spill the beans on what it is just in case it isn&#8217;t known to everyone yet). It acts as some form of &#8220;agent&#8221; for Ho-Oh, discretely and indirectly guiding Ash to Mount Tensei, the location of where Ash&#8217;s destined battle with the phoenix-like Pok\u00e9mon is to take place. Though depicted as somewhat suspicious at first, the Mythical Pok\u00e9mon proves to have good intentions, for it puts Ash in a sleep-like state where he dreams of a world where no Pok\u00e9mon exist. This happens shortly after Ash lives through a humbling experience in which he becomes upset and frustrated, openly admitting a few dark thoughts that shock Verity, Sorrel, and Pikachu. The dream serves as a sort of wake-up call to Ash, and is pivotal in shaping his journey.<\/p>\n<p>As the adventure continues, the progression of Ash&#8217;s &#8220;career&#8221; as a Trainer is made apparent, for we&#8217;re shown scenes of him winning the Rainbow Badge (yeah, the whole theme of the film is rainbows), as well as his Pok\u00e9mon evolving. It&#8217;s a nice touch, for while the main story of Ash and the Rainbow Wing keeps its presence throughout the movie, scenes taking us through Ash&#8217;s journey sprinkle themselves in-between some of the major plot points, which is a fun change of pace to those that recall the original anime.<\/p>\n<h3>The Climax<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"s1\"><strong><em>(WARNING: the next\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>two<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><em><strong>\u00a0paragraphs\u00a0\u2013 especially the second\u00a0\u2013 \u00a0contain heavy spoilers. If you wish to be free of these, please read past them.)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">As the film heads to its climax, Ash and friends reach Mount Tensei, where they meet a heavily-bearded man named Bonji, a researcher who has been studying Ho-Oh (he&#8217;s also seen briefly in a previous scene within a page of a book that Sorrel reads). Ash is told that he must place the Rainbow Wing on one of the crystal-like structures in order for Ho-Oh to appear. However, after a string of events, the Mythical Pok\u00e9mon, which I will now reveal is Marshadow, turns the surrounding native Pok\u00e9mon evil to attack Ash and his friends. Ash, Verity, Sorrel, and a fourth individual (not Bonji) use their Pok\u00e9mon to attempt to keep the evil Pok\u00e9mon at bay, but before long are overwhelmed by the Marshadow&#8217;s possessive powers. It&#8217;s quite unclear as to why Marshadow turns evil so suddenly\u00a0\u2013 in fact its entire depiction within the film from start to finish seems indecisive, for aside from the aforementioned dream scene, it&#8217;s quite hard to tell whether it has good or bad intentions throughout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/3\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/3\/original.jpg\" alt=\"Crew.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">A few moments later, Ash stands in front of Pikachu and aims to protect it from the barrage of beams and blasts fired by the possessed Pok\u00e9mon, all while urging it to get into its Pok\u00e9 Ball for safety\u00a0\u2013 mirroring the Spearow scene shown in the beginning and in the anime. Pikachu refuses, but eventually Ash forces Pikachu in its ball, which is quite a shocking moment considering Ash&#8217;s Pikachu has never gotten into any type of Pok\u00e9 Ball,\u00a0<em>ever\u00a0<\/em>(unless you count the scene from Pok\u00e9mon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, where one of Mewtwo&#8217;s Clone Balls captures Pikachu). Ash is destroyed by the projectile attacks, and after the smoke settles, Ash is seen as energy which eventually disintegrates, as does the Rainbow Wing itself. This part of the film is strange, as it is depicted that Ash has died due to his &#8220;soul&#8221; slowly fading away. Ash can then be seen in a purgatory-like state, but is then brought back to life by Ho-Oh (presumably) after a sentimental conversation he has with Pikachu. That&#8217;s right, a conversation with Pikachu. It&#8217;s this part of the film that&#8217;s caused the most controversy online, as well as the most noise in the cinema screening I was in for that matter, for Pikachu speaks the English language. Now of course, it can be assumed that Pikachu isn&#8217;t\u00a0<em>actually<\/em>\u00a0speaking English, but that Ash is understanding what Pikachu is saying to him in &#8220;Pika&#8221; lingo, and is presented in English for us to understand, but nevertheless, this is one cringeworthy moment\u00a0\u2013 at least to me. I&#8217;ve never liked Pok\u00e9mon speaking in films, but it&#8217;s shown to work at times, such as with Mewtwo in the first Pok\u00e9mon movie. But this just doesn&#8217;t feel quite right. Regardless, Ash comes back to life, the Pok\u00e9mon are no longer possessed, and Marshadow is back to normal. Ash then places the Rainbow Wing onto the pedestal, and battles Ho-Oh with Pikachu. The outcome of this battle is not known, for the scene cuts to the Pok\u00e9mon Center, where Ash hands in a, although quite battered, upbeat Pikachu to Nurse Joy for healing. The three Trainers then decide to go their separate ways at a crossroads, and the film ends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Major spoilers over, you&#8217;re safe here.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Screening Exclusives<\/h3>\n<p>As with the many Pok\u00e9mon films of yesteryear, viewers received a few Pok\u00e9mon goodies upon entering. First is an &#8220;official movie poster mag&#8221;, containing kids&#8217; activities and Pok\u00e9 facts, with the mag turning into a sweet-looking reversible movie poster that shows Ash, Pikachu and Ho-Oh. Second is an exclusive &#8220;Ash&#8217;s Pikachu&#8221; Pok\u00e9mon trading card, and the third is a QR code for a &#8220;special&#8221; and &#8220;distinctive&#8221; Pikachu that players can scan into their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/3ds\/pokemon_ultra_sun_and_ultra_moon\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon<\/strong><\/a> games. It&#8217;s basically very similar to the promotion that occurred over the last few months, with the Pikachu wearing a Trainer&#8217;s hat (except this hat being the one worn by Ash in the film \u2013\u00a0yes, it&#8217;s different to the classic one). Unlike the aforementioned promotion though, this can <em>only<\/em> be scanned into Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and not any Pok\u00e9mon 3DS game, which is a neat promotional tie-in. It should be noted, however, that these goodies will apparently not be distributed in the aforementioned additional screenings on the 11th and 14th of November.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the first three instalments of Pok\u00e9mon Generations (an episodic YouTube series released by Pok\u00e9mon last year) airs after the credits roll, which is a great experience for those who never got the chance to watch the shorts, although arguably lazy for those who waited for the credits to roll and were expecting a never-before-seen surprise.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/5\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2017\/11\/movie_review_pokemon_the_movie_i_choose_you\/attachment\/5\/original.jpg\" alt=\"Goodies.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<h3>In Summary<\/h3>\n<p>Pok\u00e9mon The Movie: I Choose You! contains all the ingredients you can expect from a typical Pok\u00e9mon film \u2013 from gut-busting scenes to tear-jerking moments, and everything in between. Maybe that&#8217;s a little bit of an exaggeration, but it\u00a0<em>does<\/em> offer an experience that gets the audience feeling all kinds of different emotions\u00a0\u2013 even if a little\u00a0\u2013 from joy, to sorrow, to anger, to humour and, as much as I hate to admit it, downright cheese and cringe. The movie hones in on what the elder generation grew up with when watching the anime, but presents it with a fresh take. And while the focus is definitely on Generations I and II, it&#8217;s nice to see Pok\u00e9mon from all generations roaming the world of Kanto.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The movie could&#8217;ve been improved by focusing a little more on Verity and Sorrel&#8217;s individual backstories, as well as, to me anyway, giving Team Rocket more of a platform to shine in the film. The ending for me is also probably the weakest part of the film, for it seems a little rushed, hard to make sense of, and also quite cringeworthy. Aside from these complaints, though, I Choose You does a great job of bringing Pok\u00e9mon fans from all three decades of its existence together, containing references and Pok\u00e9mon from the seven generations of games that have enthralled our lives at one point in time or another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<div class=\"youtube\">[embedded content] <\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Let us know if you&#8217;ve seen the film so far, or if you hope to watch it in another screening or online in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time in over a decade (for many in the West, at least), Pok\u00e9mon has hit our cinema screens again with Pok\u00e9mon The Movie: I Choose You!, and I was lucky enough to attend one of its few screenings in the UK (though \u201cdue to popular demand\u201d, two more dates have been added [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}