Review - Pokémon Trilogy (1999-2001)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. And, in the past, I have talked about many of the Pokémon movies. And, while I have talked about a couple decent ones, I thought it best to get into what I consider the definitive trilogy of Pokémon movies, which were the three films released theatrically by Warner Bros. and dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment. So, today, I'm taking a look at Pokémon: The First Movie, released in 1999, Pokémon the Movie 2000, released in 2000, and Pokémon 3: The Movie, released in 2001. 

        So, Pokémon: The First Movie tells the story of how a group of scientists used a fossil from the ancient Pokémon Mew to create the all-powerful Mewtwo. Unfortunately, Mewtwo has something of an existential crisis, and destroys the laboratory. And, after the lab's destruction, Mewtwo is approached by Team Rocket leader Giovanni, who offers to help Mewtwo control its powers. After working with Giovanni and Team Rocket for some time, Mewtwo still questions its purpose, and is enraged when Giovanni reveals it was created to serve humans. Destroying Giovanni's facility, Mewtwo escapes and vows to find its own purpose, and stop any human or Pokémon who opposes it. 

       It's here where we meet Ash, Misty, and Brock, who are getting ready for a hearty lunch, when another trainer arrives to challenge Ash to a Pokémon battle. Ash, with help from Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pikachu, easily defeats the challenger's lineup of Pokémon: Donphan, Machamp, Pinsir, Venomoth, and Golem. After witnessing footage of the battle, Mewtwo dispatches a Dragonite with an invitation to a gathering on New Island. The invitation is a recording of a woman in the service of Mewtwo. Ash, unwilling to turn down a challenge, accepts the invitation. Unfortunately, the Ferry Terminal at Old Shore Wharf cancels the ferry to New Island, as a massive storm began brewing, courtesy of Mewtwo. 

        Despite the danger, a few brave trainers and their Pokémon traverse the storm and make their way to the island. Ash, Misty, and Brock are offered a boat ride from a pair of Vikings. Now, aside from this being yet another lame disguise by Jessie and James of Team Rocket, there was no point to this other than a Minnesota Vikings joke. Anyway, Ash, Misty, and Brock arrive at the island, and are taken to a massive room, where they meet the other trainers who arrived: Corey, Fergus, and Neesha. And,. it's here where all of our trainers are introduced to Mewtwo, and it reveals a massive battle stadium, where Mewtwo's clone Pokémon will go up against the trainers' Pokémon. The first three up? Corey's Venusaur vs Clone Venusaur, Neesha's Blastoise vs Clone Blastoise, and Ash's Charizard vs Clone Charizard. The clones ultimately win, and Mewtwo claims everyone's Pokémon, all of which are nabbed by Mewtwo's special Pokéballs. Unfortunately returning the Pokémon to their Pokéballs is useless, as Mewtwo's special Pokéballs can even nab a Trainer's Pokéballs. But, it's when Pikachu is nabbed that Ash goes after the ball, and does everything he can to rescue Pikachu. 

           The cloning machine goes haywire because of Ash, and all the clone Pokémon are unleashed, joining Mewtwo upstairs. The trainers' Pokémon are eventually freed, and they join Ash in going to stop Mewtwo's plan. And, it's during this confrontation where Mew, who had been kinda just bouncing and bobbing around throughout most of the movie, finally makes its presence known. A massive battle ensues between the Clone Pokémon and the trainers' Pokémon, as well as between Mew and Mewtwo. Pikachu, however, refuses to fight its clone, and gets pretty roughed up. Ash tries to stop the fight, but gets caught in the crossfire between Mew and Mewtwo, and is turned to stone as a result. Pikachu, unable to reawaken Ash, begins to cry for its dearest friend, and the other Pokémon also cry. The tears shed by the Pokémon, somehow, restore Ash to normal, and Mewtwo learns a clear lesson: how you are born is not as important as what you do with the gift of life. Mewtwo then gathers all the clone Pokémon, and erased the memories of everyone else, sending them back to the Ferry Terminal. 

          Back at the Ferry Terminal, everyone is gathered, but with no memory of why, and the storm outside clears up, and Ash, Misty, and Brock continue on their journey. 

      Okay, so I had previously reviewed a 2020 CGI remake of this movie, and while I noted a few areas where that movie improved on the original, especially in the accidental misidentifying of three Pokémon: calling a Pidgeot a Pidgeotto, calling a Scyther an Alakazam, and calling a Sandslash a Sandshrew, the CGI remake lacks a lot of the charm of the '90s original. Let's face it, 4Kids wasn't perfect when it came to the English dub of Pokémon, but they were pretty beloved by those of us who grew up with that version of the anime. The soundtrack, what can I say? It was a really decent collection of late '90s pop music from the likes of *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Billie Piper, Aaron Carter, M2M, and so forth. Aside from a few hiccups in the dubbing, and a forced anti-violence message that was pretty much unnecessary, I still love Pokémon: The First Movie, and I'm giving it a rating of 5/5. 

      In the summer of 2000, we got Pokémon the Movie 2000, which was set during the Orange Islands arc of the anime, and thus has Tracey as part of our main trio instead of Brock. The movie opens with a reading of the Shamouti Island legend, which reads as follows: "Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning, Lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the Water's Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, Alone its song will fail, and thus the Earth shall turn to Ash. O, Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea." 

       This legend is read by an antiquities collector named Lawrence III, who is on board a massive airship that looks like something that belongs in a Guillermo del Toro fairy tale produced by Studio Ghibli. But, anyway, the ship's computer analyzes the ancient legend, and interprets that the Titans of Fire, Ice, and Lightning are none other than the legendary bird Pokémon Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos. As its home island is closest, Lawrence III goes after Moltres first, and after freezing its island, shoots it with ice blasts and catches Moltres with only the slightest of difficulty. And it's here where we see Lawrence III's master plan: capture the three legendary birds of Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno, and in the process flush out an even more rare Pokémon: Lugia, which according to the legend is the Water's Great Guardian. 

        Okay, so it's here where Ash, Misty, and Tracey get their introduction into this movie, and they're traveling by boat, captained by a woman named Merrin, to an unnamed destination in the Orange Islands. However, a storm kicks up, and sends the boat off course and straight for Shamouti Island. And, we learn that the locals, including Merrin's friend Carol, are preparing for their annual Legend Festival, with Carol's sister Melody taking on the role Festival Maiden, and Ash is selected to be the Chosen One for the ceremony. Okaaayyyy. Anyway, the unusual weather brewing in the Orange Islands even reaches Pallet Town, where Delia and Professor Oak note the strange weather and the unusual behavior from the various Pokémon. Seeing on the news that the source of the weather phenomena is in the Orange Islands, Professor Oak gets a call from Professor Ivy, whom Brock is currently studying with, as the Pokémon under her care are behaving strangely, as well. 

        Back at Shamouti Island, Melody tells Ash of how the ceremony works: Ash collects three glass spheres from Fire Island, Ice Island, and Lightning Island, return them to the Shrine on Shamouti, and Melody performs the ritual song on her seashell ocarina, ending the ceremony. Ash, eager to get started, goes off with Merrin, and the two head off to Fire Island. Also approaching Fire Island is Lawrence III, as Zapdos has left Lightning Island to claim Fire Island as its new domain. Oh, and Team Rocket stows away on Merrin's boat to try and nab Pikachu. The storm gets worse and worse, and the rough seas send Merrin and Ash crashing onto the shore of Fire Island, and Ash follows Pikachu to the Fire Shrine, where Ash collects the first sphere, which begins glowing. 

       Concerned for his well-being, Melody, Misty, and Tracey go after Ash on Carol's speed boat, which can also fly using sails. Cool. Anyway, Melody and the others arrive, as does Zapdos. Pikachu and Zapdos communicate via their electric shocks, and Zapdos' attention is diverted by Lawrence III's airship. Drained of energy, Zapdos is captured, as are Ash, Misty, Tracey, Melody, Pikachu, and Team Rocket. Informed of the unexpected guests, Lawrence III greets everyone, and informs of his collection, which began with a rare Mew card. However, his presence is needed elsewhere, as Articuno is on the move. Acting fairly quickly, Ash and co. set Moltres and Zapdos free, and the two birds begin fighting each other, breaking out of the airship, and eventually fighting Articuno as well. Losing altitude, the airship crashes onto Lightning Island, destroying the Lightning Shrine in the process. Luckily, the Lightning Sphere rolls towards Ash, and begins glowing as well. 

        All of the fighting summons the presence of Lugia, who guides Ash and co. back to Shamouti Island, where a talking Slowking is guarding the Shrine, and instructs Ash where to take the spheres from Fire Island and Lightning Island. Unfortunately, without the sphere from Ice Island, the ritual can't be completed. Watching the fighting between Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Lugia, everyone discussed the legend that reads that "the Earth shall turn to Ash," setting up that Ash is the Chosen One. Lugia itself then arrives, after Melody's song restores it, and informs that once all three spheres are aligned, the song will harmonize with their powers, and balance will be restored. 

        With help from his Pokémon, and even Team Rocket, Ash reaches Ice Island, collects the final sphere, and starts making his way back to Shamouti Island, with Lugia giving him a ride back. Lugia also points out to a gathering of thousands of Pokémon, who all arrived instinctively, as they might be needed, but were unsure of how they could help. Unfortunately, Lawrence III still once his prize, and tries to capture Lugia, but the remains of his airship is destroyed by Luigi's aeroblast attack. Misty and Tracey pull Ash and Pikachu out of the water, and Ash takes the Ice Sphere to the Shrine. Now gathered, the three spheres release an energy that allows Melody's song to tame the three birds, all of whom fly in harmony with Lugia. The gathered Pokémon all disperse, the sea is thawed, and the natural balance is restored. 

       Oh, and Professors Oak and Ivy, along with Delia, had arrived as well, and Delia has a quick reunion with Ash, showing both how proud she is, bit also how concerned she is, about Ash and his journey. Back on Lightning Island, Lawrence III picks up his old Mew card, and decides to restart his collection. And, in the biggest fourth wall break of the movie,. Slowking points out to Team Rocket that lots of people saw their heroics, and are still watching. 

       So, Pokémon the Movie 2000 really has our main trio more directly involved with the story, as opposed to just being part of it with minimal impact. While making Ash the Chosen One of the Shamouti Legend was kinda for a pun, it does give him credence for being more involved with the plot, which wouldn't have happened of not for our villain. Had Lawrence III not interpreted the legend as saying that he needed to capture the trio of Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno, then the natural balance wouldn't have been thrown out of whack, and thus the legend wouldn't have come to be. So, we have two paralleling arcs here: one where the villain took a prophecy too literally, and thus leading to the protagonist rising to his role in an essentially self-fulfilling prophecy. 

      But despite all that, I still enjoy this movie, as it has four of my all-time favorite legendary Pokémon in it with Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Lugia. The voice dubbing by 4Kids was definitely improved from the last movie, aside from a couple of obvious fourth wall breaks, and the movie diving into the pseudo-romance between Ash and Misty was pretty fun. Even Tracey was pretty handy. Sure, Tracy isn't a fan-favorite by comparison to Brock, but I still like the guy all the same. Overall, I enjoyed this one, just not as much as the first movie. I'm giving Pokémon the Movie 2000 a rating of 4.5/5. 

       And, now we get to the darkest of this trilogy: Pokémon 3: The Movie. Set during the Johto League arc, Brock is back on the team, along with Ash and Misty, while Tracey is back in Pallet Town studying directly with Professor Oak. Tbe movie is set in the small town of Greenfield in the Johto Region. Greenfield is famous for its green meadows, beautiful hills, and a massive mansion overlooking the town. The mansion is home to Professor Spencer Hale and his young daughter Molly. After the disappearance of his wife, Hale dedicated his his life to studying legendary Pokémon, specifically a rare and legendary Pokémon called the Unown, which take on the appearance of letters in the alphabet. One night, Hale gets a call from his research assistant Skylar, who informs of a new chamber with ties to the Unown. Hale wishes Molly goodnight, and takes his leave for a set of ruins, where he finds markings on the walls that look like the Unown, as well as a box of tiles, with each tile having one of the Unown carved onto it. Unfortunately, Hale ends up sucked into a portal, which leads him to a pocket dimension that is home to the Unown. 

       The next morning, Skylar, along with the Hale family's butler, must sadly inform Molly that her father has disappeared. That night, while playing with the tiles, Molly summons the Unown, which tap into her subconscious and bring her dreams into reality, turning the mansion into a crystal fortress, and bringing forth a powerful Pokémon called Entei, which is combined with Molly's memories of her father to keep her company, and she refers to the Entei as "Papa." 

      Ash, Misty, and Brock, meanwhile, are strolling along on their journey, when they meet a Pokémon trainer named Lisa, and she and Ash have a battle, and all four become friends. Lisa then leads Ash, Misty, and Brock to Greenfield, where all four are shocked to see the crystalization taking over the town. Heck, even Team Rocket is horrified by what they see. News of the events in Greenfield even reaches Pallet Town, and Professor Oak and Delia decide to leave for Greenfield, as they're both concerned that the crystalization may be connected to Professor Hale and his research. And, of course, Delia is worried about Molly. 

      At the Greenfield Pokémon Center, local authorities have set up an emergency response center, with Professor Oak and Delia joining Skylar, and running into Ash, Misty, and Brock, along with Lisa. Delia then speaks of Professor Hale and Molly, whom Ash had met previously when he was a bit younger. Seeing Delia on the news, Molly tells Entei of how she wants a Mama as well, and Entei takes a its leave and goes after Delia, whom he takes to Molly to be the girl's mother. Ash attempts to save Delia, but is too late. 

       At the crystal fortress, Delia plays along with the situation, while outside forces attempt to get inside. Wanting her family left alone, Molly gets upset by the would-be intruders, and the Unown act. Ash, not willing to leave his mother to her own devices, goes on a rescue mission, with Misty and Brock joining him. Lisa stays behind, but gives Ash her personal PokéGear to keep in contact. Ash, Misty, and Brock make it into the crystal fortress, as do Team Rocket (who were shot down from an attack by Entei). However, instead of having Entei send them away, Molly instead decides to have a series of Pokémon battles with them, facing off against both Misty and Brock on two different floors, one of which becomes flooded with water, yet somehow everyone is still able to breath underwater. Again, virtually nothing is real, and it's all an illusion created by the Unown from Molly's dreams. 

        Reaching the top floor, Ash reunites with Delia, who reveals the truth to Molly, and she attempts to get her to leave the mansion, as everyone outside is worried about her. Unfortunately, Molly is unwilling to leave, and. Entei returns and attempts to get rid of Ash. In the scuffle, Charizard arrives from his new home at a Charizard sanctuary, and Charizard and Entei have a battle, which is stopped by Molly, who finally seeks to return to the real world. Entei, revealing that it was created to serve as a father figure to keep Molly happy within the crystal fortress, but must now leave as she wishes to return to the real world. 

      Unfortunately, the Unown have built up too much psychic energy, and the crystalization is getting out of control. With help from both Charizard and Pikachu, as well as encouragement from Molly, Entei shatters the psychic energy ball made by the Unown, and fades away, giving one last goodbye to Molly. The Unown are then drawn back to their own dimension, the Hale mansion and the entirety of Greenfield is restored to normal, and Professor Hale is freed from capture and returned to the ruins. Professor Oak, Lisa, and Skylar, along with the Hale's butler, happily rejoin Ash, Misty, Brock, Delia, and Molly, all while Team Rocket are stuck in the mansion, afraid of the police presence down below. And, in the closing credits, we see Professor Hale return home, and we eventually see his wife return as well, giving Molly her true family back. 

      So, Pokémon 3 was a pretty epic third cinematic outing for the Pokémon franchise. Both Entei and the Unown definitely make for unique adversaries, but never quite measuring up to the sheer awesomeness of Mewtwo. The idea of a swarm of psychic Pokémon like the Unown tapping into the mind of a little girl and making her dreams a reality is pretty interesting to say the least, and the idea of what's real and what's an illusion is quite fascinating. And, by tying Ash's mother into the plot in a key way also makes Ash's stakes in this movie much more personal. And, having both Misty and Brock on this journey with Ash just makes it all the better. A slight improvement on Pokémon 2000, I'm giving Pokémon 3 a rating of 4.75/5. 

       Honestly, I loved these movies as a kid. While I only ever saw Pokémon: The First Movie in theaters with my dad, I did have access to both Pokémon the Movie 2000 and Pokémon 3 on VHS, and unfortunately, those have been lost to time. I did eventually get all three movies in a Blu-ray release set courtesy of Viz Media, but the Blu-ray editions of these movies is bare bones, and doesn't have the theatrical shorts like Pikachu's Vacation and Pikachu's Rescue Adventure. Those, unfortunately, are only available on the original DVDs from Warner Bros, which are nearly impossible to get a hold of short of eBay. But, for the most part, I still love these movies, and I do appreciate that the Blu-rays for them exist, because all three Pokémon movies meant a lot of me as a kid, and are movies I still appreciate as an adult. And, of course, there's the voice performances of Veronica Taylor as Ash, Rachael Lillis as Misty, and Eric Stuart as Brock, and all three of them are just awesome. 

       Well, that'll just about wrap it up on Pokémon for now. I do plan on covering another Pokémon movie next month, along with other anime reviews in the forms of my reviews of Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', and Akira. But, my next review is going to be of the 2019 film Knives Out. See you then.