The first title of the Pokemon League of Ash Ketchum has fans who go crazy

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  Let's face it, Pokemon has never been a big anime; his messy principle has always better served the mechanics of a video game than the plot of a cartoon. But whatever the format, it's the sense of almost banal exploration in a big Pokémon world that makes the franchise memorable. While the heroes of "Dragonball Z" and "Gundam Wing" were responsible for saving humanity, the protagonist of the Pokemon cartoon, Ash Ketchum, was often barely competent, simply trying to make his mark on everything. exploring the wilderness.

  
  

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  Ash did not even qualify for the finals of the Indigo League Championships that closed the first arc of the series. It was a bold anticlimax for a property then at its peak, with children from around the world still plagued by Poké-mania. Thanks to his weaknesses, IRL Pokémon trainers who tried to master the game could see themselves in Ash – not the center of the Pokémon universe, but rather a tiny part of it.

  
  

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  With Pokémon movies, this down-to-earth spirit is thrown out the window. These Pikachu images are primarily designed to showcase the legendary legendary Pokémon that is the catch of the day. With unintelligible and meaningless "epic" intrigues, many Pokémon movies are unbearable for all, with the exception of the most dedicated Pokémon fans. Let me explain how 90% of these films are going.

  The narrator explains what Pokemon is.
  Ash has a battle of Pokémon on inspiring pop music that ranges from fun dancefloors to eighties-style ballads to more rock-Christian dishes. This is often the best part of the movie.

  
  

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  Ash meets a legendary Pokémon from a recent or upcoming Pokémon game.
  Another legendary Pokémon appears to fight the first. Everything ends exactly as at the beginning of the movie so as not to affect the anime.

  In what sometimes seemed like a kind of performance endurance, I watched these 22 movies and I'm here to give you a glimpse of the good, the bad and the worst.

  
  

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  22. "Hoopa and the shock of the ages" (2015)
  

  It was supposed to be the "Destroy All Monsters" of Pokémon movies. It brings together many legendary Pokémon of the advanced generation at X & Y and shows their mega-evolved forms in a royal battle. But this clash was more inductive than wonderful. Hoopa, the genius of jewelry, also wins the price of the most annoying legendary Pokémon of all time – even for a Pokémon, Hoopa seems really stupid.

  
  

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  21. "Pokémon Hero: Latios and Latias" (2002)
  

  It starts strong with a fun aquatic ride between Ash, Misty and a group of other coaches in a pretty, well-designed Venetian-style town, Alto Mare. Things quickly end up falling into the usual tropes of "villains want to catch the legendary Pokemon", and I just could not keep my eyes open. This film, one of the last Pokémon movies to be released in the United States, was a real bomb. After trying to look at it, I can see why.

  
  

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  20. "Giratina and the celestial warrior" (2008)
  

  At the end of this film, it's really the Pokémon movie that made me want to stop watching Pokémon movies. The Sky Warrior is Shaymin – a leafy hedgehog capable of absorbing pollution, it's one of my legendary favorites – but this movie did not do justice to the creatures. Most of the time, we simply get colored spots moving through poorly defined CG dimensions. Legendary Pokémon Giratina, a great demonic dinosaur, looks too clumsy to steal or even move in animation, and that is a complaint that could be made against many legendary Pokémon of the era of diamond and pearl.

  
  

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  19. "Genesect and the waking legend" (2013)
  

  This one revolves around a group of scientists who use ancient DNA to resurrect Pokémon, and if you've watched any of these movies, it's a rather familiar plot. The editors seem to be at least aware of this, as Mewtwo is himself a main actor. (Or should I say it herself?) In "Pokémon: The First Movie", Mewtwo is voiced by Jay Goede, but in this appearance she is voiced by Miriam Pultrow, a woman with a distinct feminine sound. is logical: we often talk about legendary Pokémon genre, and Mewtwo communicates psychically to be able to change voices at any time.) The bulk of this film is made up of five legendary types of steel bugs, Genesect, rampaging to through New Tork City, an Epcot style utopia that was built old house. It's a little sad to see the Genesect look for their home, which has not existed for millions of years. Apart from that, this film is rather boring.

  
  

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  18. "The rise of Darkrai" (2007)
  

  The Diamond and Pearl era of Pokémon was a beautiful time, a return to shape after the style of "Tron" style of the generation that preceded it. But the films of this period suffer from a very plastic animation. "The Rise of Darkrai" has a message "do not judge a book on its cover" which gives it almost a meaning, but I just finished looking at it as I type it, and I'm not sure. I have already forgotten most of it. There is also a scary Prince coach who turns into Lickilicky. That's all I have.

  
  

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  17. "Arceus and the jewel of life" (2009)
  

  There are many powerful Pokémon, but Arceus has created the dimension in which Pokémon live and is one of the most powerful Pokémon of all time in games. Arceus is sort of, by definition, God in the Pokemon universe, and God is a gigantic steel horse and vengeful, haughty voice. The man is interested in Sheena, a girl with amazing eyebrows who can communicate psychologically with Pokémon. Sheena's ancestors betrayed Arceus (aka God) and she seeks forgiveness. This one presents a kind of "memento" nice in the past, but other than that, I do not remember anything other than worse animations Diamond and Pearl. In addition, Sheena trusts this guy who has clearly unsavory hair.

  
  

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  16. "Kyuurem against the sword of justice" (2012)
  

  "The sword of justice" is the unicorn Keldeo water; it is better animated than any My Little Pony and evokes Baby Unico from Osamu Tezuka. This film begins with a cute sequence in a train that made me think it would be the Pokémon version of "Snowpiercer". Instead, the fighting continues endlessly with Cryogonals, the snowflake servants of Kyuurem. The Cryogonals have somehow ruined me and ended up turning the last two thirds of this movie into a real chore. Kyuurem himself, a menacing ice dragon, is actually quite frightening at times, so here's a movie for Pokémon that gets on my nerves.

  
  

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  15. "The power of us" (2018)
  

  Many Pokémon coaches end up at a Lugia celebrating wind festival, which is animated by an annoying kid with white dreadlocks wearing a top hat. Unlike many of these other films, "The Power of Us" tries to develop the character of its human characters, but does not succeed. There was a drama scene worthy of LOL where a sudowoodo says "sudowoodo!" and his trainer responds angrily: "You reject my words in the face!" At one point, Ash saves the mayor's daughter WASPy's daughter, Margot, from some hooligans, and everything feels very "Trusted, Kids!" Trying to inject a real story into a Pokémon movie is a difficult battle, but there are some tentative emotional twists, and the animation and character design are far superior to most newer releases. But in the end, I could not worry about the new characters.

  
  

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  14. "Diancie and the cocoon of destruction" (2014)
  

  "Cocoon of Destruction" is not much better than most of these other films, but her main character, Diancie, is a fairy goddess of diamonds who needs the help of Pokemon Xerneas, a fairy of deer. to the rest of these films rather geared towards boys. You might think that the Cocoon of Destruction is the huge ponytail hairstyle worn by the mean Merilyn Flame, but it's actually the room that houses the legendary villain here, the dark dragon bird Yveltal. Diancie's passion for diamonds makes him the Elizabeth Taylor of Pokémon, and his association with gems brings to light a group of jewelery thieves that Ash and his team must repel.

  
  

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  13. "Destiny Deoxys" (2004)
  

  "Destiny Deoxys" fully adheres to the Advanced Generation's cyberpunk trends, to its advantage. The action takes place largely in LaRousse City, a high-tech city where everyone moves on treadmills and small block-shaped robots, able to form buildings and bridges, plays the role of Big Brother . Most of the plot revolves around more boring fights between two legendary ones (Rayquaza and Deoxys), but what's really interesting is a platinum-haired character named Tory, a young boy who suffers from an extreme phobia of PTSD from Pokemon since almost being trampled by a flock of walrein like a child. Apart from that, there are not many signs of life.

  
  

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  12. "Ranger Pokémon and the Temple of the Sea" (2006)
  

  This movie, which is clearly a promotion of the Pokémon Ranger series, takes place around the sea and the aquatic setting gives it a beautiful concentration that most of these other films do not have. Ash and the gang meet the Marina Group, an itinerant water circus to protect the eggs of Manaphy, a legendary amoeba-like marine Pokémon with close ties to May. The aquatic performances of the Marina group involve large floating orbs in which they swim and their Pokémon. It's fun to watch. In addition, the villain is a pirate who wears two belts in his beard. The mix of 2D and CG animation, which appears in many Pokémon movies of this era, is at its best here. In the end, however, few things stand out.

  
  

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  11. "Pokémon: the movie 2000" (1999)
  

  Critics have received this movie with a little more positivity than the previous entry, "Pokémon: the first movie". However, I simply can not forget Tracy Sketchitt, a Pokémon artist who has replaced Brock as Ash's male mate and has no personality. In addition, this film is happening in the Orange Islands region, which has never been described in the games and therefore never found its balance with the fandom. Anecdote: The theme song of this movie, "The Power of One" (adorned by Donna Summer) was quoted ad nauseam by the seductive conservative Herman Cain during his condemned presidential campaign of 2012.

  
  

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  10. "Jirachi – wish maker" (2003)
  

  At this point, I had watched some of these movies, and whenever one of them featured a legendary little Pokémon and biting, I immediately worried about this. little legendary Pokémon. This movie had a fun plot because you did not know who was trustworthy. Jirachi, the star-shaped kawaii Pokémon in the center is a bit devious, and the circus artists we meet early also seem suspicious, even after saving Pikachu from Team Rocket. The animation is sharp and colorful, and there are terribly bad moments that are worth it: The film ends with Ash and the gang stumbling through a lullaby without words for Jirachi who rolled on the ground my boyfriend and me.

  
  

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  9. "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew" (2005)
  

  This one begins with a medieval pre-pokéball moment in the history of the Pokémon Universe, and it was pretty cool to see this era of the past. In addition, Ash has developed a real character throughout his journey, since he remembers his early days with Pikachu. It's definitely one of those movies that deal with the deception of Pokémon in humans to be selfish or egocentric, a recurring trope of the series. The center of the film, a Lucario Pokémon (canine steel / fighter type), makes real sacrifices in this film, and it's easy to understand why he became a fan favorite – especially in Japan, where this film has been reported 4 , 3 billion yen.

  
  

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  8. "Volcanion and the mechanical wonder" (2016)
  

  This one starts with the legendary Volcanion, of type water / fire, which loses against a type of ice, which is not really credible; A recurring problem with the series and the movies is that they do not really seem to honor the nuanced mechanisms of the game. Things end up falling into the Steampunk bidding when Ash discovers a mechanical realm and puts on an outfit straight out of " Newsies. " The plot revolves mainly around Volcanion and a robot robot resembling Marie Antoinette named Magearna; it seems pretty clear that if Volcanion is not Magearna's boyfriend, he wants to be it. In addition, bandits attach Ash to Volcanion with a kind of energy rope that allows them to bump against Volcanion whenever they come out of a certain distance from each other. Finally, the plot pivots on the Navel Board, a reserve reserved for the abandoned Pokémon that Volcanion protects from Pokémon hunters, giving us a story with real meaning and weight traces, and there are plenty of cute moments . Volcanion explains how Pokémon are hurt by egoism and the lies of man. According to Volcanion, Pokémon are unable to lie – I guess he has never met Meowth. Ash goes "not all humans" on Volcanion and emerges as a real idiot, which is nice.

  
  

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  7. "Pokémon: the first film" (1998)
  

  OK, so maybe this movie was only so high on the list because I saw it in cinemas when I was in fifth grade, but if you're reading this, then it's possible that you have done it too. "Pikachu's Vacation", the digital short film that preceded "Mewtwo Strikes Back" in theaters and in VHS, is a sunny and fun show that suits the B * Witched soundtrack, vitamin C and other pop-adolescent sweet music acts of the late 90s. The film begins with a monologue by Mewtwo who stayed in my head two years later. In addition, the home remix of the Pokémon theme song (played by Billy Crawford) that accompanies the opening battle of Ash still resonates. Once on the evil island of Mewtwo, things start to get really slow, but who can forget about all the Pokémon fighting while "Brother My Brother" from Blessid Union of Souls plays on the back -plan? For some reason, the terribly bad music of this movie really struck me, but if you have not heard of any of these artists, you are probably not alone.

  
  

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  6. "I choose you!" (2017)
  

  It was less a film, but rather a dramatic redistribution of the first editions of the franchise, possibly to update a new generation of children. But what differentiates "I Choose You" are those abominable and discordant moments involving wounded Pokémon; The images of a wounded Vaporeon with a soft tail and a Charmander in the rain getting kicked by his coach are both engraved in my mind. Of course, Ash saves the wounded Charmander and, while cradling with care this little lizard with the soft voice in his arms. I could not help being a little foggy. Ho-Oh is the true centerpiece here, and he refers to Ash as his "rainbow hero", who is probably the closest Pokémon that will come to a strange performance. (Also, the fight against fire Incineroar is strangely appealing?) This is one of the latest recent Pokémon movies that has a score for rotten tomatoes, which should tell you that it was supposed to surpass the others . However, "I choose you!" take the unfortunate decision to replace Brock and Misty, Ash's buddies, with other forgotten friends. What is the point of this revisionist story?

  
  

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  5. "Inspector Pikachu" (2019)
  

  Despite the insistence of "Detective Pikachu" on the list, I still analyzed it rotten on the Tomatometer during its replay, which could give you an idea of ​​the caliber of these films. But there are great moments here, and the Pokémon are all well translated to live action. Some of the twists towards the end remind me of "Get Out," and considering my own cautiousness, I will not try to unpack that in this list. Ryan Reynolds is legitimately endearing and funny, and the battles in the Pokémon Underground Club gave me something of what I wanted.

  
  

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  4. "Pokémon 3: the film" (2000)
  

  Three of the first Pokémon movies take advantage of three things: Misty, Brock and a more organic and less digital animation style. The story of "Pokémon 3" is centered on Molly, a little girl whose father archaeologist was transported to another trippy dimension by Unown. Molly accidentally summons the lion god Entei, whom she regards as her father, and for whatever reason, Entei accepts the fantasy. Molly's father can somehow afford a mansion with the salary of an archaeologist, and as soon as things start to get weird, the whole residence is covered with rock formations that make it look like a beautiful sea anemone diamond. Molly's deformation powers of reality make it a fun battle. Although "Pokémon 3" is not as down-to-earth as the series itself, the storyline that focuses on Molly's family and her sad sadness makes her a little more intimate, and it goes a long way path.

  
  

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  3. "White Pokémon: Victini and Zekrom" / "Black Pokémon: Victini and Reshiram" (2011)
  

  These are actually two separate, almost identical movies, with the exception of a few scenes, a marketing ploy that resembles the Pokémon game release schemes. It's pointless to watch both movies, but they give one of the most powerful plots of any movie in the series. The film focuses on the inhabitants of Vale, a tribe dispersed after a war between two brothers who controlled the legendary Pokémon Reshiram and Zekrom. The "Victini" films deal in fact with rather heavy problems related to the displacement and the destruction of the environment caused by the war, and make it possible to distinguish the citizens of a country from the bad choices made by their leaders and other parties. The underdog becomes the oppressor when a coach named Damon tries to reunite the inhabitants of the Valley by capturing the Pokemon god, the great fire of the planet, Victini, stripping him of his power against his will . Who knew that Pokémon could carry it there? I suppose if you put enough 100 Mankeys in a room with 100 typewriters, you end up with Shakespeare.

  
  

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  2. "Pokémon 4Ever: Celeb-Voice of the Forest" (2001)
  

  This is one of the movies that I find closest to the spirit of the games because it takes place mostly in a forest. "Pokémon 4Ever" features Celebi, a time-traveling forest nymph Pokémon, and also involves the legendary Suicune Ice Cat; The mysterious presence of Suicune in the woods recalls the spirit of the forest in "Princess Mononoke", which is never a bad film to look like. Ash and the gang must help a time-displaced boy named Sam, saving Celebi from Team Rocket's "Iron Masked Marauder," who (surprise, surprise) wants to enslave the cute little Celebi legendary and exploit his power. The message "Nature is good, poachers are bad" is simple but true, and the twist revealed at the end does more to develop one of Pokémon's main characters than any of these other films put together.

  
  

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  1. "Zoroark – Master of Illusions" (2010)
  

  It was definitely the group's most inspiring watch, with Zoroark, a Pokémon capable of creating illusions and turning into other Pokémon. Grings Kodai, a shady businessman who has the power to see the future, wants to harness the power of Celebi to increase his divination skills. He captured Zoroark to help him achieve his goals. While Zoroark has the ability to create illusions, Grings Kodai is rich enough to control the media and avoid any responsibility for his actions to Zoroark and others. Finally, Ash and his team introduce themselves, accompanied by some clandestine journalists working on the discovery of Kodai's relations. This movie had bows of character for almost everyone, surprising twists, and Grings Kodai was a stronger villain, more interesting and more hated than the similar Howard Clifford, played with a lot of wood by Bill Nighy in "Detective Pikachu" . (There are still some translation problems here.) At one point, Kodai pronounces the following sentence: "The victory is for me!")

  
  

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