We love Pokemon here at The Arcade, the world, the
characters, and the lore that’s been created is as richest it’s ever been,
however the last time we watched the anime had to have been way back in 2001
when there was still only 251 Pokemon in the ‘dex and Veronica Taylor was still
the English voice for Ash, these days we have 721 Pokemon and the only
remaining voice actors in the TV show are the narrator and the woman who voices
Pikachu, the times they have changed. Hoopa and the Clash of Ages is the 18th Pokemon
film to be released and the 2nd to spawn from the XY animated
series, I don’t think a single franchise has managed to achieve anywhere near
the same kind of success for what is getting close to 2 decades now, and with
Sun and Moon about to be released, it doesn’t show any signs of stopping any
time soon. The film opens with a glimpse of the past, Hoopa Unbound is
running amok, fighting legendary Pokemon and destroying everything that might
get in the way until a villager appears brandishing an ominous looking bottle
which when the lid is removed sucks Hoopa Unbound into it and brings an end to
his reign of terror, fast forward 100 years and we’re introduced to Baraz,
ancestor of Hoopa’s original captor and hunter of its bottle prison. We then meet to our stalwart heroes, enjoying themselves
at a lavish Pokemon Centre, Ash, Pikachu, and a couple of others who I had no
idea who they were, except for Clemont who I’d seen amongst the Trading Card
Game sets, anyway, they’re about to enjoy some donuts when suddenly they notice
them disappearing as if by magic, only to then see a hand appearing through a
floating ring belonging to the culprit, a Hoopa Confined. After befriending the Hoopa Confined and its protector Meray,
Ash and co then decide to visit a nearby historic tower whilst they’re in the
city with their new friends, only to bump into Meray’s returning brother Baraz,
possessed by the bottle’s evil spirit Baraz opens the bottle and releases the
darkness it contained which then proceeds to wreak havoc. Battles then ensue as the Hoopa spirit destroys the bottle
to prevent his reincarceration and summons multiple legendary Pokemon to stop
Ash and crew making a new one, assisted by the Hoopa Confined, our characters
summon themselves some legendries to even the odds and it quickly becomes an
all-out brawl as the likes of Rayquaza, Kyurem, Lugia, Latios, and Groudon duke
it out.
The first thing I noticed in this movie is how good
everything looks, the animation is crisp and colourful with each moment
appearing incredibly smooth and well detailed, backgrounds and locations are
deep and rich with even the 3D elements blending seamlessly into scenes,
whether it’s sand blowing around, tornados ravaging the city, or the varied attacks
and moves each of the Pokemon use, this film is certainly a feast for the eyes. The same can’t quite be said for the audio however, the
music and sound effects are great, and the Pokemon voices are cool, but what
gets to me is Ash having a different actress playing him, and holy hell is
Hoopa Confined the most irritating part of this film, its voice and everything
it said really got on my nerves, it even has a pointless and annoying
catchphrase, I get that this is primarily a movie for kids but it just struck
me as unnecessary, also whilst I’m on the subject of unnecessary, why are Team
Rocket in this? They literally do nothing of any importance to the plot that
any other character could’ve easily have done. I couldn’t help but notice there’s no underlying message in
this film either, in the past Pokemon features there’s always been a lesson to
be learned, be it of friendship or trust or self-belief but the only thing I
took from Hoopa and the Clash of Ages was that I should be sure of the contents
when opening strange bottles, which generally isn’t a bad thing, after 18
movies I’m sure there’s little more that can be taught without re-treading
previous ground. For a series that’s nearly twenty years old it’s good to see
there is plenty of life left in it, though Ash’s whole mantra of becoming a
Pokemon master is getting a little tired, because if you think about it he isn’t
really that good of a Pokemon trainer, he may have plenty of badges but he has
only won one championship in the Orange League and only really caught 80
different Pokemon. But that’s not why people are still watching his adventures,
Ash’s determination is inspiring, he may not be the best yet but that doesn’t
stop him trying, working hard, and building friendships, facing adversity and
never letting it get him down, the world loves an underdog. Hoopa and the Clash of Ages is an enjoyable
Pokemon romp, plenty for fans young and old, despite not having watched any of
the new adventures I found the film easily accessible and thrilled at seeing
and hearing many of the Pokemon I’d only ever met in the games, I fear however this
may now lead me down the rabbit hole of watching all the previous films and 940+
episodes, because as they say “Gotta catch up with ‘em all”
Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages is out now on DVD & Blu-ray