Aladdin (2019) review

Disney’s ever-expanding line of live-action remakes of their animated classics continues with one based on their 1992 release, Aladdin. The original Aladdin was very much another big success for Walt Disney Animation during their big Renaissance period in the ’90s. It was the second film of the era to be directed by the duo of Ron Clements and John Musker following The Little Mermaid, AKA the film that officially launched the Renaissance in 1989. And upon its release, Aladdin became the first animated film to gross over $500 million worldwide, effectively making it the highest-grossing film of the year and the studio’s highest-grossing film to date until The Lion King (which will get its own remake later this summer) surpassed it just two years later. It won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for ‘A Whole New World’, which also notably became the first (and, to date, only) Disney song to win the Grammy Award for Best Song of the Year. But, of course, for those who grew up with this classic, arguably its most definitive highlight is Robin Williams’ legendary turn as the friendly, pop-cultural savvy Genie, which won him a Special Achievement award at that year’s Golden Globes ceremony. With all this in mind, this new version of Aladdin has arguably faced some of the toughest expectations that any live-action Disney remake has faced so far, especially after it had to deal with a bunch of controversies during its production that ranged from casting decisions to poorly-received bits of marketing. However, it is now upon us, with veteran filmmaker Guy Ritchie behind the camera and Will Smith taking on the difficult task of following in the footsteps of Robin Williams, and the end result is a film that may not surpass the original but is still a fun time to be had as a retelling of the story of the ‘Diamond in the Rough’.  

In the bustling streets of the desert kingdom Agrabah, a charismatic street rat named Aladdin (Mena Massoud) spends every day scraping around for food and staying out of trouble with his monkey sidekick, Abu (voiced by Frank Welker). On one fateful day, Aladdin helps a young woman out of a troubling predicament and the two begin to hit it off. However, Aladdin soon learns that this girl is none other than Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), who aspires to be Sultan but is being forced by law to marry a prince from one of Agrabah’s neighboring kingdoms. Recognizing that he has no chance of being with her, Aladdin agrees to an offer made to him by Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), the Royal Vizier to the Sultan (Navid Negahban) who secretly aspires to take over the kingdom. Per Jafar’s request, Aladdin enters the mythical Cave of Wonders to retrieve a magic lamp that’s hidden inside. Once Aladdin finds it, he unleashes the lamp’s sole occupant, an omnipotent Genie (Will Smith), who informs him that he’s now been granted three wishes. Thus, with Genie’s help, Aladdin becomes the majestic ‘Prince Ali Ababwa’ in his attempt to try and woo Jasmine. But as Genie reminds him, it’s going to take a lot more than just his new princely status to win her over. Plus, there’s also the pressing situation of having to deal with Jafar’s sinister plot to use the Genie’s powers to become the next Sultan of Agrabah.

On paper, Guy Ritchie may seem like an odd choice to be this film’s director as most of his films tend to be either gritty crime dramas (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) or flashy period pieces (the Sherlock Holmes duology starring Robert Downey Jr., Man from UNCLE). At the same time, though, Ritchie’s also been known for his extremely stylish action sequences, which is arguably quite fitting for a swashbuckling adventure flick like Aladdin. Sure enough, this film’s action sequences are solidly done, and Ritchie’s directorial flair also factors well for the musical numbers. As was the case with the original film, Alan Menken handles the score and all the classic songs that he created with Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman are featured once again, with La La Land/The Greatest Showman songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul providing some updated lyrics. Pasek and Paul also provide the film with its sole new song, ‘Speechless’, a big solo for Jasmine that’s an undisputed highlight of the soundtrack. As for the plot, it admittedly follows the same beat as the remake of Beauty and the Beast by not making any major narrative changes. It’s still the same story of Aladdin wooing Jasmine with the help of Genie while also dealing with the threat of Jafar; as such, the biggest changes compared to the original film are primarily cosmetic ones (e.g. new characters, a different spin on Jasmine’s character arc, etc.). Because of this, it does put this film in the same boat as the Beauty and the Beast remake as some will undoubtedly ask “Why remake this, then, if you’re just going to tell the exact same story?”, and to that, I have no answer. At the very least, Guy Ritchie does a solid job handling the source material and keeps everything at a solid pace throughout.  

As you can probably guess, easily one of the most talked about aspects of this film was finding someone to play the Genie. It goes without saying that Robin Williams’ version of the character from the animated film still stands as one of the most beloved performances of his career. Thus, finding someone to follow in his footsteps was undoubtedly one of the most daunting tasks in recent cinematic history. As such, the way I see it is that the only way to have a Genie that’s up to par with Williams’ version is to find someone with a bona fide screen presence… Will Smith is one of those actors, and sure enough, Smith does manage to hold his own against Williams’ Genie. Instead of just copying Williams’ comedic style (e.g. his knack for impressions), he implements his classic Fresh Prince persona into the role, and ultimately, it does work very well for this version of the Genie. Smith’s then backed by the film’s excellent lead duo of Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott. As Aladdin, Massoud is properly charismatic, has phenomenal camaraderie with Smith, and wonderful chemistry with Naomi Scott. Scott, meanwhile, benefits greatly from the film providing some very satisfying updates to the character of Jasmine by focusing more on her desire to be Sultan as exemplified by her compassion for the kingdom of Agrabah. This especially comes into play during a key scene in the finale, which generally gives her a lot more to do when compared to her animated counterpart. It also helps that the film gives Jasmine a new ally in her loyal handmaiden Dalia (Nasim Pedrad), who gets plenty of the film’s best humorous moments. But if there is one weak link in this film, it is, unfortunately, Jafar. Marwan Kenzari does his best with what he’s given, but the film never really gives Jafar an opportunity to be as delightfully sinister as he was in the animated film.

As noted in the intro, this Disney remake faced quite a bit of controversy prior to its release when compared to others from its subgenre, and not just because it was a remake of a Disney Renaissance film. Prior to filming, controversy arose over certain casting choices, namely Naomi Scott as Jasmine because she isn’t primarily Middle Eastern and Billy Magnussen as one of Jasmine’s princely suitors AKA the sole white guy of the main cast (though, to be clear, he’s only in it for about 3-5 minutes). Once filming began, another scandal came into play over reports that white extras were being made up to look Middle Eastern, which Disney claimed was only for some rare instances of safety precautions. And then finally, once the marketing for the film kicked in, let’s just say that the first reveal of Will Smith as Genie in his traditional blue form didn’t exactly go over well with people on the internet. Simply put, this film faced a lot of scrutiny going in, and yet, at the end of the day, it’s another solid entry in this current line-up of Disney’s live-action remakes. No, I’m not saying that it’s ‘better’ than the original, but thanks to an enthusiastic trio of performances from Will Smith, Mena Massoud, and Naomi Scott, this new take on Aladdin is still a very entertaining romp. And really, that’s what I’ve been saying all along with these recent Disney live-action remakes. For the most part, they’ve been generally respectful takes on their source material, and their mere existence doesn’t harm the legacy of their animated counterparts as much as some may claim. After all, I’d argue that most Disney animated films are strong enough to stand the test of time regardless of how dated some of them may be, and that is very much the case with the original Aladdin. And to its credit, the new Aladdin does manage to be a fun, nostalgic trip down memory lane.   

       

Rating: 5/5!

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) review

In 2014, Keanu Reeves experienced a major career resurgence when he starred in John Wick, an action-thriller that was co-directed by former stuntmen Chad Stahelski and David Leitch (even though Stahelski was the only one credited by the Directors Guild of America), whom he had previously worked with on the Matrix films. In the film, Reeves played the titular John Wick, a retired hitman with a considerable legacy amongst his peers who ends up returning to his old profession when a group of Russian thugs kill the puppy that had been given to him by his wife as one last gift before her tragic death. Upon its release, the film was a big hit with critics and audiences, gaining considerable praise for its phenomenal action sequences that avoided several of the filmmaking techniques that, in the minds of many, have negatively affected many recent action films (e.g. rapid editing, shaky cam, etc.). Thus, a sequel was soon set into motion and released in 2017, with Stahelski taking sole directorial duties this time around due to Leitch working on other projects. Just like the first film, John Wick: Chapter 2 was a critical and financial success. It nearly doubled its predecessor’s run at the box-office and is generally considered to be a rare case of an arguably superior sequel. And because of the shocking incident that occurs during its finale, we now move onto the third entry of the series, John Wick: Chapter 3, which is the first of the series to have a subtitle via the Latin phrase for ‘Prepare for War’, Parabellum. It’s a film that sees its titular hero dealing with some of the toughest opponents that he’s ever faced in this series, and just like the previous two films, this all results in yet another epic action extravaganza with the legendary hitman who is known to many as ‘Baba Yaga’.

At the end of John Wick: Chapter 2, revered hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) ended up breaking the cardinal rule of the hitman community by killing his target, crime boss Santino D’Antonio, within the confines of the hitman safe-haven that is the Continental Hotel. Thus, without hesitation, the crime boss hierarchy known as the High Table quickly declare him as ‘excommunicado’ and place a $14 million bounty on him that is eventually raised to $15 million. Because of this, John now finds himself in a situation where he can’t rely on his usual resources while also being hunted by every single assassin that he comes across. And if that wasn’t enough, an adjudicator for the High Table (Asia Kate Dillon) takes several of his allies, including New York Continental owner Winston (Ian McShane) and local crime lord The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), to task for aiding him in his recent endeavors. With very few options left at his disposal, John travels to the city of Casablanca, Morocco, where he reunites with Sofia (Halle Berry), the current owner of the local Continental. Just like his situation with D’Antonio in the previous film, John convinces her to honor the unbreakable bond between them via the assassin marker that they’d set up after he had helped her in the past. Thus, Sofia reluctantly joins forces with him on his perilous journey to try and find a way to get out of his current predicament with the High Table. But as John soon discovers, he may end up having to take some truly drastic measures if he wants to get that $15 million target off his back.

One of the most impressive aspects of this series is its seamless narrative, with each subsequent installment’s plot being directly set into motion by the events of its immediate predecessor. John Wick: Chapter 2’s plot was initiated by John’s return to the hitman lifestyle, and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is the result of Chapter 2’s finale, where he broke the golden rule of the Continental. And because of this, this film presents John at what is arguably the most vulnerable state that he’s ever been in apart from when his wife Helen died. Now obviously, as these films have very much proven, John Wick clearly isn’t someone who will go down that easy. Still, because this film puts him in a situation where almost everyone’s out to get him, it arguably makes Parabellum the most intense installment of the trilogy because of its non-stop pace. Of course, just like the previous two films, this film is full of amazing action sequences from beginning to end. As always, they’re well-shot, well-edited, and impressively choreographed. All this makes up for the fact that this film admittedly has one of the weaker plots of the series so far. To be clear, it’s still a very well-written action flick that continues the franchise’s excellent tradition of gradually expanding upon its lore and the assassin underworld that it has created. It’s also worth noting, however, that this is the longest entry of the series to date at 131 minutes long, and while there’s never a dull moment in this film, sometimes it does feel like the plot is being stretched a bit thin for a franchise that has never tried to present an overly complicated narrative.           

John Wick has easily become one of the most definitive roles of Keanu Reeves’ career, and just like in the previous two films, he continues to do a phenomenal job when it comes to his portrayal of the stoic assassin. The film even delves a bit into John’s backstory (namely, the events that led to him becoming an assassin in the first place) while also continuing to give Reeves more opportunities to establish himself as one of the best action stars in the industry, because just like Tom Cruise, Reeves isn’t afraid to do most of his own stunts. As usual, he’s joined by a solid ensemble cast headlined by series regulars like Ian McShane as John’s benevolent ally Winston, Lance Reddick as the Continental’s cordial concierge Winston (who even gets to partake in some of the action this time around to brilliant results), and Laurence Fishburne as the boisterous Bowery King. When it comes to newcomers to the franchise, it’s all headlined by Halle Berry as Sofia, John’s old ally from Morocco who’s always accompanied by a pair of vicious attack dogs. As far as the action is concerned, Berry more than holds her own against Reeves and their characters’ complicated relationship results in some solid banter between them, although it should be noted that she ultimately plays a minor role in the larger story. But then there’s the film’s main antagonists, and while the John Wick franchise has admittedly been hit-or-miss over the years with its villains, Parabellum’s key antagonists are some of the series’ best. First, there’s Asia Kate Dillon as the High Table’s Adjudicator, who is appropriately cold and calculating when it comes to managing the hunt for John Wick from behind the scenes. And then there’s Mark Dacascos as Zero, an assassin who is directly hired by the Adjudicator to eliminate John. Like many others in this world, Zero is a huge fan of the legendary ‘Baba Yaga’, which provides the film with some of its best humorous moments that mainly consist of Zero’s various attempts at striking up a friendly conversation with his target.

Thanks to Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the John Wick franchise has managed to pull off the often-daunting task of being a trilogy of films where each installment is genuinely outstanding. Sure, this film could still technically be regarded by some as the ‘weakest’ entry of the trilogy (which usually ends up being the case with threequels), but in this instance, that isn’t even remotely a bad thing. Just like its two predecessors, this film is full of amazing action sequences from beginning to end. And thanks to the continuously excellent direction from Chad Stahelski and another phenomenal performance by Keanu Reeves in the title role, Chapter 3 maintains the franchise’s great affinity for simple but highly effective action-thrillers, even if this one occasionally feels a bit too simplistic despite boasting the series’ longest run-time. But perhaps the most interesting part of this film… is the fact that it shows that this series is far from being over. Yes, while I’m sure that some might have expected this to be the finale to the story of John Wick, the film ends similarly to Chapter 2 by extensively setting up the next big conflict that John will be involved with, and sure enough, a Chapter 4 was recently confirmed for a 2021 release. Plus, there are also quite a few spin-offs in the works, including an upcoming TV series set at the Continental and a rumored crossover with Atomic Blonde, the 2017 action-thriller that was directed by the original John Wick’s co-director, David Leitch. And while some film franchises tend to fizzle out at this point and experience a noticeable decline in quality, it’s very much clear that the John Wick franchise is just as resilient as its titular badass.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019) review

In 1996, Nintendo released the first two installments of a franchise that would end up becoming one of its most beloved IP’s, Pokémon. It all began with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, which would later see an international release in 1998 as Pokémon Red and Blue. Developed by Game Freak Inc., the series was inspired by creator Satoshi Tajiri’s love of insect collecting when he was a kid. And upon their release, these two RPG’s about a kid who embarks on an epic journey that sees them capturing the titular wild creatures and having them compete in battles against other Pokémon trainers quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Thanks to its main installments and various spin-offs, the video games have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling video game series of all-time behind the Super Mario franchise. Pokémon also happens to be the highest-grossing media franchise of all-time with a revenue of over $90 billion in sales. Alongside the games, it’s also spawned the best-selling trading card game of all-time and a hit anime series that has been running for over 1,000 episodes. But when it comes to the Pokémon franchise’s first official foray into live-action films, its source material isn’t the anime or even the original games. Instead, this film is based off a 2016 spin-off titled Detective Pikachu, where players solved mysteries with a rare talking Pikachu. The film adaptation is directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) and sees Ryan Reynolds star in the titular role, resulting in an entertaining film that surprisingly manages to break the long-running curse of quality that has always befallen films based on video games.

In the bustling metropolis that is Ryme City, the relationship between humans and Pokémon has evolved significantly to the point where traditional Pokémon battles are outlawed. It is there that Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), a once-aspiring Pokémon trainer who transitioned into an insurance job after his mother’s death, is informed of his estranged father Harry’s reported death in a car crash whilst involved with a case as a Ryme City police detective. But when Tim arrives at his father’s apartment, he ends up coming across a peculiar sight in the form of a Pikachu that can talk. This Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is revealed to be Harry’s partner Pokémon and was stricken with a case of amnesia following Harry’s ‘disappearance’. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s quickly made clear that Tim is the only one who can hear him whereas others can only hear his traditional Pokémon cry (provided, as always, by Pikachu’s voice actress from the anime, Ikue Ōtani). Thus, as Pikachu surmises the possibility that Harry may still be alive, he and Tim embark on a journey, aided by aspiring reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and Ryme City founder Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy), to figure out what happened to Tim’s father. In the process, the two uncover a sinister conspiracy that threatens to undermine everything that Ryme City has managed to accomplish in the evolution of human/Pokémon relationships.

One of the biggest selling points of Detective Pikachu is getting to see the first official instance of Pokémon being presented in a live-action context, and overall, the film does a nice job when it comes to bringing the various Pokémon that it features to life. Granted, not every single live-action design works as well as others (e.g. while a lot of people have been pointing out Mr. Mime’s live-action design as unsettling, a certain transforming Pokémon is arguably creepier in its presentation), but for the most part, they’re effectively handled. And as you might have guessed, this film is full of nods to the franchise’s extensive lore, with references that cover everything from the games to the anime. However, this surprisingly doesn’t result in the film being a case where it’s geared solely towards fans of the franchise, even though it’s still clear that Pokémon fans will get a lot more out of this compared to those who aren’t. While it doesn’t focus on what the series is mainly known for (i.e. Pokémon battles), the plot is based around a solid emotional hook courtesy of Tim and Pikachu’s quest to learn about what happened to the former’s father, and the film maintains a solid pace and lighthearted atmosphere throughout. This makes up for the fact that the overarching mystery plot that the two gradually uncover is arguably the weakest aspect of the film. While not outright terrible, it’s very predictable when it comes to its twists.

As crazy as it may seem, finding a voice for Pikachu in this film proved to be quite a big deal for fans of the franchise. When the Detective Pikachu game was being prepped for a U.S. release, many fans petitioned to have the character voiced by Danny DeVito, who ultimately declined to audition for the role due to him being unfamiliar with the franchise. Thus, when Ryan Reynolds was cast for the film adaptation, some found this to be an odd choice by comparison. However, based on my admittedly limited experience with the game, where Pikachu is voiced by Kaiji Tang, I found that Tang’s take on the character felt reminiscent of voice actor Nolan North, who notably portrayed Deadpool in the character’s titular 2013 video game. As such, I’d argue that the idea of casting the man behind live-action Deadpool in the role isn’t as preposterous as it may seem to others, and sure enough, Reynolds kills it as Detective Pikachu. His comedic timing is just as on-point as it’s been in the Deadpool films, proving that he isn’t just limited to the Merc with a Mouth’s extremely raunchy R-rated style of humor. He also has excellent camaraderie with Justice Smith, who does a very nice job when it comes to handling the bulk of the plot’s emotional content as main protagonist Tim Goodman. In other words, these two are very much the heart of the film, even if they admittedly overshadow everyone else in the process. Granted, the rest of the cast is still solid in their respective roles, including Kathryn Newton as Tim’s reporter ally Lucy, who seeks to do more than just dull fluff pieces, and Bill Nighy as Ryme City founder Howard Clifford, but the film ultimately focuses more on its lead duo.     

I’m genuinely impressed by everything that Pokémon: Detective Pikachu has managed to accomplish. Most specifically, despite being a part of what is easily the unluckiest film genre of all-time as a film based on a video game, it currently stands as the first ever live-action film of the genre to receive generally positive reviews from critics. It manages to pull off this seemingly impossible feat by avoiding many of the usual shortcomings that often plague other films based on video games. For one thing, it maintains a generally accurate representation of the Pokémon franchise even though it’s based more on a spin-off whose gameplay differed vastly from the series’ primary installments. And while its main plot is a bit predictable, the film makes up for this with some solid emotional depth that primarily stems from its main characters, Tim and Detective Pikachu, who are played excellently by Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds, respectively. Because of this, Detective Pikachu is a pleasantly light-hearted family flick that manages to appeal to more than just the franchise’s sizable fanbase, and thanks to this film’s success, it’s clear that this is only the beginning when it comes to seeing Pokémon on the big screen. A few months back, plans were set into motion for two more live-action Pokémon films; one based around the character Mewtwo (who, of course, plays a pivotal role in this film’s plot) and another that’s set to be a direct adaptation of the original Red and Blue games. And if they’re anything like Detective Pikachu, a promising new film franchise is on the horizon.

Rating: 4/5

Pokemon Film Trilogy Retrospective

We've had quite an interesting release this past week in the form of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. It serves as the first live-action film adaptation of the hugely popular video game series Pokémon, which continues to be one of the most dominant media franchises of today’s pop cultural zeitgeist even after nearly two and a half decades since its initial inception. Its various video game releases have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, a feat that’s only rivaled by their parent company Nintendo’s flagship franchise, Super Mario. And while most Pokémon games stem from the RPG genre, there have also been various spin-offs that include puzzle games, an on-rails shooter themed around photography, and the highly popular mobile-based augmented reality game Pokémon Go. But, of course, the Pokémon series has also been successfully expanded into other forms of media. Not long after the initial release of the series’ first installments, Pokémon Red and Green (later Red, Blue and Yellow in the U.S.), a trading card game was developed and has since gone on to become the top-selling trading card game of all-time. But for today’s post, we’re delving into what is arguably the Pokémon franchise’s most notable product outside of the video games, its anime adaptation. The Pokémon anime series debuted in 1997 and is STILL going strong today after more than 1,000 (!) episodes.

Now, this isn’t the first time that I’ve discussed the Pokémon anime on this site. Way back in 2014, I did a review of the show’s first season, Indigo League, primarily due to it being recently added to Netflix’s streaming library. In that review, I noted that while it’s incredibly cheesy and often repetitive with its narrative, I still had positive nostalgic feelings towards it even though I admittedly wasn’t exactly an avid viewer of it back when it originally aired. I also did a pair of posts that went over some of the hilariously strange and awkward moments that have occurred in various episodes of the show’s first two seasons (e.g. that one episode that literally sent hundreds of Japanese kids to the hospital due to its use of intense strobe lighting). But today, we’re not doing another one of those ‘strange moments’ posts. Instead, we’ll be looking at some of the anime’s feature film adaptations. As of this post’s publication, there have been 21 Pokémon animated feature films that have been released, with several of them even seeing a theatrical release here in the U.S. For obvious reasons, I won’t be delving into every single one of these films in today’s retrospective. For one thing, that’s just way too many films to cover in just a single post and I can’t watch them all in time to have this come out a reasonable time that's in line with the release of Detective Pikachu. Part of this also stems from the fact that, as I noted in those earlier posts, my experience with the Pokémon franchise mainly stems from its first two ‘eras’, Kanto and Johto, as the games from those eras were the ones that I grew up with. Thus, today I’ll just be looking at the series’ first three films as they were the only ones prior to Detective Pikachu that were given proper theatrical releases here in the U.S. whereas others had much more limited releases. And so, without further ado, it’s time to “be the very best like no one ever was” and return to a simpler time in the franchise’s history as we look at the first three Pokémon feature films.

(Disclaimer: The three films in this retrospective saw a domestic release the year after their initial releases in Japan, where the Pokémon franchise originated from. In other words, while they’ll all be labeled with their initial Japanese release dates, just bear in mind that the versions of these films that us American audiences are familiar with came out one year later.)

Before we begin, though, I wanted to do a quick little callback to my earlier Pokémon posts by going over one iconic moment from the anime’s first season that I surprisingly missed when I did that first ‘Strange Moments’ post. And I won’t lie, I’m kind of kicking myself for forgetting it because it’s such a hilariously absurd moment. Thus, without further ado…

THE ANIME PULLS OFF A MAJOR BIT OF TROLLING – THE ULTIMATE TEST

In episode 56, The Ultimate Test, series protagonist Ash Ketchum takes a Pokémon League entry exam when it provides him a potential opportunity to be accepted into the Pokémon League without having to earn all 8 of Kanto’s Gym Leader Badges (or 10, if you’re Gary Oak). The notorious duo of Team Rocket members Jessie and James also partake in the exam as well, managing to avoid suspicion via disguises that, as I’ve noted in those ‘Strange Moments’ posts, aren’t very good and yet keep managing to fool Ash and his friends for some reason. During one part of the exam, they’re faced with the simple challenge that every fan of this show is tasked with during a commercial break, Who’s that Pokémon? The instructor presents the first Pokémon silhouette, which comes in the shape of a circle. Ash, Jessie, and James present their options…

Given that, at the time, there are only a few Pokémon with a completely circular shape, Ash guesses that it’s a Voltorb.

James, meanwhile, completely forgets that this test was about Pokémon and says that it’s a Poke Ball “without a doubt”.

Finally, Jessie goes with Voltorb’s evolved form, Electrode, as her answer.

They’re all wrong, however, because the answer is… Jigglypuff seen from above!

Honestly, there’s not much else that I can say about this scene. It’s just so damn silly and yet still incredibly hilarious because of how ludicrous that bait-and-switch is. Heck, they even reuse this gag in the episode’s actual ‘Who’s that Pokémon’ segment, though sadly this was only in the Japanese dub. Here in the U.S., a Vulpix was used instead.

And now… our Feature Presentation!!!

POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE – MEWTWO STRIKES BACK (1998)

Backed by the worldwide success of both the video games and the anime, Pokémon made its feature film debut in 1998 with The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back. It goes without saying that this film was a big deal back when it was released; here in the U.S., it still stands as the highest-grossing anime film of all-time and it sold over 10 million copies once it hit the home video market. Critical reception, however, wasn’t very positive, and from the looks of it, a lot of this was due to the film’s domestic dub courtesy of the anime’s U.S. distributor, 4Kids. The domestic cut of the film didn’t include a 10-minute prologue that goes into the backstory of the main villain, Mewtwo, a clone of the ancient Pokémon Mew. This backstory, which sees Mewtwo befriend a cloned human girl named Amber before being forced to witness her death, makes the character more of a misunderstood villain than an outright malicious one as his characterization stems around him trying to understand his purpose in life. Thus, because this was taken out of the domestic cut, he’s presented as more of a straight-forward antagonist, and while there is still the underlying theme of him rebelling against those who treat him as nothing more than an experiment, his motives aren’t as clear in the U.S. dub. There are also a few noticeable continuity errors here and there (e.g. several instances of incorrectly identified Pokémon) and a more overt American soundtrack. The latter aspect of the film is most infamously represented during the big fight between Pokémon and their Mewtwo-created clones, which is set to a pop song instead of an orchestra like in the Japanese version. And yet, despite all this and the rather notorious sequence where the Pokémon revive a petrified Ash via their tears (an event that, technically, was hinted at earlier in the film even if it was only just as a passing reference by a minor character), I still find this to be a generally harmless popcorn flick.

To be clear, I’m not saying that this is a ‘great’ film. Like the show itself, this film is incredibly cheesy, and as I’ve pointed out, a lot of this was due to 4Kids’ overall handling of the American dub (e.g. at one point, Ash randomly references the Minnesota Vikings football team). There’s also a generally mishandled attempt at having a message that condemns fighting. Sure, it’s a noble cause, but it also happens to occur in a film that stems from a franchise that is literally known for fighting. And if that wasn’t enough, this message is then directly thrown out the window at the end of the film when Mewtwo wipes the main characters’ memories. At the same time, however, Mewtwo is a genuinely iconic antagonist. Despite the lack of his backstory in the domestic cut (which was included as a bonus feature in its initial DVD release but, strangely, not in subsequent releases), the film does succeed in conveying the same mystique that the character had in the games, where he could only be encountered after defeating the Elite Four. Because of this, Pokémon: The First Movie is still an enjoyable watch… though, admittedly, this applies more towards those who are fans of the franchise. If you aren’t a fan of Pokémon, then you’re not going to get a lot out of this film because to be perfectly blunt, it’s not very friendly to newcomers. Still, for those who grew up with this franchise, this film continues to serve as a pleasantly nostalgic trip down memory lane to a simpler time in Pokémon’s history.

Rating: 3/5

POKEMON: THE MOVIE 2000 – THE POWER OF ONE (1999)

While the second Pokémon film wasn’t as big of a hit at the box-office when compared to its predecessor (even with a summer release date), it seems as if fans of the franchise tend to view this installment just as positively as they do the first film if not arguably more so. For one thing, this film’s 4Kids dub wasn’t as overt as the first film’s domestic dub was when it came to changes that drastically alter the story. As such, this film’s plot, in which Ash finds himself having to fulfill a prophecy to save the world from being destroyed by a clash between the legendary Pokémon bird trio of Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos, does feel a lot more consistent from a narrative perspective. Sure, it’s still a generally straight-forward ‘hero’s journey’ story, but it does manage to do what most sequels tend to do by thoroughly raising the stakes of Ash’s quest. However, if there’s one advantage that the first film has over this one, it’s that it had the benefit of Mewtwo as its villain. By comparison, this film has a generic Pokémon collector (who isn’t even given a name in the film itself outside of the credits, where he’s listed as ‘Lawrence III’) who simply seeks to capture the legendary Pokémon birds so that he can collect another Legendary Pokémon, Lugia (AKA the cover mascot for Pokémon Silver and its DS remake, SoulSilver). Overall, though, Pokémon 2000 is generally on par with the first film in terms of its quality. It can very well be argued that this film is ‘better’ than its predecessor, but at the same time, Mewtwo Strikes Back is also arguably the more memorable of the two. Whatever one you prefer, however, it’s another delightfully nostalgic adventure for those who grew up with it.

Rating: 3/5

POKEMON 3: THE MOVIE – ENTEI: SPELL OF THE UNOWN (2000)

By the time that Pokémon 3 rolled into theaters, the series was already into the Gold and Silver era of the franchise, where the action shifted to the Johto region and introduced 100 new Pokémon to complement the original 151 from Red and Blue. However, just like Pokémon 2000, this one wasn’t as big of a hit at the box-office compared to the first film… or even Pokémon 2000, for that matter. As such, this ended up being the last Pokémon film up until this year’s Detective Pikachu to A.) get a wide release in the U.S. and B.) be distributed by Warner Bros. By all accounts, this was around the time when the initial hype for Pokémon had finally started to die down, and yet, many have touted this as one of the franchise’s best films… and to be perfectly blunt, they’re right. For one thing, this film features some of the best animation to come from a Pokémon film as it more than utilizes the potential of its dream-based narrative to its fullest effect. Said plot sees Ash and company trying to rescue his mother Delia after she’s kidnapped by the legendary Pokémon Entei, who currently serves as the guardian of a young girl named Molly. The duo of Molly and Entei provide the film with a fascinating set of antagonists because just like Mewtwo, Molly isn’t exactly an ‘evil villain’. Instead, she’s just a scared little girl struggling to cope with the disappearance of both her mother and father. As such, Entei ends up personifying her father (which is bolstered by the fact that both Entei and her father are played by the same voice actor, Dan Green) and she has him kidnap Ash’s mom so that she can be her ‘mother’, resulting in a story that’s full of surprisingly effective psychological turmoil.    

Entei is also an equally solid antagonist. Despite just being an apparition created by the other prominently featured Pokémon of the film, the alphabet shaped Unown, Entei proves to be quite an imposing threat to Ash and company while also maintaining complete loyalty to Molly throughout as her new father figure. Not only does this result in an awesome battle between Entei and Ash’s Charizard, but it also strengthens the film’s emotional depth, especially near the end when Entei sacrifices himself to save Molly and the others from the Unown. It also helps to make up for the fact that the Unown are admittedly a rather underdeveloped bunch of antagonists. Sure, the film does a nice job of establishing their mysterious nature, but they don’t really do much plot-wise aside from transporting Molly’s father into another dimension, creating Entei, and transforming Molly’s home into a crystal palace. Ironically, though, this is arguably a perfect cinematic representation of their status in the games, where they’ve frequently been regarded as some of the weakest of the franchise’s 812 current* (as of this post’s publication due to 3 of those being the starter Pokémon from the upcoming Sword and Shield games) species of Pokémon. Ultimately, though, Pokémon 3 truly is a solid animated film as it’s one of the best-paced of the franchise and one of the best-written. Now admittedly, just like the previous two films, it’s still generally geared towards fans of the franchise. However, if I were to pick just one of the many Pokémon animated films to recommend to those who aren’t that big a fan of the franchise, I would choose this one (even if I’ve had more experience with The First Movie and 2000) as it’s arguably one of the most accessible installments for Pokémon newcomers.

Rating: 4.5/5

And that concludes this little retrospective on the original ‘trilogy’ of Pokémon films that were released in theaters. On a side note, this was originally meant to be a much larger retrospective that covered a few more Pokémon films. Specifically, that would also include the two Pokémon films that were given limited releases by Miramax, Pokémon 4Ever and Pokémon Heroes, and the series’ two most recent films set within an alternate continuity, Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You and Pokémon The Movie: The Power of Us. However, due to various reasons that included the fact that Pokémon Heroes isn’t easily available to watch online, I ultimately decided to cut back on the number of films in this retrospective. Even with that said, though, I might consider looking at some more Pokémon films in the future. Until then, be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own personal memories of these films, and you can expect a review of the highly anticipated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu sometime in the next few days.

Avengers: Endgame (2019) review

(I solemnly swear that there will be no major spoilers in this review. As with every review I do, there will be a general plot synopsis, but this one will be as light on the details as possible.)

After 11 years of phenomenal world-building and an endless array of excellent cinematic outings, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally reached the pinnacle of its ambitious narrative. Sometimes it’s crazy to think that it’s been that long since Tony Stark first announced to the world that he was Iron Man… and yet, here we are. Since the release of Iron Man back in 2008, audiences have been treated to one of the most rewarding cinematic experiences of all time as the MCU has very much set the new gold standard for shared universes. Sure, the idea of a shared universe is a media concept that has been around for decades, but the MCU easily outshines almost every other film franchise of this nature when it comes to its overall narrative and the ever-expansive scope of the world that it’s created. And while not every installment of the MCU has been a masterpiece, it can also be argued that none of them have been on the level of quality as some of the superhero genre’s most infamous outings (e.g. Batman and Robin, Catwoman, Fan4stic, etc.). With all that in mind, all eyes are now on the fourth Avengers film and the final installment of what Marvel Studios has now labeled as ‘The Infinity Saga’, Avengers: Endgame. This 22^nd installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second half of a storyline that has been built up for a decade and officially got underway in last year’s Avengers: Infinity War. And after that film’s jaw-dropping finale, directors Joe and Anthony Russo (AKA the Russo brothers) are now tasked with bringing this epic story to its conclusion as our heroes do “whatever it takes” to avenge their fallen comrades. What follows is, as one can only expect from an MCU film at this point, an emotionally-charged superhero epic.  

At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the Avengers found themselves dealt with the toughest loss that they’ve ever experienced. Despite their best efforts to prevent him from acquiring all six of the cosmic power sources known as Infinity Stones, Thanos the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin) managed to collect them all and use them to accomplish his plan to wipe out half the universe with just a single snap of his fingers using the Infinity Gauntlet. Thus, in the blink of an eye, the Avengers were forced to witness several of their friends and family erased from existence. After learning where Thanos ended up going afterward, Steve Rogers AKA Captain America (Chris Evans) leads a faction of Avengers that includes Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor the Asgardian God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth), and new ally Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) to confront him. In the process, however, they discover that Thanos has destroyed the stones so that they couldn’t be used again to reverse his actions. All seems lost until Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) manages to return from the Quantum Realm, which he had become trapped in at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp when his allies fell victim to the snap. Having learned that time operates differently in the Quantum Realm, Scott proposes that they travel back in time and find the Infinity Stones before Thanos does so that they can hopefully use them to bring back those who were lost. Thus, Cap, Tony Stark AKA Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and the other Avengers embark on their most important mission yet, which only becomes more complicated once Thanos discovers their plan.

Avengers: Endgame is a three-hour superhero epic, and it more than warrants its hefty runtime. As a follow-up to the events of Infinity War, it perfectly illustrates the devastating effects of what’s now known as ‘The Decimation’ on the MCU and, most importantly, its main protagonists. Just like its immediate predecessor, this film is easily one of the most emotional installments of a franchise that’s been very consistent over the years with its emotional depth. Sure, it still has all the usual aspects of an MCU film, from the snappy dialogue to the vibrant visuals, but just like every other entry in the franchise, the light-hearted elements of this film rarely have any sort of noticeable impact on its dramatic moments. In this instance, the urgency of the Avengers’ mission to ensure that ‘The Decimation’ will be reversed is strongly maintained throughout, along with the fact that because this is something that can’t easily be undone, it’s clear that they will have to make some sacrifices along the way. And because this mission sees them going back in time to key moments in the franchise’s history, this film is loaded with call-backs to previous films and a wide array of cameos. Sure, some may argue that this is blatant fan-service (which, to be fair, it technically is) whose success rate will depend on how familiar one is with the franchise, but at the same time, Marvel Studios has quite frankly earned the right to show off at this point given the continuing success of their franchise. And without spoiling anything, it all leads to one of the most satisfying bits of payoff ever witnessed on film.

Almost every MCU film to date (save for Incredible Hulk) has had the same casting director, Sarah Finn, and thanks to the woman who’s quite arguably the unsung hero of the franchise, we’ve experienced one of the best ensemble casts in cinematic history who continue to shine in every film that they appear in. I mean, there’s not much more that I can add to the discussion about how great this cast is that I haven’t already mentioned in previous reviews. Given the events of the previous film, this one focuses heavily on the original six Avengers from the first film, allowing for a perfect bookend to everything that they’ve helped create while also giving each member their own standout moment as has always been the case with these films. It also helps this film manage to be a bit more consistent with its character development when compared to Infinity War which, in that film’s defense, had a lot more characters to juggle and was more focused on Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones. And as one era of the franchise ends, those who will be headlining it for the next few years to come are equally outstanding. Brie Larson, for example, makes the most out of her surprisingly minor role in this film (which she notably filmed BEFORE Captain Marvel), once again exemplifying Carol Danvers’ strong charisma and powerful commanding presence. And, of course, we can’t forget about the MCU’s greatest villain, Thanos. Sure, he doesn’t play as prominent of a role in this film as he did in Infinity War, but he’s still given plenty of great emotional pathos and the film continues to epitomize why he’s truly the most dangerous adversary that the Avengers have ever faced.

Let’s be frank, folks, you know exactly what rating I’m going to be giving this film. It is, after all, the exact same rating that I’ve given to nearly half of the other films in this franchise. But as always, that’s ultimately more of a testament to what Marvel Studios has managed to pull off this past decade with their ambitious franchise. If Infinity War was a masterpiece of the superhero genre, then Endgame is MCU fandom nirvana. It more than does its job at being both a follow-up to Infinity War and the climactic outing of the ‘Infinity Saga’, as it provides great conclusions to some of the franchise’s longest-running storylines and character arcs. In other words, this is very much a love letter to the MCU’s devoted fanbase as it rewards those who’ve supported it over the years, especially those who’ve been there since the very beginning, with some of the most amazing imagery that the genre has ever seen. But amidst all the epic action, great humor, and massive amounts of grand fanservice, it still does everything that we’ve come to expect from this franchise’s extensive filmography. It fully endears us to its main protagonists, provides them with a well-layered and incredibly intimidating villain to face off against, and truly hits hard when it comes to its biggest emotional moments. Simply put, everything that happens in Avengers: Endgame is exactly what it needed to be, and because of this, it properly cements the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the most legendary franchises in the history of film.  

Rating: 5/5!