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REVIEW: Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!


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rizuchan
Collector Extraordinaire



Joined: 11 Mar 2007
Posts: 974
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:20 am Reply with quote
Super excited to see this movie, though I imagine it won't be for a while.

I just don't understand the choice to give Ash/Satoshi new companions, though, especially since it sounds like they're not really important to the plot? It just seems like, if you're trying to appeal to the nostalgia crowd but don't want to have Brock and Misty for whatever reason, why not just have Ash go it alone like most Pokemon trainers apparently do?
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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:37 am Reply with quote
rizuchan wrote:
I just don't understand the choice to give Ash/Satoshi new companions, though, especially since it sounds like they're not really important to the plot?

My assumption is that there was a commercial need for new characters, such that this film's merchandise would be distinct from anything previously released. I anticipate that those who've graduated from its target audience—for whom the original trio's chemistry remains definitive of the series—may struggle to reconcile the omissions with the sense of nostalgia being appealed to.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 1:09 pm Reply with quote
Uh-oh. Marshadow's going to be a gigantic pain to fight. Its stats are so good, the Ghost/Fighting type combination is crazy, and it has a couple of signature moves I never want to be on the receiving end of whenever I play. Good thing it's going to be very heavily restricted online and in competitions.
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xScar



Joined: 20 Dec 2006
Posts: 288
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 2:05 pm Reply with quote
Man, Callum, I think the nostalgia is really glazing your eyes on this one. There are way too many negative points to this movie to give it anything close to an A.

First, the story is all over the place. You get half way into it, and you're like "What's the point of this again?" Sure, Ash says he wants to find Ho-oh again... but at least for the majority of the film it's just endless wandering. Instead, they've taken literally every emotional scene from the original series, strung them together, and called it a movie. spoiler[Abandoned Charmander, check. Letting Butterfree go, check. Ash dying a la movie 1, check] There's a way to make callbacks for fans, but how they did it in this movie felt like cheap tearjerkers. As you mentioned, both the new companions and Marshadow add almost nothing to the movie as well! That's half the main cast being nearly pointless.Ugh.

The animation is also nothing to write home about either. The opening scene zooming into the Pokemon arena was interesting, but although the environments are 3D, the characters are not... and it just makes me think of those old 90s video games where you have flat crowds/objects in an otherwise 3D world. Another scene I remember looking truly awkward is the flower field scene with Ash and Pikachu. On top of the characters looking out a place again because they're 2D in a 3D field, the field itself is just so bland/copy-pasted CGI. Is it better than the TV series? Perhaps, but it should be with a theatrical budget. Does it look good? Not really.

The only thing the movie does get right, perhaps, is adding some characterization to Ash and Pikachu. You can actually see Pikachu's progression from hating Ash at first to becoming his friend. And for Ash, being the 10 year old he is, you witness how moody and childlike he can be at times. It caught me off guard during the movie itself, but thinking back on it now, I really think it fits and adds -something- to a movie devoid of almost anything else.
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Lord Oink



Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 2:32 pm Reply with quote
Maybe its because I find OG Pocket Monster to be the worst series and i have zero nostalgia for it, but this is hands down the worst movie they've done. It's just a pointless AU recap with a side of nostalgia pandering. I'd rather watch the first Best Wishes movie again.
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:19 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
“Chosen One” is a title that is questioned, lost, and won again through a surprisingly creative character arc that culminates in a scene that veteran Pokémon fans have been waiting to see for 20 years.

He wins the Pokemon League/faces the Elite Four!? He catches a legendary!? He kisses Serena back!?
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XerneasYveltal



Joined: 09 Jun 2015
Posts: 667
Location: Philippines
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:12 pm Reply with quote
Once this movie is all set to be dubbed, I sense some controversy coming in since Newtwo from the 16th Pokemon movie.

If nostalgia towards classics is something you got used to, you may have come to the wrong interpretation of the first few episodes of the OG Pocket Monsters saga. Just saying.
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CCTakato



Joined: 24 Jul 2015
Posts: 514
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:56 pm Reply with quote
I hope they can bring back Veronica Taylor to play Ash for the English dub as she's been very excited for this movie and it would just be weird seeing the Kanto arc again without her playing as Ash.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:35 pm Reply with quote
FilthyCasual wrote:
Quote:
“Chosen One” is a title that is questioned, lost, and won again through a surprisingly creative character arc that culminates in a scene that veteran Pokémon fans have been waiting to see for 20 years.

He wins the Pokemon League/faces the Elite Four!? He catches a legendary!? He kisses Serena back!?
He turns eleven!?
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BadNewsBlues



Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 5886
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:21 pm Reply with quote
Lord Oink wrote:
but this is hands down the worst movie they've done.


I haven't seen all of the movies but I find this claim quite dubious.

FilthyCasual wrote:

He wins the Pokemon League/faces the Elite Four!? He catches a legendary!? He kisses Serena back!?


He changes into clean underwear on-screen?
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Stuart Smith



Joined: 13 Jan 2013
Posts: 1298
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 1:18 am Reply with quote
xScar wrote:

The only thing the movie does get right, perhaps, is adding some characterization to Ash and Pikachu. You can actually see Pikachu's progression from hating Ash at first to becoming his friend. And for Ash, being the 10 year old he is, you witness how moody and childlike he can be at times. It caught me off guard during the movie itself, but thinking back on it now, I really think it fits and adds -something- to a movie devoid of almost anything else.


That was in the original series too, to be fair. He was amaturish and childish, and as the series went on he became more mature and experienced. In DP and XY he was more or less a mentor to his companions. Looking back at those days, I can't say I miss old whiny Satoshi.

-Stuart Smith
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 620
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 9:16 am Reply with quote
I was looking forward to this film, but of the reviews I have seen most have been negative. It is very interesting to compare this review to the one Dogasu posted on Dogasu's Backpack. From what he says the film isn't so much a traditional story as it is a series of barely connected vignettes, some of which have absolutely nothing to do with the final conflict. From other reviews I have seen, it feels like this would have been better as a series of OVAs than a standalone film.
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 2892
Location: California
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 10:21 am Reply with quote
Just got back from the theaters.

I, for one, loved the movie. It hit all the right nostalgic notes and added new things to keep it fresh. Having to rewatch some of the sad scenes from the original series had my eyes watering. I know for sure that the big guy sitting a couple seats from me wiped away tears. Sure, there were parts that were predictable, but I don't really think it detracts too much from the movie, especially when you know what you're getting into. This is, afterall, a franchise aimed mainly at kids.

It's been at least 10 years since I've watched Pokemon but this really took me back. I was reminded how this series became my gateway to anime.

On a side note, Ootani Ikue-- WOW! To be able to express so many emotions with just "Pikachu" is nothing short of amazing!
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Lord Oink



Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 10:25 am Reply with quote
^Depends on how much nostalgia you have for OS and how much you really want to see a few episodes adapted on the big screen with a loose overall plot.
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 2892
Location: California
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 10:31 am Reply with quote
Lord Oink wrote:
^Depends on how much nostalgia you have for OS and how much you really want to see a few episodes adapted on the big screen with a loose overall plot.

Perhaps those who have been away from the series longer will enjoy it more.

I thought the plot with Ho-oh was fine, though I agree with the review that whole thing with Marshadow wasn't very strong. Not the deepest story in the world, but hey, it's a Pokemon movie.
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