Review - Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I've rested up, and so it's time to get back into reviewing movies. And today, I'm diving back into a world that's as near and dear to my heart today as it was twenty years ago: Pokémon. More specifically, I'm taking a look at the 2017 film Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!. Released in 2017, this marked the first Pokémon movie since 2001's Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown to get a theatrical release in the United States, courtesy of NCM Fathom Events. So, as a long time fan, what did I think of this one? Let's dig into this movie and find out. 

         So, the movie starts off, just as the Indigo League season of the anime did, with Ash Ketchum getting ready to be given his first Pokémon partner by Professor Oak. Unfortunately, because he slept in, he arrives late, and all three starters of Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur have been taken. So, Professor Oak offers another Pokémon: a very stubborn little guy called Pikachu. Pikachu, of course, refuses to get into its Pokéball, and the two go off on their journey. 

         On the way, Ash tries to catch a Pidgey, fails to do so, throws a rock at a Spearow, and the now pissed off Spearow attacks Pikachu, leading to a stormy chase between Ash, Pikachu, and a whole flock of Spearow. Eventually, the flock is zapped away by Pikachu, and the storm clears away. Soon after, a legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh, flies by, dropping a feather called a Rainbow Wing, and Ash catches it. What follows is essentially a montage of battles and events, including his victories in the Pewter City and Cerulean City Gyms, gaining the Boulder Badge and Cascade Badge from Gym Leaders Brock and Misty. Now, this sends up a red flag for most fans, but not for me. Now, again, as someone who grew up with the Indigo League season of the anime, I know full well that Ash traverses the Kanto region with Misty and Brock, but the two of them are barely in this movie. Now, while I'm a little disappointed in this massive change to franchise lore, I also am able to accept that this movie is essentially a reboot, and thus changes are to be expected, and should be accepted as such. Besides, it's not like the Indigo League seasons aren't readily available for viewing. You can easily stream the first season of Indigo League on Netflix or buy it on Blu-ray. 

          Anyway, we then cut to the aftermath of Ash's battle with Celadon Gym Leader Erika, where Ash is victorious, and this gains the Rainbow Badge. It's here where we ultimately diverge into the film's main plotline, as while visiting a Pokémon Center, another trainer mentions losing a battle against the legendary Pokémon Entei. Ash goes to the forest to check it out, and is follows by two other trainers, who become Ash's travel companions for the rest of the movie, Verity and Sorrel. Verity travels around with her Piplup, while Sorrel travels with a Lucario. It's also here where Ash meets a Charmander, whose trainer Cross turns out to be a complete douchebag obsessed only with strong Pokémon, actually abandoning the little Charmander, Ash and Verity, after seeing Cross' cruelty, decide to get Charmander inside, and Sorrel helps nurse it back to health. Charmander then decides to join Ash. 

          Ash, Verity, and Sorrel then proceed to see Entei again, Charmander evolves into Charmeleon, and Ash's Rainbow Wing guides the trio through the Raizen Mountain Range to where Ash, who is apparently a chosen "rainbow hero," can face and possibly challenge Ho-Oh. Verity spots a Suicune, and Cross eventually returns and defeats Charmeleon with his own Incineroar, causing Ash quite a bit of grief. Ash eventually has a dream where he's at school with Verity and Sorrel, and Pokémon don't exist. As the dream continues, Ash begins to feel like he's forgetting something, and he suddenly remembers Pikachu and awakens. Ash releases Butterfree, spots Raikou, and he, Verity, and Sorrel head up to Mount Tensei, where the Rainbow Wing is pointing towards. 

          At the summit, the trio finds the Rainbow Rock, and Cross shows up again and battles Charmeleon with Incineroar. Charmeleon evolves into Charizard, but Cross is unwilling to accept defeat and steals the Rainbow Wing for himself, causing it to lose its color, unleashing a Pokémon called Marshadow, and it takes over the minds of all the Pokémon. The trainers all try to get through to the Pokémon, to no avail, and Ash tries to get Pikachu into its Pokéball. After asking, once again, why Pikachu won't go into the Pokéball, we get easily the biggest "What the Eff" moment of the movie: Pikachu actually speaks the words: "It's because I always want to be with you." I mean: WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!? In all the years of Pokémon, Pikachu never speaks a word of human speech, and now. NOW we hear it speaking human speech?!?!? WHYYYYY?!?!?!?!? Now, one could argue that it's because Ash was near death and was imagining it, but it's still a massive WTF moment. 

       Anyway, Ash fades away, Pikachu unleashes a massive Thunderbolt attack, freeing the minds of the Pokémon, and mourns the loss of its friend. Ash eventually wakes up in another dimension, but is brought back, restoring the Rainbow Wing. Ho-Oh arrives, healing everyone. Ash, then challenges Ho-Oh to a battle, the results of which we never get to see. After a visit to the Pokémon Center, Verity and Sorrel part ways with Ash and Pikachu, who continue along their Pokémon journey. 

        Okay, so this movie tries to retell the iconic story of the beginning of Ash's journey, while also focusing on his encounter with Ho-Oh, which was just seen as a throwaway encounter in the premier episode of Indigo League: "Pokémon - I Choose You." While I like the idea of having Ho-Oh as the main legendary Pokémon of focus in this movie, I do feel like this reboot of the beginning of Ash's journey wasn't really necessary. 

         On top of that, while I did like the characters of Verity and Sorrel, who definitely are enjoyable characters with really neat Pokémon partners Piplup and Lucario, I do think that older fans won't really respond well to these two one-off characters as Ash's traveling companions in lieu of fan favorites Misty and Brock. On top of that, a majority of fans will probably be harping on the scene where Pikachu talks for the first time. Seriously, I can't get over that. It's just such a bizarre WTF moment that stuns me even to this day. 

        However, I do admire the appearances of legendary Pokémon like Entei, Suicune, and Raikou throughout the movie, as well as non-Kanto Pokémon like Incineroar. Adding in Pokémon from second generation onwards really fleshes out the world with various Pokémon from across every generation. 

        Overall, I had a decent experience watching this movie, and I do recommend it for Pokémon fans. While not necessarily perfect, it's still better than some of the less popular direct-to-video movies of Pokémon that are out there. So, I'm giving Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! a rating of 3.95/5. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.