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The Best and Worst Pokemon Movies Of All Time


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prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2333
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:50 am Reply with quote
Been awhile since I checked Netflix, but I've a feeling the only Pokemon movies in there are from the Skip category.
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Transformers03



Joined: 04 Nov 2015
Posts: 41
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:57 am Reply with quote
It's a great list overall, I agree with almost entirely.

However I really disagree with Pokemon the First Movie as just being "Worth Seeing". Even purely based on how icon it has become, I say it is definitely a "Must Watch".

Despite good list, do more like these.
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exodd



Joined: 16 Aug 2017
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:13 pm Reply with quote
Good List.

At first I imagined that the first movie should have been in the "must watch" for all the moral insight etc. etc.

But then I remembered they removed all the backstory of Mewtwo and Ambertwo...
ARGH Evil or Very Mad
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Shaterri



Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 173
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:28 pm Reply with quote
I still spit-take at this back-and-forth from Pokemon 2000:

Quote:
Jesse: "Listen kid, when you get involved with the opposite sex you're only asking for trouble."
James, as flamboyant as he's ever been: "Yes, and that's the kind of trouble I stay out of."
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SonicFanA



Joined: 12 Jul 2017
Posts: 159
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:41 pm Reply with quote
Does anyone know is Viz planing to rerelease any of the older movies after the third one? Many of them are out of print.

My favorites

Temple of the Sea
Mystery of Mew
Spell of the Unown
Destiny Deoyxs
The First Movie
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Codeanime93



Joined: 28 Jul 2017
Posts: 599
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:57 pm Reply with quote
I would add that most need to hunt down the original Japanese versions of the earlier movies because 4Kids got change happy with the content especially in the first and second ones.
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MadHi



Joined: 10 Mar 2014
Posts: 188
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:01 pm Reply with quote
If the first movie could get a redub with the Japanese script translated more accurately but keep the American music (except for the My Brother song and the end credits) then it'd be perfect.
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:19 pm Reply with quote
Diancie was a painfully bad movie, so we're agreed on that front.

Giratina and the Sky Warrior was a good movie, though. Shaymin cut a heroic figure with his shounen red scarf, and the set pieces of the Distortion World and Regigigas holding back a glacier with all of the forest Pokemon were well done.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:27 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, there was something really off about 4Ever compared to the ones around it. The first three moves, and the next few, are good at thrills and high stakes, but 4Ever was simply Ash against a villain and nothing more. There was no character development, no surprises (well, besides those relating to Professor Oak), no moral ambiguity. Personally, I felt that the Pokémon movies lost something from that point onwards though, which was that there was always some clear-cut villain pulling the strings from behind the scenes, and defeating him or her would resolve everything. In the first three movies, the villain was either completely unaware what they were doing was wrong (Mewtwo, Lawrence III), or there wasn't really a villain at all (Spell of the Unown). Ash fighting and beating the bad guys was reserved for the TV show.

Some of the later ones I quite liked, even though most have some pretty severe storytelling flaws to them (like Tonio and his magical computer that did anything the plot needed it to do).

On the other hand, I tuned in to Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction just in time to see Yveltal spoiler[kill off Pikachu].

Shaterri wrote:
I still spit-take at this back-and-forth from Pokemon 2000:

Quote:
Jesse: "Listen kid, when you get involved with the opposite sex you're only asking for trouble."
James, as flamboyant as he's ever been: "Yes, and that's the kind of trouble I stay out of."


As much as people rag on 4Kids, I always genuinely liked that they could slip these into the movies, where they didn't have to deal with Standards & Practices.
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Somer-_-



Joined: 14 May 2014
Posts: 984
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:35 pm Reply with quote
I always thought the Darkrai movie was one of the worst but people seem to like it. I think the third or second is the best personally.

I'm just glad they're trying something new for the current movie. Looks more than just a mindless legendary and a cute mascot. Though I haven't watched it yet of course.
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curtisd88





PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 2:06 pm Reply with quote
Personally I feel Mewtwo Strikes Back deserves to be under "Must Watch". But other than that I agree with this list.
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Lord Oink



Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 3:08 pm Reply with quote
Shaterri wrote:
I still spit-take at this back-and-forth from Pokemon 2000:

Quote:
Jesse: "Listen kid, when you get involved with the opposite sex you're only asking for trouble."
James, as flamboyant as he's ever been: "Yes, and that's the kind of trouble I stay out of."


Ah yes, I had almost forgotten about 4Kids insistance on turning Kojiro into a gay stereotype. Thank God they lost the rights. The current dub is still bad, but at leat they don't insist on changing everyone's personalities like 4kids did with Kojiro, Kasumi, and many others. No real excuse not to watch the Japanese version, though.
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Nonaka Machine Gun B



Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 819
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:31 pm Reply with quote
I've only seen the dubs of the first seven films. Based on that:

Pokémon Heroes > The Movie 2000 > Spell of the Unown > Mewtwo Strikes Back > 4Ever > Destiny Deoxys > Jirachi Wish Maker

The first film, based on just its dub and the other movies surrounding it, is so dark and dreary, and much longer. While it looks great, I'd wager I never really want to see it again(in English anyway). Just thinking about what a downer movie it was hurts.

My gut is telling me that Movies 6 and 7 are better than Movie 4, but i honestly can't remember much of what happens in them, so it felt dishonest to rank them higher. Movie 7's setting is definitely beautiful, though. Also, I give points to any movie that has the danger and suspense happening in broad daylight.

Movie 4's biggest problem is how meandering and inconsequential it feels. If you look at it as a high-budget lame episode of the show, it's not that bad.
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Hagaren Viper



Joined: 28 Apr 2011
Posts: 761
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:09 pm Reply with quote
Just rewatched the first three movies recently and realized how different they felt from the rest of the movies. I really liked how they tied characters that were important to Ash into the movies, his mom was in two of them and the third movie gave us the best interactions between the two characters, Professor Oak played a role in three of the first four movies, Team Rocket actually were given things to do that moved the story along, even characters like Professor Ivy and Gary got minor appearances that added something to the movies. It's quite the contrast to almost every other movie where they are so self-contained and the only familiar characters are the main group, it somehow makes the scale of the movies seem smaller to me.

Other than that, I'm not sure if I have an exact ranking but movies 1-3 and the Lucario movie are my favorites. I've felt like the movies have been pretty forgettable since Black & White era so I'm hoping that I Choose You delivers something more engaging, controversial cast of characters aside.
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Kirben



Joined: 26 Feb 2003
Posts: 53
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:10 pm Reply with quote
Was the first movie based on the English dub? the uncut version of the first movie is well worth watching, the 4Kids version is missing the Birth of MewTwo and completely altered the main plot (see comparison).

The later movies tend to become too repetitive overall, since Ash must always be the hero at the end, no matter how ridiculous the plot twists.
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