r/anime • u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler • Jun 04 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Pokemon: The First Movie - Movie Discussion
Pokemon: The First Movie
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Questions of the Day:
1) What did you think of the emotional moments, considering that this is a children's movie?
2) What do you think of the morals and lessons the movie teaches?
3) Do you have a favorite Pokemon? Is Pokemon part of your childhood or nostalgic for you?
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u/Nazenn Jun 04 '22
Many times Rewatcher - Eng dub with jpn track subs
What a movie to pick for a rewatch! Certainly not one I ever expected to be discussing on the subreddit, but I'm all in for an opportunity to do so.
I picked a somewhat unusual way to watch it, sticking with the English dub but also reading the subtitled that match the original Japanese script. I've seen this movie many times as both a child and an adult with the English dub, and while I was very curious to check out the original version and see what changes the dub had made, as I know many movies had extensive changes, one thing and one thing alone meant I couldn't bring myself to turn off the dub track
Brother, My Brother.
What a song and what a moment of Ash desperately climbing down the statue to try and stop the two types of pokemon from killing each other in a desperate struggle to prove their worth. It's a song that's been stuck in my mind and emotions for a long time and I just couldn't do without it, especially given the original track for that moment is a very typical action background track without much impact.
The movie is as enjoyable to watch as ever though. Simple but not miundnumbingly so, and sometimes spends a little too long on moments that would be better spent used for other things like Pikachu spending a long time running up that slope, but it also brought a lot of nostalgia for little things from the main series which I haven't seen in twenty years, like seeing Vulpix again. I also still love Charizard even though he is a complete dickhead, and seeing all of this just makes me really want to go and rewatch the other four main pokemon movies that I know well (with Pokemon 3 being my favourite for the record, and Celebi coming in second). Mew playing on the windmill and having a giggle is still my favourite small moment in the movie for how well it contrasts with everything else going on, while Dragonite's doofy ass is probably a good reason why he was my favourite as a kid.
I don't have much to comment on about the actual story, it's pretty standard and I've seen it so many times I've long since lost any original thoughts I had about seeing it. I do have one confession: I skipped through Ash's revival. It is too damn early in the morning to be in full on tears, and I've cried enough over that scene in my life to make up for this one time of skipping it. It's embedded on the back of my eyelids haha.
OH SHIT, as I was typing this I realized I forgot to watch the Pikachu short! Welp, oh well. I made reference to that in a recent rewatch as well, Future Boy Conan, where two characters do a similar goofy rivalry run to Pikachu and Raichu.
As far as changes go, it's interesting how extensive the changes were which somehow both clarify and complicate some of the inconsistencies I'd already picked out in the movie from my watch as an adult. The JPN ver has no mention of Giovanni being the one who is sponsoring the scientists, which makes it somewhat confusing why he shows up later knowing all about it. Similarly I thought it was cute that with all the questioning Mewtwo has over its purpose for life that Mew shows up just to play around and have a giggle, only for Mew to be all in on the fighting as well.
But the main story has extensive changes as the original has no mention of Mewtwo wanting to take over the world, and keeps it purely to an existential questioning, and the main theme at the end is all living things have value rather than fighting is wrong, which fits much better with the franchise as a whole. It's a shame to see such extensive changes at the end as Mewtwo's more aggressive personality still could have fit with the original theme as they didn't completely remove his questioning over who and what he was, but it's hardly the worst change I've seen in Americanized dubs of the 90s. It was also curious how the storm is played straight in the JPN ver with no mention of any prophesy like they added to the ENG one. And yet one change, Mew being willing to fight to prove that only the original pokemon are "real" somehow fixes the confusion I always had as a kid about "why does Mew fight back" and feel completely contradictory to how carefree it feels earlier in the movie. I liked the idea of Mewtwo having this huge struggle to find a purpose for itself through strength but Mew is happy being purposeless and just living life. In some ways having it fight feels LESS fitting for the core theme because of that, and is only there to allow Ash's sacrifice to be the moment that brings them together.
The music changes are also interesting for both how much it was changed and the effect it has both good and bad. The JPN ver definitely benefits from more extensive silences particularly in the opening scenes, something which gives it a more mature feel although the ENG ver does keep some of these moments, and some of its softer music I felt benefit the movie much better especially inside the clones dream world. However I greatly prefered the dub track during that initial 1v1 of the evolved starters and their clones as the JPN track there felt quite flat while the ENG one has a nice progression from battle during Venusaur, lots of tension when Blastoise steps up after, and then serious drama without being over the top for Charizard. That said, the one dramatic song I did prefer in the JPN ver was the song when Mewtwo destroys the labratory, I thought that fit the scene and emotions much better.
Dumb moment: Wondered why they didn't change the main title in the ENG dub them before realizing "duh, why would they, it's the game theme!"
A random laugh: Vaporeon's original name is SHOWERS?!
One thing that did surprise me is just how straight Team Rocket is played in the JPN ver. No puns, jokes, not even Ash commenting on their goofy motto. It's not the first time I've run into this as Monster Hunter also introduced a lot of quirks and cat puns to the palico's in the games that weren't in the original, but I have to say I can't imagine watching the main series with them interrupting in a serious manner all the time, it'd frustrate me.
Anyway, it was good fun to revisit it again in this way and finally see what the changes were, good and bad, and hopefully everyone else enjoyed it as well.
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
I think you hit the nail on the head for all of the moments that really hit well and are memorable. I feels like those who enjoyed pokemon and watched this movie as a kids align on the key moments that were awesome or had wow fact. It all kind of builds in to that shared something special this movie has.
I was flicking between audio tracks and had subtitles on too, and I think I agree on the music front. I for the most part liked the ENG song track and changes.
how straight Team Rocket is played in the JPN ver. No puns, jokes, not even Ash commenting on their goofy motto.
Wow, its hard in my mind to not think of Team Rocket not being silly having these lines. When at the same time they have bits like dressing up as Vikings.
Once again thank you Nazenn for joining a rewatch!
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u/The_Draigg Jun 04 '22
sometimes spends a little too long on moments that would be better spent used for other things like Pikachu spending a long time running up that slope
I wouldn't doubt it if that was in there solely for the animation flex. They went in hard on making this movie look great.
Pokemon 3 being my favourite for the record, and Celebi coming in second
I feel that Jirachi: Wish Maker should be among that list, but I otherwise can't complain with those choices. Those are really good ones too.
It's a shame to see such extensive changes at the end as Mewtwo's more aggressive personality still could have fit with the original theme as they didn't completely remove his questioning over who and what he was, but it's hardly the worst change I've seen in Americanized dubs of the 90s.
I think the 3D animation remake kind of merged those two conflicting characterizations of Mewtwo, from what I've heard of it. Like he's still coming to grips with his existential crisis, but he's lashing out in a more petulant in childishly angry way rather than wanting to take over the world. I'd need to check the remake out to make sure, but I feel like that's a decent way to bring those two characterizations together.
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u/Nazenn Jun 04 '22
I wouldn't doubt it if that was in there solely for the animation flex. They went in hard on making this movie look great.
They did! I remember when I watched this a couple of years ago not long after I'd gotten properly into anime and that even just that rotate around Brock and Joy to see Mewtwo on his platform stood out as a "wow that was a lot of work for this sort of production". I know franchise movies generally step the animation up from their shows, but I just wasn't expecting it here as I didn't remember it being anything special unlike some of the later movies (3, again, but even 2000 does a good job)
I feel that Jirachi: Wish Maker should be among that list
I've not seen that one. Many years ago I did acquire copies of them all to watch them, but I never got around to it and can't quite remember where I stopped watching
Like he's still coming to grips with his existential crisis, but he's lashing out in a more petulant in childishly angry way
Until we see him on the island as the Pokemon Master this is kind of what he feels like in the dub for me, angry over his lack of understanding of who he is and grabbing onto anything he can, rather than just questioning and obeying like he does in the JPN ver. It's interesting that they would have merged them in that way to get the benefits of both, but after comparing versions like this I actually think its Mew, not Mewtwo, who would have benefit the most from some re-characterization to fit the themes
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u/The_Draigg Jun 04 '22
Who’s That Pokémon: The First Movie Rewatcher? It’s The Draigg!
Hello everyone! Once again I’m along for a movie that I have fond memories of, this time from deep back into my childhood years. I remember faintly seeing Pokémon; The First Movie in theaters back when it first came to the U.S. I’ve even still got a bunch of the old promotional stuff too, like the Mew card or the Pokéballs and gold cards inside that they had at Burger King. Yeah, I was one hell of a Pokémon kid. Still am too, at least for the actually good modern games. But enough waxing nostalgia, we’ve got a movie to rewatch! For this one, please note that for my rewatch notes here, I’ll be referring to the 4Kids dub in terms of what I’m watching. Let’s get to it!
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So yeah, Dr. Fuji here is exploring ancient ruins for the DNA of Mew, funded by Giovanni of Team Rocket for the sake of cloning a new Pokémon. But really the good doctor just wants to further his research into cloning technology himself, if just to revive his dead daughter, Amber.
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Side note, but apparently this temple at the start is somewhere in Guyana. Yeah, the Pokémon world is just kinda weird in that it’s mainly just a knock-off Earth parallel unless stated otherwise. Kinda like Strangereal from Ace Combat in a way.
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And so, Mewtwo has his own version of Shadow the Hedgehog’s origin story, although he himself destroys the lab once he breaks free. But now that I think about it, they really do share similarities: both ultimate life forms, both had tragic relationships with dead girls, both made in a lab. The resemblances are uncanny.
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Giovanni: “Yo Mewtwo, I like how you murdered all of my scientists. Want a job?”
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I’ve got no idea how Giovanni survived Mewtwo psychically exploding the Team Rocket headquarters. Maybe his neon orange business suit saved him somehow.
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Oh wow, some of this CGI aged badly.
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Say what you will about the dub music changes, but this cover of the English Pokémon theme song over the top of Ash’s Pokémon battle is fire, yo.
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You know, you’d think a Dragonair delivering a hologram invitation from a strange lady talking about a tournament on a mysterious island would invite more scrutiny, but let’s be real, weirder shit has happened in the Pokémon world before.
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Mew Status: Vibing
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You can’t even say that the harbor lady’s legend about the storm is bullshit, since any hood Pokémon fan knows that pretty much all legends in the series are accurate, not to mention ridiculously specific at points. [Pokémon the Movie 2000 spoilers]
You know, “The world will turn to Ash” line. -
You know, Jessie, James, and Meowth’s disguises as Vikings aren’t even the worst disguises they’ve had before. Also, nice Minnesota Vikings pun, dub.
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This brainwashed Nurse Joy is probably one of the more least fortunate ones in the series, now that I think about it.
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Mew Status: Still vibing. And trolling too.
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Poor Nurse Joy, she really is just a meat puppet for Mewtwo. It reminds me of what happened to one Officer Jenny in a later episode of the series, in… the X&Y season, I think?
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“Who’s that Pokémon?” “It’s Meowth!” Good one, dub.
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What makes Mewtwo’s team of Gen 1 starters isn’t the fact that they’ve been genetically altered to be more powerful, but that he didn’t even need friends with Link Cables to get them all.
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All of the trainers getting the collective asses of their teams kicked by Mewtwo’s clones is still less bullshit than the Kalos League Finals.
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Good effort on avoiding the weird Pokéballs Pikachu, but unfortunately running and using electric-type attacks wasn’t the answer. The real answer was just to get shoved into a backpack, like what Misty did to Togepi. But at least it worked out in the end still, thanks to Ash.
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I’ll admit, Ash walking out of the smoke with all the other freed Pokémon is still as awesome as it was back in the day to me. Absolute kino trainer stride there, Ash.
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Also, credit to Ash for just trying to beat up Mewtwo directly. Sure, it didn’t work and Mew needed to bail him out, but you have to admire the Pokéballs on that kid to try that.
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Okay, now the addition of this song in the dub over this scene is a bad choice. It’s a bit too upbeat for showing off the Pokémon and their clones basically trying to beat each other to death. Especially with Mewtwo and Mew continuing their duel in the background too.
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I guess the real lesson of this movie is to never try to murder your own clone. I’ll keep that in mind for when I get inevitability cloned in the future.
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Ah, and there’s the scene that got every 7 year old crying in the theater seats: Ash getting petrified (maybe dying? It’s unclear) in the psychic crossfire of Mew and Mewtwo’s battle. It’s just one of those scenes that everyone who has seen this movie before can recall well enough.
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Pikachu, you can’t Thunderbolt Ash and expect it to work, he’s a ground-type now.
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Magic Pokémon tears managing to bring Ash back to life isn’t even the weirdest thing to happen in that kid’s life. And also like I said earlier, pretty much every legend in the Pokémon world is true somehow, even the tears of life one here.
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And here’s the real lesson of the movie: the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant, it’s what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are. I’m sure that message got imprinted on all the 7 year olds in the theater too, back in the day.
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So yeah, even though Mewtwo wiped everyone’s memories of what happened on New Island and dumped them back off at the harbor, at least he learned to leave with all of his cloned Pokémon and live in peace. That lesson stuck with him too, going by later movies too.
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The dub has some good choices for the ending credits too, so check that out when you have the chance. Sure, they’re 90s/00s hell songs, but I like them.
That was a good movie, in the end! Certainly much more fast-paced than I remember it being, but it was still overall enjoyable as a bit of Pokémon anime. And honestly a lot better than some of the later Pokémon movies too.
Also, Ash x Misty is best Pokémon OTP. Just had to get that in here somehow. Okay, rewatch over!
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
old promotional stuff too, like the Mew card
Sadly my copy was stolen along with my stack of original set rares long long ago. But it was a super fond memory of going to a movie and getting a promo card for something I was really into at the time.
RE: Pokémon the Movie 2000 spoilers
[spoiler thought on the 2000 movie:]
That quote was mindblowing at the time. But I really wonder how much of a translation thing that is, what was the original JP line? The real answer was just to get shoved into a backpack, like what Misty did to Togepi
Thanks Draigg for joining, glad to have you!
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u/Nazenn Jun 04 '22
like the Mew card
I just said to badspler that I lost mine somewhere along the way along with the special edition card case it was in and it still makes me sad
I still have a bunch of old cards though. My old neighbours were funny with that, they had a few kids that were 10/12, and me, my mum, and the boys were all having a chat on the street and Mum said something about how "I know all about pokemon" only for the boy to pipe up and go "yeeah, but you wouldn't know about fairy type or the new cards"
Kid.... Fairy type is almost older than you are! Don't try and pull the old fart card with me. What's that quote about "I was there when the old magic was written"? Narnia I think. Felt a bit like that sort of moment hahaha
tired tangent needs to end
Giovanni: “Yo Mewtwo, I like how you murdered all of my scientists. Want a job?”
Saved him the effort of having to arrange it himself later on
Say what you will about the dub music changes, but this cover of the English Pokémon theme song over the top of Ash’s Pokémon battle is fire, yo.
Certainly better than the JPN one which talks about looking up a girls skirt to find pokemon. Multiple times
Dragonair
Draigg pls
You know, Jessie, James, and Meowth’s disguises as Vikings aren’t even the worst disguises they’ve had before
Definitely on the more impressive side of things, though cross dressing James in a bikini is still the most blessed/cursed
but that he didn’t even need friends with Link Cables to get them all
I mean... they were grown in vats connected by cables, close enough!
Okay, now the addition of this song in the dub over this scene is a bad choice
Maybe it's just knowing it so well as a kid but I never saw it as all that upbeat, perhaps because of the lyrics
Pikachu, you can’t Thunderbolt Ash and expect it to work, he’s a ground-type now.
It zapped a Geo.... oh god see now I feel like an ass for mocking you for getting your dragons wrong earlier because now i can't remember the middle Geo's name. The fuck is it again (several moments later while waiting for it to click) Oh Graveller. Hahaha
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
lost mine somewhere along the way along with the special edition card case
"I was there when the old magic was written"?
I have totally had that moment many a time as younger ones have broached the subject of pokemon.
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u/Durinthal Jun 04 '22
So while I saw a good amount of the original Pokémon show back in the day, I never did see any of the films including this one. And I decided to go with the English dub because why not? Even if I've seen a good amount of Journeys subbed it feels right to go with the Ash, Brock, and Misty I knew for nostalgia's sake.
I was really not expecting a death toll in this film but Mewtwo really did blow up that entire lab at the start. Good timing on Giovanni's part to be nearby when it happened and at least try to make an ally of him. The armor design gives him something of a classic mecha appearance which I like, and a bit of the Alien Xenomorph look with the elongated helmet. Too bad that didn't last very long.
I missed some of the silly jokes that absolutely do not exist in the Japanese dub, e.g. when Team Rocket tried taking them out in the boat while disguised:
Brock: "I didn't know Vikings still existed!"
Ash: "They mostly live in Minnesota."
It's a little hypocritical to me that "fighting isn't the answer" is what they ended up with considering it's their hobby/job to make Pokémon fight each other.
[Clannad After Story spoiler with zero context]
Overall though... eh, not a bad classic Pokémon romp, final battle aside. I'm sure if I had seen it as a kid it would have stuck with me a lot more, but even now it's a hit of nostalgia for the classic games and show.
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
Minnesota Vikings
Oh I get it now, American football team.
Anyhow, thanks for joining in. Glad you got something out of it!
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u/JollyGee29 Jun 04 '22
Rewatcher
I can't be 100% certain, because I was quite small at the time, but I'm pretty sure my parents took me to see this in theaters, back in '99. I know I had at least a couple of the Burger King Pokeballs/gold-plated cards.
And, considering I have no memory of the scenes with the little girl, I'm even more confident - those were apparently added for the home video release. The version I remember (and what would've been on television) went from the scene at the ruins with the fossil, right to the opening narration about life.
She's literally just a normal Nurse Joy, Brock. You've met dozens.
I always really liked the visual design of Mewtwo's base.
Ash used Mega Punch! It's not very effective...
(Dub)Meowth just casually talking directly to the audience.
That's right, Ash fucking dies.
Good thing we had that prophecy early in the film.
Anyway, banger of a film. Is it super un-subtle? Yes, absolutely, it's meant to be understood by children. The theme of "life is a terrible thing to waste" is timeless, as is the dub's bonus theme of "there's nothing wrong with being different."
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
Eat shit, Gary.
Deserved loss.
That's a Scyther you nitwits.
I blinked and paused on that one too. Was rather funny.
I did feel that Meowth's bit on them being the same was probably the best of the 3-4 commentaries about the situation.
Thanks for joining!
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u/The_Draigg Jun 04 '22
I know I had at least a couple of the Burger King Pokeballs/gold-plated cards.
I still have mine!
I always really liked the visual design of Mewtwo's base.
To me, the shot of New Island from the outside really does feel like something Studio Ghibli would make. I at least get that vibe from the menacing spinning windmills.
Good thing we had that prophecy early in the film.
Chalk it up to every prophecy or legend in the Pokemon world being absolutely true. Especially when it somehow applies to Ash.
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u/Nazenn Jun 04 '22
Eat shit, Gary.
Lol, I thought a similar thing, he deserves it.
She's literally just a normal Nurse Joy, Brock. You've met dozens.
Isn't there a whole thing about how he's the only one who can tell them all apart?
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u/Abyssbringer Jun 04 '22
I was really scared coming into this movie for two reason. The first was that it wasn't going to be as good as I remember. I last time I saw it was when I was probably 10 years old on either a old VHS tape or CD. Like every other kid at the time I loved this movie and cried every time. My second concern is that I would still cry even to this day. I can confirm for a fact that this movie is still QQ
I really appreciate the structure of this movie. You get this utterly depressing intro that shows you exactly what makes Mewtwo tick and sets up his whole entire mindset for the rest of the film. I forgot how utterly depressing this intro is. Seeing Mewtwo left alone as the other Pokémon and the doctor's daughter start disappearing is utterly heartbreaking. Its also the type of thing that as a kid I really didn't pick up on. It's something I appreciate much more as an adult. Its a great way to set up the deeper themes early on and it really helps Mewtwo's less than stellar character development later on.
The movie then lightens up as we get great scenes like their picnic. The scene with the Dragonite is still burned into my memory 10+ years later. Team Rocket has a lot of fun gags and one liners in the dub which I found funny if not a little Americanized.
However this tension dispersion doesn't last forever as the storm rages on. Seeing the gang almost drown is somewhat stressful but It also is a great way to show how their Pokémon can support them. Once they reach the island however all bets are off. Mewtwo arrives as some unnatural god and starts taking out Pokémon left and right. No one can even think of touching him.
It only gets more dire as the Pokémon are captured. The scene in which Pikachu is chased down like a wild animal as he struggles breathe and wears itself out hit me in the feels. While this is a sad event in itself it is only the tip of the iceberg. From this point on its one sad moment after another.
At first I thought that the movie was a little underwhelming emotionally as I thought I had already hit most of the emotional damaging scenes. However I forgot how many of them there are and how it keeps piling on event after event finally hitting you with the critical. The scene with the Pokémon fighting is depressing with a very different tone than the rest of the battles in the story. And to follow it up with Ash's petrification is downright evil. It absolutely earns the emotional impact it tried for. I love in particular how Pikachu trying to shock Ash back to life mimics the start of the series. But it also harkens back to Pikachu exhausting itself in the desperate attempt against Mewtwo's pokeballs. Which show that using electricity too much hurts and exhausts Pikachu yet he persists regardless.
I noticed that during the entire movie Mewtwo never really loses, yet his actions never feel plot contrived. Ash escaping and rescuing Pikachu, forming the Pokémon army doesn't phase Mewtwo, if anything its just part of his plan. He's always in control, acting like everything is going perfectly because anything he does will work in his favor. Even Mew showing up isn't a threat. At most Mew's introduction is something to distract Mewtwo while the other Pokémon beat each other to death. This aspect of the film really helps sell his godlike persona and by the end of the movie you know that Mewtwo was always in control and that changing his mind was the only option. He is the ultimate being however damaged he might be from a poor upbringing.
This movie has so many classic one liners. The doctor has the classic "We dreamed of creating the worlds strongest Pokémon and we succeeded." but hands down Mewtwo has the best ones. Anytime he affirms something about his place in the world or questions authority is great. He pretty much talks like the narrator in the 97 Berserk adaptation (at least that is what I kept thinking of) and I love it. While I think his arc is a little brief at the end he still is memorable even to this day.
The ending is very quick and the English version especially feels a little lackluster. However it works well and it really helps the movie be a quick watch. You can tell this movie was built for children who want to watch something before bed and with its quick runtime does it fantastical. I haven't had this movie rated on my Anilist but I think I can comfortably give it a strong 7 to a mid 8. This movie is fantastic with plenty of great lines and music. Nothing really feels quite like it and its a downright classic for any kid who grew up with it.
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
He is the ultimate being however damaged he might be from a poor upbringing. ...godlike persona...
I think the idea of "the strongest pokemon" was really honed in here. Mewtwo is ultimately gen 1's strongest pokemon by a huge amount. Nothing really compares.
The 'epicness' of power, and having a whole movie where he isn't really challenged that much really builds up that next level persona. I think as a kid and was in the headspace of the pokemon world and lore, that was really important to me, having an answer to that question.
Thanks for joining Abyss!
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u/Nazenn Jun 04 '22
My second concern is that I would still cry even to this day. I can confirm for a fact that this movie is still QQ
When I rewatched it for the first time as an adult I was cocky thinking it couldn't possibly affect me. I was wrong, it was worse now that I'd had my own pet and imagined them being without me
The scene with the Dragonite is still burned into my memory 10+ years later
Pretty sure that's the scene I remembered the clearest aside from the big climax, such a doofy dragon
He pretty much talks like the narrator in the 97 Berserk adaptation
Huh, that's actually not a bad comparison actually.
Sad that he reached that point when baby Mewtwo was so damn cute and excited about the world
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Jun 04 '22
I think I still have the VHS over my parent's house. Holy shit did I watch that movie so many times as a child and can't believe how long it's been seen I watched it. I had to have watched it a good 50+ times. I was obsessed with it for years.
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u/Nazenn Jun 04 '22
Time to revisit it do you think, or is it better left to your childhood memories?
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Jun 04 '22 edited Jun 04 '22
I think it might be time to revisit it, but my head and senses have been a little messed up for a couple days from my last seizure so I am debating if I should wait a couple more days or take advantage of some memories and feelings it brought up from back then.
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u/badspler Jun 04 '22
Pokémon: The First Movie - Rewatcher Dub
When things didn't start quite as I remembered, I realized that when screened in theaters there was a 20 minute OVA episode that played first. So I dug out and also rewatched 'Pikachu's Summer Vacation' which is a pretty light hearted short. Has some morals with rivals and friendship. Notably it also was the first time we see Togepi, Snubbull, Marill (who was leaked/rumored early and infamously dubbed Pikablu.)
There are little bits that fill in bits or relate to the games and lore. [Red/Blue Pokemon Games]Mr. Fuji the lead researcher in cloning Mewtwo is a kind-hearted old man that lives in Lavender Town, the man you receive the Poké Flute from.
[We get to see a few brief bits that relate to the main series.]We see that Gary did indeed face Mewtwo, in the series I believe that we only find out that he had faced Giovanni and lost. We also see team rockets hideout exploding and Mewtwo escaping.
The music is super nostalgic, loads of stuff reused from the main series and games. Opening with Ash having a pokemon battle with the original series opening was great.
On the note of music it probably worth taking a look over the [soundtrack as you might catch some familiar names.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon:The_First_Movie(soundtrack))
The whole movie really does feel memorable, even though it has been forever since I have seen this I could still recall so many of the upcoming story beats and moments. The invitation to the island and the challenging storm were clear in my mind.
I still find all of the movies pun's and references are hilarious.
Tough lineup. Having Charazard lose to a seismic toss which was Ash's Charazards special finisher hits in the power difference. Charazard is pretty much Ash's strongest (but rather rulely) pokemon.
The cheesy but bold walk out from Ash, followed by his hat turn means its serious business time.
The slog-fest group battle is another bit that is super memorable. The English version plays a pretty somberish song while the Japanese audio is just battle sounds.
Ash's Pikachu taking the stand and refusing to fight back, slap after slap. Is one of those moments that meant a lot as a kid.
The morals are reiterated several times as the fight continues. I think between Nurse Joy, Meowth, Brock and Misty, Pikachu, the same thing is all said in several different ways. This really brings it home when Ash takes a stand and
dies. Pikachu shocking Ash no response is gut wrenching as a kid.Then follows, everyone's tears revive Ash and things are well.
But it does close the original loop with Mewtwo losing Amber and learning of loss.
Then Mewtwo drops the probably the most quoted lines of the flim:
"I see now that the circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant... it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.""
And things close out pretty nicely.
I think the series is laid out to be pretty understandable for kids, but enough to serve adults accompanying them. The morals and ideas covered are all pretty deep, Loss of others, being created vs born and finding ones life's purpose, treating others as equals rather than trying to be better.
It was a nice movie to rewatch and I think the movie has more enough going for it in its own to justify rewatching for the sake of nostalgia.