Ever have an entire movie theatre to yourself? First, and to date, only time that's happened to me was when I went to see Pokemon 3. It was the spring of 2001. I had the day off from my minimum wage hell job. And I was still enough of a fan of the anime that I wanted to go see that third movie. So off to the theatre I went. I knew something was amiss when I bought my ticket, and they gave me my free Pokemon card. That's how it was with the movies...you'd get a free, exclusive Pokemon card with admission. For the first two movies, they were always all out. But now...I got one.
Maybe it's because Pokemon as a fad in the late 1990s/early 2000s was starting to calm down. Maybe it was because it was a Thursday afternoon in the middle of the school year. But as the lights dimmed, and the trailers started, and I looked around the theatre, I was the only one there. So I really got into it. I laughed harder at the jokes. I cheered louder at the good parts. I had a grand time.
Too bad I was the only one in the theatre to enjoy it. Out of the first trilogy of Pokemon movies, this is probably the one with the best plot, and such stalwarts of the TV series like Pokemon battles actually figure into the plot. Our heroes are actually on a quest, rather than just staring in awe at the latest legendary Pokemon.
Things are set into motion by a young girl named Molly. Her father, Professor Hale, has mysteriously disappeared while researching the legendary pokemon known as "Unown." Now an orphan, Molly begins fidgeting with some of the artifacts her father discovered, and unleashes the Unown. Turns out they're psychic-type pokemon with reality-bending capabilities. After tapping into Molly's mind, they conjure up the legendary pokemon Entei to be her new father.
Enter our heroes: Ash, PIkachu, and all the rest. In their journey, they come upon the town of Greenfield, only to find that, thanks to Molly and the Unown, it is being warped into a vast, crystal wasteland. Since Professor Hale was a former colleague and close friend, Professor Oak and Ash's mom soon show up to aid in the investigation. Desiring a mother for her new surrogate family, Molly commands Entei to abduct Ash's mom. Horrified at this development, Ash, Pikachu, and friend set out to to rescue Ash's mom. They set out on their journey through the crystal wasteland, and to the tower at its centre. Here, they must battle their way up the tower, through Molly's dreams, before a final, climactic pokemon battle against Entei and the Unown.
My favourite part was always how Ash's Charizard returns to provide a little dues ex machina. Ash had given up his Charizard by the time the film began, so when Charizard returns to help out his old buddy, it's magical.
So the full and proper title is Pokemon 3: The Movie -- Spell of the Unown. The original japanese title is Entei: Lord of the Unknown Tower. Just thought I'd note that.
And this brings us to the end of this original Pokemon trilogy...the Transformers: The Movie for millennials. As I said when I started this, as I write this, there are currently 19 Pokemon movies. I own the first 12. I don't think I'll go on and review the remaining 9 that I own. I've often dreamed of doing a new podcast where I watch and review them all. Maybe, someday, but not now.
But, yeah. What a crazy time was the early 2000s.
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