Review of Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017) by Momo B — 14 Nov 2017

I went to go see it with my best friend, and I am so glad that I did. I was born in 1990, my friend in 1992, so we grew up on Pokemon.

This is important because I choose you isn't the next Pokemon movie in the franchise, but it's a reimagining of the origin story of Ash and Pikachu. And boy did the nostalgia deliver. But what is amazing about the movie is that because it's a reimagining, I didn't sit through an hour and a half of reanimated episodes from the anime fueled purely by nostalgia, but rather was given a complete retelling. So many things remained the same, yet so many things also changed. What this did it allow me to be invested beyond just the nostalgia by being given content that is fresh and new.

The movie is both comical and whimsical and also touching and deep. I was definitely holding back tears at several points, such as the scene with the Charmander being introduced. Once again, the feelings of nostalgia intertwined with the feelings of the unexpected from the fresh content delivered by the reimagining.

Critics are panning it and I'm wondering why. Then I realize it's because critics are jaded. To truly enjoy this movie you have to watch it with the same whimsy and innocence of a child - the demographic that Pokemon was made for. This isn't a Hollywood action flick, this is a journey of a 10 year old boy and his best friend Pikachu. I'm glad that I was able to watch and enjoy this through the eyes of my inner child and I truly loved every minute of it. Some things could have been improved, such as the 3 dogs (Raikou, Suicune, and Entei) and their impact to the plot, but again, this is a retelling of a journey of a boy and his best friend originally created for children, and for what it is, it is magnificent.