Pokemon The First Movie wasn't bad. But it wasn't great. It was merely OK. Personally, I cannot see how this movie inspired several sequels - it wasn't that great and the plot was a bit simple and uninspired, even if it had a dark feel and had a far more epic scope than the cartoon series - hugely climactic battles at a stadium and massive storms at sea combined both of these aspects to give the film a more cinematic feel that would work better in cinemas than just a standard episode. But the film just does not feel inspired. Mewtwo may have been quite an effective villain and he was sure someone who you really grew to hate (or should I refer to Mewtwo as an it? I don't know), but there was something slightly sterile and square about him that just didn't work. And I'm fed up with the sentimentality! Tears bringing Pokemon back to life who then slaughter massive monsters may be all good and nice, but it is just so boring and will make people take the rip. The score wasn't that great either, and Misty and everyone else except Ash and Pikachu were just kind of sitting on the sidelines watching the action instead of doing much. This film was short and action-packed enough to ensure a very small number of people walked out on it, but it should have been far more intelligent and less predictable to be called something truly special. 5/10
