Pokemon: The Movie 3-Spell of the Unown

The wishes of a lonely little girl accidentally summon a race of ancient Pokemon: The Unown.  As a beautiful town turns to crystal, Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock get pulled into the action when a legendary Pokemon: Entei, abducts Ash’s mother.  Once more, Ash and friends venture into danger but this time against an otherworldly forced they’ve never encountered before.  Can they save Delia and little Molly before the Spell of the Unown consumes the world?

I’ve said before and continue to say that if you’re gonna do a Pokemon movie, you’ve gotta go bigger than the TV show and that definitely includes rare and legendary Pokemon seldom seen on the small screen.  That’s one thing both Pokemon: The First Movie and Pokemon 2000 both did at the very least.  Pokemon 3, however, not only includes two of these types of Pokemon, it also manages to outdo both of its predecessors in story, animation and *gasp* actual Pokemon battles?  It even manages to have some nice emotional resonance that doesn’t feel as brutally forced as Pokemon: The First Movie.  I dare say it, this might just be the best of the Pokemon films I’ve looked at so far.
 
I was a little nervous when the plot revealed it’d be centered on the dreams and wishes of a little girl who missed her parents.  There’s always a number of things that could go wrong with this angle including the kid being too annoying or immature.  Molly, thankfully, is neither of those.  She’s suddenly found herself alone and is so desperate for parents that she creates a Dad and kidnaps Ash’s mom…well she doesn’t do that, the Unown do.  Molly isn’t a villain in the slightest and thankfully, Ash and company’s patience with her represents our own.  Molly needs a tough lifes lesson with love and understanding and it doesn’t get more that than with Ash and Pikachu with a little help from Misty, Brock and Ash’s Mom: Delia.  In fact, I don’t think that Pokemon 3 really has a villain other than bad circumstances that get out of control, and that’s ok for a story like this one.
 
I will say though I wish the Unown had featured more than they did.  The CG really enhances how genuinely creepy they look and how unique they are as Pokemon.  However, after their initial appearance in the beginning of the film, they kind of sit things out til the finale.  It would’ve cool to see Ash and the others interacting with them more directly.  The rules the Unown abide by are also a little confusing.  I cant say more without spoiling some of the finale but there’s forces that shouldn’t be working against them if certain parameters have changed.  The new Pokemon with the most focus is Entei, or rather an illusionary version.  Illusion or not, Entei is freaking awesome in both design and presentation.  He feels like a movie worthy adversary and tops any of the Legendary Pokemon we’ve see in the movies before.  Also Ash and his team get to fight him which is a major bonus.
 
Actually, one thing we haven’t gotten a lot of outside of maybe the movies intros are actual Pokemon battles.  Sure Pokemon 3 might set up some unusual circumstances for them but hey seeing Misty and Brock actually taking the stage to fight Molly’s assortment of imaginary Pokemon in matches is a real treat, as is Ash taking on Entei.  The action overall is hugely improved over the first two films.  The centerpeice featuring the return of Ash’s Charizard is crazy good thanks to some spectacular animation.  Seeing Ash ride Charizard into battle put such a smirk on my face and there’s so much energy put into the fight as a whole, I was definitely not bored nor disappointed with anything involving Pokemon Battles here.
 
It seems to always be a point of contention whether or not to include Team Rocket in any of these movies.  Sometimes they do contribute to the plot like in Pokemon 2000.  Other times they’re just there because they’re franchise mainstays like in Pokemon: The First Movie.  Pokemon 3’s use of Jessie, James and Meowth leans towards the latter as they do nothing other than sneak around and get caught in the crossfire of various battles.  Even their humor isnt memorable.  The most we get is a kinda sort of probably not notion that in some weird way, they’re kind of family when it comes to somehow helping Ash and friends in these movie plots, so that’s something?
 
While the Unown don’t get as much screentime as their other Legendary costar, Pokemon: The Movie 3-Spell of the Unown is a really, really fun outing for the Pokemon movie franchise.  It utilizes the titular Pocket Monsters better than before (I didn’t even mention Ash using his Pokemons abilities for infiltrating the Crystal Palace, that was awesome) and presents a story that feels genuine and moving without having to step to the darker places Mewtwo Strikes Back dared to tread.  With better than normal animation and even more spectacular action, this is the Pokemon movie I’ve been waiting to see since Pokemon: The First Movie and definitely sets a new high bar for this film series.
 
8/10
 
Next Monday, our journey through Pokemon Movie territory with the Pokemon 30^th Anniversary Movie Marathon continues with Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi-Voice of the Forest right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.