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MasterOfLight
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Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You (2017)
A Mixed Bag...
Pokemon: I Choose You! is a little confused on what it wants to be. It desires to cater to nostalgia by retelling the original saga of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, but it falls flat in many respects. The film attempts to mush together a series of events from the first handful of episodes from the original Pokemon anime series, but here's the thing: despite the lower budget, each of those episodes revolved around a central idea and had a rounded plot. Here, each incident feels like a string of events with no central purpose - there's no compelling link that pulls each of these events together well. Ash and Pikachu running away from the spearows, butterfree finding a mate and leaving Ash, the abandoned Charmander who is left out in the rain...all the pieces from the original series are there, but without any of the heart that they originally had. Instead, they're brushed over in favor of the new elements a poorly constructed plot that centers around Ash Ketchum being a chosen one (UGH, yes that narrative again) and his search for Pokemon that are way beyond his range as a beginner trainer. Another misstep is the inclusion of the new characters, who were remarkably unmemorable. I'm not saying that Brock and Misty are academy-award winning characters in regards to complexity, but these two new kids have next to nothing going for them. Their personalities are boring, and their backstories are so barely hashed out to the viewer that they come across as entirely forgettable when compared to the original companions of the series. There are a few little cameos from other familiar characters, with team Rocket falling very flat, unfortunately. I had hoped in their (very few) appearances throughout the film they would pull out some real, old-fashioned 4th wall humor like they did in the original story, but instead all we got was some pretty 'meh' slapstick. Now, the plot is messy, Ash's character motivation is completely confused and non-defined, the chosen-one narrative is annoying, the new elements are weak at best and frustrating at worse, and the villain is dull and flat. So is there anything to like? Absolutely. The animation, as others have noted, is stunning. The pokemon fights, especially, are shown on a hugely impressive scale, and feel far more intense than anything ever shown in the early days of the show. The 3D elements are well-blended with the 2D, a rare phenomenon for animation. The music,a s well, is beautiful. The classic opening song is played in its entirely, and it's great. The ending song is freaking beautiful, and sounds like it came out of a far, far better movie than what we got. This movie's plot is at its best when it attempts to explore the unusually deep. There are a handful of brief, but powerful dream sequences which place Ash in the 'real' world, a place where there are no Pokemon, and the animation color is heavily subdued. Later in the film, Ash actually...
**SPOILERS*** ...essentially dies protecting Pikachu, and it's a legitimately dark, moving moment. He's sent to the 'real' world upon death, but eventually returns back to life without much explanation once he remembers Pikachu. **SPOILERS END***
So here's the thing. I think I know what would have made this a great film. Granted, it would have been a gutsy film to make, but here's what I think the studio should have done:
-Changed the film from an origin film, and instead make the film a version of Ash's last adventures with pikachu
-Keep the idea of him trying to find the ultimate bird, but get rid of the chosen one narrative
-Keep Brock and Misty as the sidekicks, and include other classic characters
-KEPT the great idea of Ash going back and forth between 'reality' and the world of Pokemon: explore how horrible the idea of a world without Pokemon would be to a kid like Ash
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY:
*SPOILERS* After Pikachu speak to Ash, he 'dies', and is stuck in his sort of little purgatory, have the film END when Pikachu jumps into the little portal to where Ash is gone. Show them being happy together wherever they are, as the film does, and then cut to black, and cue the touching end song. *SPOILERS END*
Too dark? Maybe. But something like that would push this movie, a well-meant but very flawed little romp through nostalgia, into something more on par with a Ghibly film in terms of deep messages being portrayed to children. Here's the thing: I don't hate this film. There's a lot of good things about it. But it hurts to see all of the potential it had and didn't use, especially seeing as certain ELEMENTS are amazing - the music and animation especially. Given that the budget was sizable, I wish more thought had gone into the basic structure of the story, and a little less time had been focused on animating Pokemon fights. In the end, the film could use a little more heart. "A heart so true, our courage will see us through. You'll teach me and I'll teach you. Pokemon!"
Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu (2011)
Yes...a LEGO show is actually great.
Yes, I know. It's a LEGO show. About ninjas. It's a toy commercial. The storyline blatantly takes ideas from every story you've ever heard before. It's for kids, and though I'm a kid at heart, I'm not anywhere near Ninjago's target age range. And yet, Ninjago is one of my favorite TV shows. I first discovered it while babysitting a group of young children. But after a couple of episodes, the kids I was taking care of wanted to watch another show, and well...I wanted to watch more of Ninjago. After that, I was hooked. And not only me. I've introduced it to other friends and family members, from young kids to people in their twenties. And funny thing is...we've all enjoyed watching this show as a bit of a guilty pleasure. Because Ninjago, despite being so full of clichés and one giant LEGO commercial, is ridiculously fun.
This could have been, and should have been, a terrible show. But everyone involved in the show's production does such a fantastic job of turning Ninjago into something worthwhile, especially considering that they're making a show so that LEGO can sell toys. The animation is great. It look beautiful, and the world of Ninjago is vibrantly brought to life. It's colorful, and it only improves. The voice acting is also fantastic. A couple of the voice actors, (E.g. Vincent Tong and Kirby Morrow) I was already familiar with. But everyone in this series does a wonderful job creating memorable characters, and the voice actors contribute greatly to that. The best thing about them is that their performances never veer into 'shrill and annoying' territory. The actors do a wonderful job with what they are given. I assume that they don't record their lines together, but the chemistry between them feels so real, I could swear that they did. Skales, Pythor, Wu, Garmadon, Lloyd, Nya, Dareth...every voice is unique and enjoyable. The music in this series is AMAZING. It was one of the first aspects of this show that intrigued me. Mike Kramer and Jay Vincent have given Ninjago the care you would expect to find in a cinematic film score. Don't believe me? Go and look at Ninjago's Overture soundtrack. Or the Falcon Chase Theme. Or the theme for the Temple of Light. They're gorgeous pieces of music. The Fold also do a great job with the show's opening song, The Weekend Whip. These are all great elements, but The Hageman brothers are the anchor for this show. Somehow, they've managed to write a classic story, one we've seen hundreds of times before, and and still make it feel fresh and exciting. The characters they've created are great. The four ninja are different and each enjoyable. Our heroes are relatable, and flawed, but still admirable. Their friendship and camaraderie is genuine, and never feels forced. The character development each of them go through is impressive for a children's show. The humor in the show is usually great. I actually think that Ninjago is one of the most quotable shows I can think of, and some lines are just pure gold. The writers do a great job of winking to the audience at the right times. There are a couple references to pop culture, ala My Little Pony. Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Back to the Future, for example, are all alluded to in certain episodes. But the writers are very good at neither hitting us over the head with irony, or taking themselves too seriously. They know when to admit that the series is a bit of a joke, and when to treat their plot and characters with the respect they deserve. That's not an easy balance to attain, and I think the fact that they manage to pull it off...in a LEGO show no less, is a pleasant surprise.
All in all, Ninjago succeeds in being something that can appeal to both kids and adults. I can't think of anything more to say about it, really. The production quality is high, the show is great, and it teaches kids some lessons without pandering to the lowest age group. It's a very smart, entertaining, and always fun show that will make your inner child smile.