After the release of Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, Netflix should continue remaking classic Pokémon films. Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back was - as the title reveals - the first time that Ash, Pikachu, and all the rest appeared on the big screen. The movie spotlighted Mewtwo, who was shown to be the first truly villainous Pokémon adversary. He was depicted as the most powerful Pokémon that Ash, Brock, and Misty had ever faced.
1998’s Pokémon: The First Movie was a huge box office success and not just in Japan. It performed well in the United States, grossing $31 million in its opening weekend. Given how well it was received and how it’s still considered to be among the best Pokémon movies ever made, it’s no surprise that it was the first to get the CGI remake treatment. Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, which originally released in Japan last year, finally came to the United States on Pokémon Day via Netflix. The film is also listed as a Netflix original and is one of many Pokémon programs available on the streaming service.
Netflix appears to have taken an interest in the Pokémon franchise, which leads one to wonder if more remakes of classic Pokémon films are on the way. If so, which ones should be made next? Since 1998, over 20 Pokémon movies have been made, giving the streaming giant plenty of choices. Here are the Pokémon movies that Netflix should have on their radar.
Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi - The Voice of the Forest
Released in 2001 as the fourth movie in the franchise, Pokemon 4Ever: Celebi - The Voice of the Forest brought time travel to the Pokémon series for the first time. The story involved the legendary Pokémon and forest spirit Celebi. Celebi’s capture leads to nature itself being put in jeopardy, forcing Ash and his friends to work together and save Celebi, who is being controlled by the villain of the film, the Marauder. Their predicament results in a team-up with Suicune, one of the three legendary dog Pokémon from Pokémon 3: The Movie.
Pokémon 4Ever implemented time travel in a fun way, and their adventure remains one of the most unique Pokémon stories, helped in part by a shocking twist regarding the identity of a young Pokémon trainer named Sam and a classic Pokémon character from the original games, Professor Oak. Pokemon 4Ever certainly feels like a strong candidate for a remake, as it could introduce younger viewers to a beloved Pokémon tale.
Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
2005’s Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew told the story of Lucario, a mysterious Pokémon from ancient times who was frozen in time for centuries after being trapped in a magic staff. After being released, Lucario joins forces with Ash and Mew to save the world from a threat from Lucario’s past.
For most of the movie, Lucario wrongly believes that he was imprisoned because his owner betrayed him, but by the end of the movie, he realizes he was wrong. Through Lucario, the movie delivers a touching story of friendship that deserves revisiting. It’s also worth noting that Lucario and the Mystery of Mew is what gave rise to one of the most beloved Pokémon characters of all time. Lucario appeared in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew before joining the Pokémon games and becoming a fixture of the Super Smash Bros. series.
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai
Catastrophe strikes in the 2008 film, Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai, when two legendary Pokemon - Palkia and Dialga - battle it out. Their immense power causes their fight to tear at the fabric of space and time. At the same time, people and Pokémon suffer from nightmares, and the root of it all is believed to be Darkrai. Ash and his friends have to get to the bottom of this mystery and save the day before Palkia and Dialga’s fighting destroys everything. Eventually, it’s discovered that Darkrai isn’t the cause of all these disasters; instead, he’s the one who can help save them. Darkrai being the hero instead of the ominous villain that everyone fears him to be was an interesting direction for the story to take. In short, The Rise of Darkrai presents one of the Pokémon franchise’s better mysteries, thus making it an excellent choice to be reimagined as a Netflix original.
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 - The Power of One
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 - The Power of One was the first sequel to Mewtwo Strikes Back. In this movie, Ash goes on a journey to find the franchise’s first three legendary Pokémon: Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno. Uncovering the three elemental birds causes Ash to unknowingly set into a motion a disaster that threatens the world. This unleashes the mystical flying creature known as Lugia, who helps Ash to set things right. The movie holds a disappointing 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but despite this, Pokémon: The Movie 2000 still sits well with longtime fans of the franchise, as it was loved by children for the fun action sequences and the story. Perhaps a remake of Pokemon: The Movie 2000 can succeed in maintaining the excitement of the original, while at the same time fixing its problems. Animation was a big point of criticism when it first released, so giving it the CGI treatment could provide a major improvement to a Pokémon classic.
Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown
The third Pokémon film is widely regarded as one of the best in the franchise. Pokemon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown explores what happened when a young orphan girl accidentally releases a group of mysterious Pokémon called the Unown. The story of the Unown is linked to the emergence of the legendary Entei, a dog Pokémon with fire powers. Entei’s decision to kidnap Ash’s mother kicks off an adventure that takes Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket to a mansion that gets transformed by the Unown’s dream-like abilities. Dream Pokémon and other obstacles are created with their power. Family plays an important theme in this movie that focuses on the orphan girl who sees Entei as a father figure and on Ash, who does everything he can to save his mother.
The illusions, action sequences, and all the other threats summoned by the Unown create all sorts of opportunities for a Pokémon 3: The Movie remake. Also, Entei is a visually unique character whose design would lend itself well to a CGI movie. Battling the Unown in Pokemon 3: The Movie relies a great deal on vibrant colors and imaginative action sequences made possible by the Unown’s powers. As good as these scenes looked in the movie’s animated art style, it could look even more impressive in the CGI art style of Netflix’s Mewtwo Strikes Back, as the streaming giant continues to excite Pokémon fans.
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