Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Animenia: Pokémon 3



Our heroes once again find themselves in the strange world of pokemon, this time in the fan favorite third movie. Will it impress them, or will it fall apart under scrutiny like so many others? ‎

70 comments:

Anonymous said...

JesuOtaku and Suede in a Pokemon review? AWESOME!!!

Incidentally, this is also my favorite and the first film I saw in theaters alone.

I'm surprised Suede didn't include my favorite comedic line when Meowth says "Do you think we'll get a bigger part in the next movie?"

Unknown said...

Potential My Little Pony Reference with the Crystal Empire Stair comment. Nice

Unknown said...

Ja you couldn't resist to make both references to Both Dan Green and YGO TAS, could you guys?
also, at 32:25
"Boy, this crystal empire sure has a lot of stairs" perhaps it was a coincidence and i'm just crazy, but... was it an MLP Reference?
great review as always, hopping to see the next reviews, (also incoming crossover with JO)

Jesse said...

I forgot how good this movie was. I need to dig my VHS up and watch it again.

Carlos Hugo said...


To be honest, I do not like this movie at all, I like when a cartoon/movie is smart and well done for the kids, but i think this movie try to make things to smart and deep to actually be enjoyable for them.

ScottSan1994 said...

Cartoon Network premieres didn't really start until DP. In fact Destiny Deoxys was a Kids WB premiere. Anyway, there was no better way to review this. Your analysis, the chemistry, the jokes, the delivery... bravo guys, bravo! Can't wait for 4Play with JO!

And yes, this is one of my top 3 Pokemon movies.

PS: In the anime, the Ruins of Alph are Omanyte infested, not Unown-infested.

Truthkeeper said...

Highly entertaining, although it seems somebody fell asleep early while editing and left the sound mixing unfinished. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Linkara, the loudest reviewer in the world!

Rexaura888 said...

Hmm...wonder when the opening bit was done since apparently Knux-the-killer is no longer known as Knux-the-killer on DA, now going by SoftMonKeychains.

Speaking of the opening bit, I was humming the Lavender Town theme before I pressed play. Not sure why, but I was...then it started playing in the opening as Suede was reflecting on Pokemon movies passed...no joke.

Spell of the Unown? *checks Bulbapedia* Huh, what do you know...always thought the subtitle was just Entei...

Let's not forget that Gastlys are the result of dead Pokemon/humans in the case of the anime. Then there's all the creepypastas like the one regarding Gary's Ratticate.

And of course, there's the subtitle in big letters...

The fact that the wife left also explains why Molly never mentioned her mother when putting the Unown tiles together.

"Carefull"? "Telepahty"? "Wild animals"? Do wild animals even exist in the Pokemon world barring wild Pokemon? Also, I don't know why, but even though I know this is pre-Gen III and natures weren't a thing back then, the fact that Unown are classified as either timid or careful bugs me.

To be fair, considering how that's not the real Entei, would it even be detected by the Pokedex? Or would it come up as Unown (like the one time when Meowth disguised himself as a Shiftry, but the Pokedex gave the Meowth entry)?

Good to see that the trading card elements are being put to good use as onscreen buttons.

I personally see Professor Hale's kidnapping as his desire to find the Unown after years of looking for it...which is why he's trapped in that dimension with the Unown. You know, just another case of "Be careful what you wish for."

In support of Suede's statement about preschoolers, said preschoolers are also given relatively powerful Pokemon like a level 26 Herdier and a level 63 Mime Jr. to use. Heck, in Black and White 2, all but four preschoolers have access to level 60+ Pokemon, and that's just in their initial battles! Then again, I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Unova's a very bizarre region...

Let's not forget the one time Brock's sixth sense for women was used as a plot device and tipped him off that one time Jessie disguised herself as a Nurse Joy to steal Pikachu, noting that he'd normally go gaga for her but didn't do so that time.

Jewwario probably hasn't seen much of Doctor Who because there's a good reason why you don't read the last page in a book that makes its prophecies into reality...what happens if it's something that you don't quite like? Then there's no stopping it.

Definitely with you on this being the best movie thus far. Everything after this tried to imitate how dark yet perfect this one got...but never pulled it off quite as well. The next three movies (4ever, Heroes, and Jirachi Wishmaker) were the closest in that regard, with the next two ending in the death of two Pokemon, but something about them was missing...I think it was fact that there were hardly any battles in those movies to balance out the plot, usually coming down to Ash using brute force like the Primape he really is. That, and the story certainly wasn't as focused or as deep as it was here. Arceus is the next one after that, but that's only because Arceus is...well, Arceus, and seeing him fight against two of the Creator Pokemon was awesome as well as the fact that they tried to kill the Pokemon equivalent of God. I think they're trying to go for this again with the next movie, what with Mewtwo's and Charizard's return, but we'll just have to see. Can't wait to see JO join the fray.

DMaster said...

"Over 13 movies..." So...guarantee that Mewtwo Returns, Raikou: the Legend of Thunder, and that horrible anniversary movie WILL be covered then?

Anonymous said...

Glad to see I am far from the only one to be anticipating JO reviewing Forever with you. Still not sure why you keep refusing to let JW use the girl avatar though. I mean who doesn't play as a character they like looking at when its possible? Though how anyone could like looking at that 3D throwback to the VIC 20's graphics is beyond me.

RICHB said...

While I never watched Pokemon, ever, I will admit that I could really see how strong the story in this one was. The last movie I couldn't even sit through the review but this one made me want to know what happened. So from what I can tell yeah that was a good movie!

Unknown said...

I have to say, watching you review some of my favorite movies from my childhood is actually interesting, because it seems that I had the exact same thoughts as you did. This was always one of my favorite movies in the Pokemon series, though I think I have a few others.

This really was a dark movie if you look at it from an adult perspective. I really liked that about the older movies, like older Disney, they seemed to be much more mature in what they were trying to put out and give something for the adults to understand but keeping it light enough so that the kids didn't get scared.

JO in a Pokemon review? Guess she's going to get a piece of reviewer dibs after her 50th Review.

I'm severely torn on Pokemon 4ever as a whole. Besides that pun *shudder*, it just feels...off on certain points, especially Hunter. After a thought provoking movie like 3, 4 just seemed almost too childish in its execution. But I can't wait to see what the crew has to say.

Anonymous said...

I'm assuming JO is going to be north. This actually leaves room for one more person to join as center. I wonder who else on the site is a Pokémon fan.

Anonymous said...

any pokemon movie that has charizard fighting the bad guy in it has bonus point for me xD.
And yes, i agree. Ash is fighting Entei on charizard's back, your agument is invalid xD.
TO be honest, i would have nitpicked the fact that Entei was born about...mmmh...let's be generous and say 1000 ago, when ho-oh's tower was burn to ashes and he, suicune and Raicune were just normal pokemon(one of the popular fan theories saying that they were eeveees). but oh well.

thorondragon said...

god soemthing for children, if you pick it apart, can be made into the worse crimes against humanity ever.

still i kinda defend what happens in the pokemon manga series, the special one, as why pokemon are captured and trained.
cause they are dangerous badass mutherfckers. they can, and will, kill and eat you, well at least more species than not.
on the other hand pokemon enjoy human company cause they know it will ease theri struggle for survival, and allows them to express, through pokemon battles, their natural aggression and competetive nature through a medium hwere they would not have to murder one another.
the humans benefit by having powerful allies, devoted friends, and for the less emotoinal or connective, a strong resource that allows them to advance and build and also defends them against the wild pokemon that could threaten their society.

it is definitely more that than brainwashing. considering that in the pokemon special series, the character who ash is based on, ironicalyl called red, gets a pikachu himself. however despite capturing the pikachu, it is constantly aggressive and hostile to red, at least till red gaiend his trust. so pokemon generally are not always so submissive. and are still likely to eat your balls with faba beans and a nice keanti if you are not careful.

the pokemon anime....... is far less forgivable. especially with ash being so god damn chase he can't notice the legion of lovely red heads, brunettes, and cute yet crazy girl with three tons of hair are next to him. and pikachu throwing fights gaisnt far weaker enemies at some points and overpowering fully evolved pokemon on others, and a general unpleasant feeling ya get from it all, esopecially as all intelligence and creativity slowly drain further from the anime. i suspect come next generation ash will look as dried and emaciated as god damn imotep.

the manga is still pretty good though. current chapters are bringing up fairly good question on whether or not trainign and capturing pokemon is a good thign. however i do note that the one who is spreading this quesiton os a pokemon psychic who was raised in a god damn creepy crib for all his life so he only understands pokemon and not humans, and thus his udnerstanding of it all is utterly incomplete and one sided.
....that and people fucking age!~!!!! yeah for actual god damn progression.

Doresh said...

So let me get this straight: The story is well-crafted, character-driven and sorta reminds me more of Digimon, and the fight scenes were apparently so good that Nintendo used the same style for the trailers of Black and White 2?

Awesome O_O !

Nazaru said...

Saying that Pokemon 3 is the kid's version of Silent Hill...you just blew my mind, Linkara!

Ty said...

Hey you 3 very well done. Big fan of pokemon and Linkra and the others. I was hoping that with Jewwario leaving TGWTG.com we would still be seeing the pokemon movie reviews and i'm glad your continuing them. Can't wait for the next one later


Sora

MJTR said...

I've been meaning to rewatch this one anyway so I can write a fanfic in which Arceaus is actually an evil anti-God sealed in the Unown dimension by Mew but escaped when this movie happened and created a sphere of influence that Ash and company have been in simce season 2 ended.
GENWUNNER AND PROUD

GoldenKing said...

I have to day these are the greatest series of videos the site has produced in a while, possibly of all time (unless you count Spoony's Final Fantasy reviews)! I really adore them and I am really glad JewWario stuck around for them even though he left the site.

Zachary said...

Suede used Friendship is Magic reference. It was super effective.

TheRunner said...

Ahh, it's cool to see this video at last! This is not only my favourite Pokemon movie, but it's also the only movie in the series that my parents actually enjoyed watching.

Unknown said...

This was great as always, if not better. Thanks a lot guys, really look foreword to the next one. :)

Fusionater said...

Well I love Pokemon 4! It's my favorite Pokemon movie! *makes squinty eyed angry face*

Good review.

Anonymous said...

I think the implications were that Molly's father's dream was to find the Unown. He was apparently so obsessed that his wife left him (at least in the japanese version) and in the movie we see that Molly has issues with loneliness. It seems like his constant excavation missions were having a real effect on his family which sounds like a an actual problem that archaeologists and their families would have. So basically he found the Unown in a psychological horror sort of way.

Also the reason Molly couldn't just wish the Unown away was that she lost control of her fantasy. The moral of the story is that fantasies will ease your pain but they hurt those around you and it's better to face reality because the fantasies will not make you feel better in the long run. But the problem is that grief and depression are awful things and not that easy to get out of. When you are depressed you don't just say, I'm done feeling sad, and move on. It's a process that requires a lot of effort from you and help from the people who care about you.

Anonymous said...

Since it's not one of the full movies (but it came out between 3 and 4), do you have any thoughts on "Mewtwo Returns" Lewis?

RarerMonsters said...

This... is one of the best reviews I've ever seen. I forgot how incredibly revelatory this movie was. And your commentary did it incredibly justice.

Unknown said...

I wish my depression would manifest a legendary pokemon to protect and care for me.

Awesome review and this movie looks damn awesome.

Breno Ranyere said...

So you finished March of the titans, finished Mistic force, and did another pokemon crossover...
You must be a robot or something at this point...

Unknown said...

An excellent review after such a long wait however one small thing I found odd not commenting on, considering comments and jokes on 4kids “ethnic cleansing” in previous reviews, was Dan Greens’ (seriously I can’t remember the character’s name) assists name. Probably wouldn’t have caught this unless you view it with subtitles but they used the traditional Dutch spelling of Schuyler, which appropriate enough means scholar, as opposed to the phonetic spelling similar to what was used for the English translation of Black/White flying type gym leader Skyla.

MichaelJGleason said...

What? They didn't take the chance to make an MST3K joke? "Dull surprise!"

C-Puff said...

Aw guys! Pleeeeeeaaaase don't wait as long to do the next Pokemon movie! These are some of my favourite reviews!

I've only ever seen the first 3 Pokemon movies before I got out of the pokemon craze so I'm excited to see the others I missed (even if I hear they're... not very good). I liked the 3rd pokemon movie the least when I was a kid, but maybe that's because it didn't have the overblown grandious nature of the first two and was a more personal story. What can I say? kids are dumb.

Also, the Silent Hill for kids comment was pure genius! :D
thanks for a great review Linkara! Please pass on the kudos to Suede and Jewario as well.

Anonymous said...

I still don't understand people's aversion for FF13

Ross said...

Every time I hear "Greenfield" I keep thinking about the town of the same name here in Indiana less than an hour from where I'm at. No crystal encrusted mansion, but the courthouse is nice.

Deviant #23 said...

Is that Lina Friggin Inverse as that second Trainer?

thorondragon said...

still got ot admit this was a pretty damn good mvoie. the morals were not confused, ash isn't jesus, and it is very well done.

did not like pokemon forever. it was way to dues ex machina.

though i do kinda have a problem with this movie. i always wondered where the hell the real entei was. entei, like most other legendary pokemon, is a real being. and i am pretty sure it would not like the idea of it being imitated.
hell, you would think that this event would attract the attention of other legendary type pokemon too. like ho oh or something, you know, the pokemon that created entei and dislikes humanity for its tendency to be violent and and abusive tendencies. that appeared before ash, which ultimately turned out to mean ntohing cause the creators of pokemon are afraid of anythign really changing the status quo.

all i say is that there is potential for a more mature story for pokemon. the series is pretty damn dark if you think to much on it to begin with, just makes things a bit more dark, get a character who actually ages, and we might have something more interesting.

Green Beanz said...

I just LOVE these reviews! They're really funny and bring back great memories of watching Pokemon movies with my sister.

SeamstressAya said...

You guys way over complicated that whole Unknown granting desires thing. :P The doctor wanted to find the Unknown and so the sucked him into their pocket demintion where they all were.

Love these videos! Keep up the good work!!!

J.K. Spencer said...

I don't remember liking this movie all that much, but I didn't really hate it, either. There is a particular line delivered by Entei just as he abducts Delia that I found to be hilarious enough that I still remember it to this day:

"You are Mama!"

There was something about the delivery of that one line that always makes me laugh a bit. In any case, it was kinda nice to see the movie from a different perspective, which only makes me want to rewatch it again. Sadly, aside from Mewtwo Returns, this is where I stopped watching the movies; I just lost interest, I guess. The PKMN designs of most future generations didn't win me over for a while. I still look forward to watching the other reviews when they're finished.

Anonymous said...

Now you boys and lovely lady got me thinking THEY NEED A NEW ANIME SERIES, that has the good animation and natural flow for battle's, plots, and something fun and beautiful. I'd love to see that, somethign beautiful crisp, and amazing.

- Rue or Rue's Retroviews.

henmo24 said...

I'm probably one of the only Pokemon fans that HATES this movie.

The way I view the Pokemon movies, at least with the first four, is that they should be extensions of the tv series.

The first movie had the build up for the reveal of Mewtwo behind it from the show.

The second movie not only developed Ash's character in terms of his relationship with Misty, but also developed the idea that Team Rocket can be potential good guys.

Despite how bad the fourth movie is, at least it referenced the events with Suicune in future episodes.

The events of Pokemon 3 were never referenced at all in the show, making the entire movie pointless.

artista-AF said...

i totally loved this movie & it gets more awesome anytime i re-watch it, specially because the Pokemon actually got used in more reallistic ways ...but the whole Sillent Fantasy 13 for kids approach is terryfying Arceus damn it Linkara & Jewario! (i still amazed that it was so unnaltered from the original Japanese version)

..and for those wondering about the "Boy, this crystal empire sure has a lot of stairs" joke, should i remind you the one who made it is the guy with a Vynil Scratch plushie

Dan Fawaz said...

Excellent job, all three of you. These pokemon movies are some of my favorite reviews any of you have done! Just a thought though...

Your comments about the final confrontation between the Unown and Entei; technically speaking, while Molly is still in control of the fantasy world generated by the Unown, it's still directly dependent on her emotional state. One could argue that Entei represents her conscious choices and the Unown represent her subconscious.

Molly is still a young girl who's faced with a very huge decision: accept the reality that her parents are gone and she has to face that pain, but go with friends and people who care about her, or, stay in her fantasy world with her surrogate mother and father, remaining in a permanent state of delusion. Consciously, she chooses reality over fantasy. From a logical standpoint, she knows shes right, but she still has to deal with her own emotional backlash. Her being so young coupled with the fact that she practically just got woken up from a dream cause her emotions to run wild, which force the Unown into an unstable state, and cause the world to try and encase them all, leaving Molly with the task of facing up to the weight of her decision.

The final battle between the Unown and Entei was an outward representation of Molly's inner turmoil and lingering doubt about her final choice. Think about it. If the Unown were truly in control, then they could've just blinked Entei out, as he was a result of their illusion, Ultimately, Molly had to make her final stand and justify to herself that she was making the right choice, thereby bringing her own dream to a close, and bringing herself to a mental state wherein she's truly ready to confront her grief. Granted, she doesn't really need to in the end, as her parents come back, but I digress. It's a sign of positive growth in our "antagonist".

Anyway, great job you three! JW I heard you've left TGWTG, best of luck if you're actually reading this. Maybe when X and Y come out we can meet on the battlefield :)

Anonymous said...

I really want to hear your take on 'Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.' That's the one where Ash gets superpowers, which he seems to have just forgotten about.

Anonymous said...

The only thing I want to say is: Entei is based on a lion the johto trio is based on the big cats the first sprids in gen 2 where just so bad that everyone assumed they were dogs. He has retractable claws in this movie!

Entei is a lion
Raikou a Tiger
Suicune a leopard

Anonymous said...

watch japan's version of pokemon 4 ever its way better

chad said...

I know you will be doing pokemon 4ever soon so I say watch japans version it is way better.

lee said...

Will you review the pokemon origins. I only found them online it, and it also was a good with the tribute to the first pokemon games and a little hint of the new ones.

Anonymous said...

The advanced generation movies are better then both the 4th and 5th movies, you will like them. For example the 6th movie is more on May and Max because they were the new members of the group at the time. I know that you only seen movies 1 through 5 because well you said so a while back. Just give the later movies a chance.

P.S I'm sorry if this makes me sound creepy.

danny said...

The 4th generation movies continue off of the movie before. Not the last one. But the others were pretty good. I know its taking a while to finish the last parts of pokemon 4ever, so I can wait.

P.S I saw the comments on the history of power rangers. So will you do turtle forever?

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"P.S I saw the comments on the history of power rangers. So will you do turtle forever?"

If you saw my comments, then why are you asking that?

danny said...

"If you saw my comment then why are you asking that."

I asked that because it was a little confusing. That's why. Sorry man.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"I asked that because it was a little confusing. That's why. Sorry man."

There's no need to apologize - it seems pretty clear that the answer was no. *I* just don't understand your wondering why I would be reviewing it. I have never expressed any interest in reviewing Turtles Forever, I've made it clear in previous Atop the Fourth Walls that, at best, I'm a casual fan of Ninja Turtles, and it would not match up with anything else I currently am working on.

It'd be like wondering if I was going to do a review of a music video or something - it's just not something I normally DO. Subsequently, in case you or anyone else asks - no, I'm not planning on anything Pokémon related, either. The Pokémon movie videos are SUEDE'S videos, not mine, and I will be leaving them after the next one or two because that's where my knowledge of Pokémon movies ends.

danny said...

Its to bad you will leaving the pokemon movie videos I like them. The 6th and 8th movies are really good. I would say watch those 2 pokemon movies. As for the ninja turtles I understand. It make's seance that you wouldn't do it. Good luck with pokemon 4ever. I'd say watch japan's version its way better.

Green said...

Hey I found out what the G.S ball was for. The letters G.S means gold and sliver to start the 2nd generation games. The G.S ball was going to have celibi in it. However they decided to put celibi in the 4th movie. In fact, in japan version of gold and sliver someone gives you the G.S ball and it contained celibi in it. They didn't have that in the U.S but still that's what it was going to be but it didn't happen. So that's what happen Lewis I hope this answer's that question.

tommy said...

By any chance have you heard of this show called code lyoko? It was a show that even now a days cartoon network still says was a good show. Early this year they brought it back with it being the same but also live action. What do you think of the show? I say check out the first show.

matthew U said...

Do you think that the Mega evolution is a rip off from digimon? I think it is. Its ust the same thing as digivolving. That is if you seen digimon. And I'm looking at the comments right above and well I'd say that Code Lyoko is a good show. I'd say go watch it. As for the turtle forever stuff, I won't ask that question. There is not much to complain about. As for the 3rd and 4th generation movies there pretty good. Finally for the G.S ball stuff it would have been a good idea to put celibi in the G.S ball.

T.J said...

So who was that at the end of the video, was it J.O

Michael S said...

Hey Lewis have you ever heard of this show called generator Rex,I'm sorry but I don't know if you can review it. Reason why it's hard to make fun of. I was a little surprised you suede and Jewario were able to do pokemon 3.

matthew U said...

Hey have you heard of this show called bakugan? It lasted from 2008-2012 and for some reason it reminded me of pokemon. Check it out and say in the comments what you think of it.

Doug said...

Hey Linkara do you know why suede stop calling him self that dude with the suede?

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Hey Linkara do you know why suede stop calling him self that dude with the suede?"

To signify a more unique identity rather than as a "That _____ with the _______" knock-off that was prevalent when the site started.

Doug said...

Alright thank you I was just wondering. Good luck with pokemon 4.

opsz said...

Well, while I'm biting my nails off waiting for the next review to finally come out, I might as well give this fantastic review a re-watch.

I recently saw Pokemon 3 for the first time since I was a kid. I have to say, I was quite impressed with the film.

danny said...

Hey Linkara you said to me a while ago that your knowledge of the pokemon movies ends after the 5th one. If that's the case have you seen the anime after Joto? The series after that are good in there own way. The new series XY has even the original theme song again.

P.S a few weeks ago the first pokemon movie had been up dated. Its know digital, and they fixed the error's that was in it when 4kids did the Dub. For example team rocket says that pokemon is Scyther and not Alakazam.

And yes the original voice actors are still doing the voices for the first movie, they did not use the new ones.

Jermey said...

RIP Jew Wario i'm. We will miss him right Linkara. :( why did this had to happen. Do me a favor Linkara get every one at channel awesome and make a really big tribute to him.

danny said...

Suede said that pokemon 4 will be out next week. I'd still say to check out the 4th generation movies. Those are more like sequel films.

Jermey said...

Linkara are you going to be the main host pokemon movie reviews know seance well you know. Rest in peace Justin AKA Jew Wario

Rocky said...

I don't want to jump to anything but with the knew series XY, it looks like that Serena will become Ash's girlfriend during this series. I think that because it looks like she has a crush on him. Plus the 2 of them do have a history before the show began. I don't know for sure. What do you think Linkara?

I'm not looking for an answer because after everyone kept on asking you (when is the next history of power rangers?) and i'm sure people had asked you about the hole Ash and Misty romance. Its your choice to answer this or not.

Jermey said...

Pokemon 17th movie is coming to japan this summer. So you better tell suede to hurry up. Are you just going to make that a joke in 4 ever? If it is it will go like( what took you so long, the 16th movie came out and know the 17th movie is coming this summer) I just don't you falling behind when it comes to these movies. I kind of think you won't leave because you are watching power rangers season that you never saw before, so if you have not seen the the Pokemon movies after this because you hate 4 ever. I hope that you watch japan's version of 4 ever cause that one better then the american version.