Pokemon the First Movie (1999) 75m
A POKEMON PRIMER! MYSTERIES REVEALED TO THE UNINITIATED! AND SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOVIE!
I love the idea of middle-aged film critics who have paid their dues, worked their way up the ladder, and secured their credibility now finding themselves in child-packed audiences watching a cartoon derived from a phenomenon that they find incomprehensible, all the time aware that they have to write about it afterwards. The dilemma: this is a product with a very specific target audience. To review it from a purely adult perspective would be uncharitable. To leave its verdict in the hands of the ten-year-olds it was pitched at would bring only the conclusions that "it sucked" or "it was cool", or perhaps a little of both, if the ten-year-old in question had any future vocation as a film critic.
I'm not a fan of POKEMON but I find it more interesting and enjoyable than most other cartoons that are around, although it's hard to tell what may have been 'improved' in translation (the English-language version is crammed with puns). For a start, the episodes are not stand-alone entries, but follow a story arc that enables minor developments to enter the growing storyline unobtrusively (this is why I imagine many adults find any randomly-tuned episode mystifying: POKEMON the series makes no apologies for the fact that you need to have been watching from the beginning - but isn't this true of many adult television series' also?). The characters, too, are a little more complicated than…well, let's say COW AND CHICKEN, why not? The central character, Ash, is overconfident, mulish, and has an obsession with Pokemon (a portmanteau of 'pocket monsters') that is destined for a major dysfunction. Ash's friend Brock, meanwhile, has a fetish with women in uniform that's downright embarrassing, leaving their female companion Misty to provide the sole voice of reason (their adversaries, a trio known as Team Rocket, are just as single-minded but far more entertaining). One can uneasily draw comparisons to the boy hero of this series and the Pokemon-crazed viewers watching him: each show begins with the signature tune "gotta catch 'em all", as simple a philosophy as you'd ever need when you're ten years old, and most likely the main reason this show has become so popular. Despite its complex narrative, the core purpose - to find Pokemon and train them - is what drives its appeal. Forming a roster of creatures from the Nintendo game upon which the cartoon was based, POKEMON offers its followers the irresistible urge to *collect*, either vicariously through Ash's adventures or more practically for a few bucks at K-Mart. The whole collecting bug doesn't just stop at the Pokemon themselves: once caught the creatures are then used as pawns in staged combat to aid Ash's further obsession to collect combat badges (this show has the moral stance of cockfighting) which in turn will allow him to enter a higher level of arena in the Pokemon League, and so on and so on.
It may be that the values of POKEMON's protagonist have tapped into the unconscious of a generation that compulsively watches the show and codifies its critters without really knowing why. This at least is a more valid platform for criticism against the show than its supposed violence. Unlike POWER RANGERS and NINJA TURTLES and other intense (though short-lived) television crazes, POKEMON does not promote rough play in the schoolyard. In fact, any kid wanting to emulate the combat routines of their favorite Pokemon is going to have their work cut out for them. Most of these monsters are just plain dorky and their attacks, reminiscent of the D&D role-playing game, diverse to the point of absurdity. Some sing to their opponents and then scribble on their faces when they're asleep; others kiss; create gusts of wind; cause headaches; throw leaves; blow bubbles. When it's time for the real fighting to get underway it usually involves a group of Pokemon hurling lightning bolts, water cannons, and flamethrowers at each other. It sounds lethal, and it probably is - but Pokemon don't fight to the death. At least not intentionally. At least not in any scenario we'll ever get to see.
But now from the small screen to the big one, and where does this leave the movie? It's the same, but a little different. The candy colors of the TV show have gone, overwhelmed by shadows and voids. The tone is less frivolous, so gone too are the opportunities for the often hilarious combination of Team Rocket to play out their hapless schemes. As villains, they are outclassed by the newest and most powerful addition to the Pokemon catalogue, a genetically-created creature called Mewtwo. Unlike its kin, Mewtwo is a figure of evil, more of the Manga mold than Pokemon, and the film is slanted accordingly. It's an interesting move of the film-makers because it positions POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE as a 'safe' introduction to a more adult form of Japanese animation, as if they are aware that their audience is growing older and that they must grow with it. Such themes synchronize with another significant element of the show, which in itself grew from simple beginnings like computer games and playing cards: Pokemon evolve from cuddly pets to more fearsome (but still tame) variations. This is usually accomplished unexpectedly in the heat of battle and takes but a few moments, as if a hormonal rush has given them the growth spurt to end all spurts. You can get as psychoanalytical about this as you want, but bear in mind that Ash's most precious creature, Pikachu, is unlikely to ever evolve into its mature counterpart. As strongly connected as they are to each other, Pikachu and Ash will always be children, never 'evolving' or growing out of their play-fight universe. It's about time they were shown a darker side of their world this time around, even if it has to bear forth the clumsy revelation that "Fighting Is Wrong!".
POKEMON isn't great, but it isn't bad either. Regular viewers will appreciate the in-jokes (e.g. "Who's that Pokemon?") and first-timers shouldn't have any problem keeping up with the story. The animation is serviceable, although not as eccentric as in the television series, and there are a couple of exciting action sequences involving a storm at sea and a panicky chase in a laboratory. There's also the rare appearance of Mew, the much sought-after Pokemon that was circulated among a small percentage of the Nintendo games - I have a feeling that this movie will definitely boost his popularity. Curious and playful, this powerful kitty will probably give even Pikachu a run for his money as the cartoon's unofficial mascot. After all, he is colored a newborn pink, emerges from an embryonic bubble in the ocean, and is even less likely in danger of ever growing up.
sburridge@hotmail.com
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews