I enjoyed this film when I saw it, and it's in my Top 5 for these flicks, but I never felt up to writing a full review of it. I just collected some notes, such as:
- Why was Brock the narrator at the beginning?
- The OS films seemed to aspire to a much more…well, cinematic scope than their successors. There’s a much grander scale to the art direction, there’s more ambition in the directing in terms of multiplane and moving camera, and the layout of the plots feels much less episodic, in the first five films compared to most of those from later gens.
- I’d also argue that, in terms of thematic material, the OS (and Lucario) were less afraid to go there. The Sinnoh trilogy, on paper, deals with some weighty concepts; the breakdown of Space-Time and the wrath of God. But, partly because the scope and scale of those films is less grand, partly because the tone is lighter and the final consequences less extreme, and partly because the character reactions to rather dramatic events in those movies are so muted, the full power of such concepts doesn’t really land, especially not in The Jewel of Life, where Arceus came off as so…well, mundane IMO. Contrast that with the OS films. Mewtwo’s (cut in the West) origins actually go there in talking about issues of birth shaping identity, and the film later brutally shows the conflicts that can result when we let differences and old grudges blind us (and there was, y’know, the fact that a little girl dies, Mewtwo kills a whole bunch of scientists, and Ash’s death gets a huge reaction, even with its contrived out.) The worldwide scale of the disruption of nature caused by the Bird Trio in Revelation Lugia is illustrated on-screen and the heavy weight put on Ash’s shoulders by the prophecy is clearly felt by him. Molly’s trauma at losing her family, and the dangerous implications of the power she was given, are on display throughout the third film. And in 4Ever, not only do we get several stark examples of the power of dark balls (most notably in the corruption of Celebi) and another “disruption of nature” plot, but Celebi actually dies. That little point in the plot gets a pretty big reaction from the cast, and it’s earned. There’s an out for that death too, but it’s…well, I was gonna say “better” but…it’s less stupid than Ash’s revival in Mewtwo Strikes Back. The “friendships standing the test of time” thing had a great payoff too.
- Could just be the forest setting and giant twig monster, but this one seemed to have a heavy Miyazaki influence.
- Hey, look at that! A film besides Revelation Lugia that gives the TRio a reason to be in the movie! Not nearly as entertaining or interesting a reason, but a reason!
- Misty and Brock, and arguably Ash as well, didn’t have a whole lot to do in the first movie, that clearly being Mewtwo’s story. Ash was the only one of the three to really become involved in that plot in a big way as something of a deus ex machina, though unlike in the Sinnoh trilogy, he becomes involved because the real focus character, Mewtwo, chose to involve him, rather than Ash just stumbling into a mess. Revelation Lugia, of course, made Ash a prophetic hero, and gave Misty the biggest role I’ve seen a travelling companion get in these movies, while Spell of the Unown gave both companions time to shine even as the story focused on Ash again. 4Ever is the first of these movies that seems to have fallen into the trap of having Ash and friends be incidental to the story in progress. Ash doesn’t even save the day here; he’s just Sam’s back-up. And his travelling companions have one of their least impressive turns here. At least in the Sinnoh trilogy, Dawn was usually involved as Ash’s back-up, even if Brock was neglected. Brock and Misty here both just get screwed over for content.
