#completion!

If I went all out of order in watching and reviewing these flicks, at least I’m wrapping up with the last one to date. It’s the end of the line, folks!

Well, I suppose that’s one way to get Ash involved in the plot - literally bind him to the titular Pokemon. It’s only slightly more contrived than what some of the other movies have tried, and we get some nice comedy out of it...in the beginning. The gag gets old after a while. And it all comes down to the same thing: Ash is roped into a story he has no real connection to, tags along while making little to mild impact on the plot, only to ultimately save the day in a contrived turn of events. I never thought that would be such an ongoing issue with these movies, but in nineteen films, Ash only had a meaningful story arc in three of them. Victini and Jirachi gave him nice roles as well, but it’s been extremely frustrating to go through these films and be constantly disappointed by the way the series lead is written. 

I didn’t expect padding to be a recurring problem as well. None of these movies pass the two hour mark, and a good number of them aren’t even an hour-and-a-half. I find it very strange that so many of them seem to struggle to fill that time, padding the story out with TRio antics, “come on out of your balls” Pokemon parties, other stock scenes, and a tendency to drag out travel. Volcanion further pads things out through repetition. I’ve already mentioned the ongoing gag with Ash’s bind, but Volcanion’s grumblings about humans get tired after a while too, and the message they’re attached to is rather ham-fisted in delivery.

This bit of padding wasn’t especially egregious in terms of time wasted, but it bugs me: I don’t know who thought “Serena and Bonnie make shopping trips and makeovers” was a worthwhile running gag throughout these flicks, but...no. Just...just no. The girls have good taste in clothes for Ash, but that outfit makes no difference to the plot, is quickly replaced, and doesn’t do much more than kill thirty seconds. And how can Ash keep changing his clothes without taking the bind off?

Speaking of travelling companions...Clemont was useful to the plot, they really liked showcasing Serena’s healing, washing and shopping skills this time ‘round, and they end up serving as a distraction in the final fight. It’s not the worst role ever given to Ash’s friends, but it’s nothing remarkable either, and that’s one more thing I didn’t expect to be such a common flaw. 

Team Rocket mattered to the plot again! That makes, what...five out of nineteen movies where they had any reason to be here? That’s a better track record than Brock, I suppose, but this just reinforces my feeling that the TRio should’ve been the ones to leave the show after Johto. And I know they have a soft spot, but does anyone else find it OOC just how teary-eyed Meowth gets?

That the human CotDs often become the de facto protagonists of the story, or at least the center of the meaningful human drama, is nothing new in these flicks. The real human story here is the one involving the brother and sister. Here, they command very little screen time. We spend all our time with Ash and Volcanion - who is the protagonist - that there’s basically no chance to get invested in the siblings. Hence, another set of forgettable CotDs, and another unexpected and frustrating chronic story flaw.

Another recurring plot point (not a flaw this time):  What is it with Pokemon villains and steampunk airships?

And another contrived way out of having a character die. I realize this review’s become a bit of a summary of all my ongoing frustrations with these movies, but really - I don’t know what else to write about. Volcanion has all the common flaws, a few common virtues, and very little either way that’s unique to itself that grabbed me. Though I will concede that the ending was cute.

I’ve been picking up my re-watch of the OS since watching Deoxys, so I’ve been spending a lot of time with the 4Kids dub. It made me forget just how much the TCPi dub irks me. And again, it’s not so much an issue of quality performances as casting (coughClemontcough). Though I must to say - Serena suffers from miscasting and an awkward performance in the dub. It’s like the voice was deliberately chosen to emphasize the more...let’s call them frustrating aspects of her personality. IMO, of course.

With filters:

Mooboard for Carrie Krueger anon!

I hope you like it!