Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018) User Reviews

Better than expected.

[troy-daniel-bush · 6/10 · 10 September 2020]

It's better than most Pokémon movies. It's certainly better than Detective Pikachu.

Personal point, first: I like the designs for Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket. I'd even go so far as to say these are the best designs for them since their original designs.

Compared to previous Pokémon movies...

The story feels a lot more focused.

The humor isn't all that obnoxious.

Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket are extra likable.

The side characters are much more likable, especially the scientist. You wanna give him a hug.

There was less bad dialogue. Not to say any of it was particularly stellar because why the hell would any of it be stellar?

And it's never boring.

On top of all that...

The animation is very good.

It's bright and colorful.

It communicated how Risa used to run but doesn't anymore because of an injury with zero dialogue. This happened at the beginning of the movie, too. And when I saw it I was like, "This Pokémon movie is actually trying."

Honestly, in many ways it was everything I was hoping Detective Pikachu would be.

That being said, problems that previous Pokémon films have suffered from are still present in this one:

The voice acting was mediocre.

There are familiar plot threads.

The sequence of events was predictable.

There's bad and unnecessary dialogue.

And there are plenty of logistical issues.

Why the 21st Pokemon movie works as a stand-alone film

[isaacsundaralingam · 7/10 · 20 March 2019]

For all us fans of the Pokemon franchise, the release of a new movie is something we're all fairly excited about (not the Ryan Reynold live action one, but the anime one). Even for me, personally, although I haven't been following the anime since the Diamond and Pearl series, the movies are quite my way of catching up on what's new. It has been going on for 21 years now, at a rate of a movie per year, and this is sort of my gateway into the past, revisiting the series I loved so much as a kid. But are the movies really that great? Well, they're Pokemon movies. You just watch them to go on a nostalgia trip.

The 21st Pokemon movie titled "The Power of Us" is out on the web, and as excited as I was after watching the trailer almost a year ago, the excitement was still in me to check out what's new in the franchise. Now the Pokemon series hasn't done very well in the movie front. There were only a handful of decent Pokemon movies these last 20 years. The first movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back" is probably the most iconic and in my opinion, the best Pokemon movie made up to date. It had everything going for it, with a powerful storyline that was being hinted at and built in the anime series itself. Other notable movies were "Pokemon Heroes", "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew" and "Arceus and the Jewell of life". So that's just 4 out of 20.

Although Pokemon kinda made a smart move when they made the 20th movie, revisiting the origin of the protagonist, it didn't quite feel like the way it should have. The replacement of Brock and Misty with new characters, and the mother-of-all-cringe Pikachu talking scene, kinda held the movie back. But ever since the release of the teaser for the 21st movie, it was obvious that something was very different. It seemed more nuanced and this got me quite intrigued. So just as the movie was out on web platforms, I watched it.

I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed a Pokemon movie; something that I haven't done in a long time. The movie's success as a stand-alone movie, in my opinion, comes from intelligent decisions and good character development. The decision to change the drawing style was a good one. It was more striking that something looks different, and different might be good. This is also the only movie where Ash doesn't have his usual travel companions with him, which once again, I think is a good decision. The movie has 5 other supporting characters, all strangers, and all likeable. The lack of likeable characters has always plagued the Pokemon movies. But the way all of these characters were developed, each unique, each with their own goal, each with an obstacle they have to get over, and each with a realistic motivation. This sort of character development was a surprise, and the fact that the team behind the movie pulled this off should be commended. No character seemed forced or out of place, and each character had a purpose to be fulfilled in the plot (even Team Rocket).

Unlike previous movies, The Power of Us doesn't focus more on the Pokemon. Although the plot is centred around Zeraora and Lugia, the movie cuts back on the over the top action, while taking time to develop the characters and advance the story. This is quite a risky gamble, since the only reason we watch Pokemon is for the Pokemon, but this was a risk worth taking, because in my opinion, it paid off well. The awesome Pokemon action wasn't in any way compromised as the movie had its share of epic moments.

The movie did have a few flaws with the pacing and the dialogue (which I understand because the movie is aimed at kids). But the animation was smooth and beautifully done, and it makes the movie feel alive. The Power of Us is a very colourful movie, and I'll even recommend it to Pokemon fans who are sick of the series. Maybe this'll help heal the wounds left by hearing Mewtwo voiced by a girl :p.

This was not at all a perfect movie in any sense, but it manages to do a decent job to keep the audience engaged and actually take the plot seriously for once. In general, it might be a mediocre movie, but in Pokemon standards, it's quite good. This is a good direction in which the Pokemon company is heading. Let's see if the 22nd movie, "Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution" holds up the standard.

PS - This movie is only for Pokemon fans.

Great animation

[jarno-nijbroek · 7/10 · 14 December 2018]

Great animation, story is not the biggest point; but it still is very entertaining. Great Pokémon movie

The consistency in quality is finally sticking

[breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com · 7/10 · 8 August 2022]

It's probably safe to say with the long history of the Pokémon franchise, none of the returning or diehard fans should be expecting newcomers. The TV series has many seasons and to boot, many movies in between. Any convert would have to start from the very beginning and work their way through all of that just to reach this point. On the other hand, if that is the drive, then fans should be happy that another film in the list of entries remains to have standout qualities for its viewing experience. Know that there are still some aspects that still make it the typical entry for this franchise, but it's not as average as some of the other previous films. At this point it seems like the films are no longer sticking to the TV show timeline which is okay since the movies never seemed to play into the TV show anyway.

This entry drops the audience into Ash Ketchum's world with no indication of time or place, other than around the same time as the shows latest season. Along with him are several other characters that end up weaving their way into the story line which in time cross paths with Ash. Unbelievably, the writer director duo attached to this project is not Kunihiko Yuyama or Hideki Sonoda. This time, it's Tetsuo Yajima directing and Eiji Umehara writing the screenplay. Umehara has other credits to their name but nothing Pokémon related. However, Yajima does go all the way back to season one, so it's nice to know the director has experience with the franchise. The key part of the story and direction that make this film another strong entry is the focus of the plot.

Unlike other films which revolved around a legendary Pokémon and how capturing, controlling or destroying them would disturb the balance of nature or something like that. This time it focuses more on the human characters and the development of their arcs. Since this story has nothing to do with the show now, Team Rocket, Ash and Pikachu are the only main cast to return. Risa (Haven Paschall) is a new trainer who has yet to discover how important the connection is between Pokémon and trainer. Toren (Eddy Lee) is a timid researcher who hopes to be able to speak for himself one day for his love of Pokémon. Harriet (Kathryn Cahill) is an elderly citizen who hasn't learned how to love Pokémon again. Callahan (Billy Bob Thompson) is a lying uncle to his niece Kellie (Laurie Hymes) who doesn't know he lies. Then there's Mayor Oliver (Marc Thompson) and his daughter Margo (Erica Schroeder) who's hiding a secret from him.

The secret is a legendary Pokémon that no one else knows about. This is one of the couple pitfalls to the movie. No matter what, it seems like no movie can stay clear of directly being about a legendary Pokémon. The good thing is again, the main focus is on the human characters and their development. Of course even with some of these characters are tropes that viewers could anticipate what'll happen part way through the story because how obvious it is. The voice acting is also obvious but in a good way. None of the performances heard within the viewing experience sounded wrong, off or read poorly. Much of the cast are voice actors who have taken part in the franchise many times before. Additionally, it would be noticeable if they didn't sound invested in the project.

Visually speaking, the animation is another great part of the viewing experience. The colors and character expressions are as vibrant as ever. There's also fairly good CGI work thrown in as well. What this has to do with cinematography again though goes unknown. This time handled by Kenji Takahashi and Ryou Kujirai. As for film scores, Shinji Miyazaki returns once more as the composer to the project. Also again there is no domestic release for the album but it does contain an hour of tracks to listen to. At this point it would be more of a surprise if it was released domestically only. However, that won't happen considering the country of origin of the franchise. The music sounds good as usual and has its moments memorable tunes.

Showing that films related to the franchise can be entertaining, the viewing experience this time focuses on the human characters. As usual it includes the annoying character familiarities and legendary Pokémon, but also completely new characters, great animation, and consistently pleasant music.

What happened to the style of "1 Choose you"?

[garabedian123 · 2/10 · 11 January 2019]

..Wow what happened. Its just a kids movie, with no story, cheaper animation and just a poorer movie all around. I would have thought after a successful movie they would have continued that trend...This is just a story thrown together for 5 year olds...scratch that,...3 year olds..because 5 year olds can follow a story.. ..And were they eating pokemon ice cream cones...As in the actual pokemon itself....they have never shown people eating pokemon before...but when pokemon is ice cream i really complain too much

Back to what it was

[ADDZ33 · 8/10 · 1 December 2018]

After years of not so good Pokemon movies, this one is up there with how good the first few movies were, loved it, plus was great to see my favorite Pokemon Lugia on the big screen again. If you're a big Pokemon fan like me, you won't be disappointed.

Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us - Cinema with CJ Review

[cinemawithcj · 4/10 · 3 December 2018]

Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us is a one-day cinema event that lacks the power it boasts in its title.

Pacing issues all over the place, The Power of Us does not do well to ape a similar structure as Pokemon The First Movie, where we open with a short...except The Power of Us then follows with another short...and then inexplicably follows with a long translated interview with longtime director of the animated franchise Kunihiko Yuyama. This is, after we've had advertisements for the Pokemon Magazine, Pokemon Go, and Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

It takes so long to get into the movie it's a wonder people stuck it out. Even as a longtime fan of all things Pokemon, it's a bit much for the cinema. A Blu-Ray release, sure. With all supplementary content relegated to special features. Instead you're given everything including a brief mention of the upcoming Detective Pikachu before you get to the real deal. To Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us.

And if you've seen a Pokemon movie...then you've already seen this movie. Somehow, after twenty years of movies that accompany the anime but aren't necessarily part of the anime series, the formula stays the exact same and somehow it sticks.

An adventure parallel to the show in a location never seen or referenced before (at least to this assumption) where there's discussion on the impact of human interactions with Pokemon where it's Ash Ketchum's job to be the best (but not a Pokemon Master) and teach both Pokemon and humans that it's better to peacefully coexist and help each other rather than fight. In a franchise that's partially centred around the fighting of each other's Pokemon. It's the idea of Pokemon The First Movie, and it's the idea of this movie twenty years later.

This would be fine if it was confined to just an episode or at maximum, an hour movie, but instead we have 105 minutes that may or may not include the previously mentioned content (it was not timed, but it felt like so much more).

What Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us nails - other than the brilliant and fun world of Pokemon and the occupants of it - is its character arcs. For the lazy copy/paste themes, there are solid journeys for all of the characters in the movie. They get teased out across the runtime, but they get satisfying conclusions complete with character change. Which is what more movies should have.

It's great to see all the various Pokemon gloriously animated and brought to life in the animation style that defined childhoods. Even if the CG enhancements still don't set the world of fire.

The Power of Us suffers many sins, and beyond it being safe and samey, a true sin is just how drawn out it is. We know exactly what's coming because it's referenced early on, and then we know what's coming because it's constantly put in our faces with each scene. It gets to a point where you are frustrated in the way that we get it, and are further frustrated because it's taking forever to get from Point A to Point B.

The characters introduced in this film and their development doesn't save this film. The pre-roll damaged the film's chances from the beginning, and then the feature did no favours beyond grasping simple effective storytelling.

Good for the Pokemon fan, bad for the impatient and young who aren't nerds for movie special features, Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us offers content that will please some at the cinema, and some more on home video, but it doesn't quite please in general beyond a serviceable anime injection.

New big step for Pokemon, in movies!

[nelly-65619 · 9/10 · 27 December 2018]

Pokemon: The Power of Us - is second best Pokemon movie ever! Each main of character 6 have good writing and balance with screen time. Which Sun and Moon still don't do great with local characters, and even previous movie with 2 new characters. Of course there are some stamps, but all decided the better is one thing - feeding. This movie re creat formula for Pokemon movies, and raises on new high level! And I hope - this new level be same, and even be more high, if director Tetsuo Yajima (director of XY(Z) Saga) stay on post for next movies (next if - one more Mewtwo movie). And for whole anime series, if he takes post of chief director after 8 generation.

9/10

Good Movie Love it

[amberrcurphy · 9/10 · 12 November 2018]

We are back with XYZ animation again, Thank You! Can't wait for the Gen 8 series of the anime next year!!!

Probably the best Pokemon Movie so far

[daniel-schoetz · 8/10 · 4 June 2021]

I've seen Every Pokémon movie except for Heroes(2002) and the newest one, Secrets of the Jungle(2020) and this one is probably the best one so far.

It mixes up the usual setup, which gives the whole movie a fresh feeling, the supporting cast has more depth than usual and most characters get even some form of development. The plot is nothing special, but also not as predictable as in most other films of the franchise, the animations look good and for the more important scenes even on par with some better anime movies. All in all we'll spent 100 minutes of my time, if you want to check out a Pokemon Movie, you should give this one a try. 7/10.

Amazing plot

[pkchoo · 10/10 · 12 December 2018]

Everything in the plot came together to tie in perfectly at the climax.

Exciting and heartfelt!

[pokemon_trainer_lucas · 10/10 · 21 June 2019]

This Pokemon movie was full of excitement and new ideas that won't leave any Pokemon fan disappointed. The graphics are fantastic and the storyline is engaging, and you feel like you really get to know the characters in this movie. I don't want to give any spoilers, but let's put it this way: if you love Pokemon, then you must see this film!!

Pokemon

[ciglariceden · 10/10 · 7 December 2018]

My favorite movies are the pokemon movies since i was 5 yrs old

such a fun movie

[God_is_with_us · 8/10 · 5 March 2019]

I always enjoyed the Pokemon series. I've haven't had the opportunity to watch the first Pokemon series, but I feel the Pokemon series has developed into such a great franchise. I would most definitely, when I have the time, watch all the Pokemon series.

Such a great movie!

One of my fav Pokémon movies

[TheGreatGreenBadger · 8/10 · 10 June 2019]

Great plot and characters. Its better than its predecessor, I Choose You.

A great movie about Pokemon and Humanity

[thot-thoth · 10/10 · 3 July 2019]

A great movie about Pokemon and Humanity ! It's not just for kids , the meaning of not rely on pokemon(etc) to do all the work ,BUT humans with there hands and initiative + pokemon can make life better ....

👍👍👍👍👍

[PeacepiperF20 · 10/10 · 1 January 2020]

Best pokemon movie since the first one. Really enjoyed it