Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
Synopsis — from MyAnimeList
A century ago, the power of a mighty creature known as Hoopa, who is capable of single-handedly defeating legendary Pokémon, was captured in a bottle by a lone traveler. The bottle was then hidden deep inside a cave in the desert, in the hopes that the darkness sealed within it would never see the light of day again. Years later, a young man finds the bottle and breaks the curses surrounding it, releasing the power confined within it. Its contents take the form of Hoopa's shadow, and it uses its unbound power to shatter the bottle and prevent anyone from capturing it again. The shadow then goes on a rampage and attacks the original Hoopa, while both Pokémon summon other legendary creatures to aid them in their brawl. Satoshi—a budding Pokémon trainer from the Kanto region—and his friends are caught up in the crossfire, and must now work to stop the ravaging Pokémon, or face a devastating clash of legends.
Audience Consensus
Audience sentiment is largely negative, with critics finding the movie formulaic, boring, and overly reliant on legendary cameos as a blatant advertisement. While a few recall a sense of genuine danger and appreciate the visuals, the overwhelming critique points to a decline in quality and originality within the Pokemon movie franchise, making it difficult to recommend even for children.
Strengths
- Beautiful visuals (despite some iffy CG)
- Felt like lives were in genuine danger, unlike typical Pokemon fare
Weaknesses
- Formulaic and derivative of previous movies
- Music is forgettable
- Team Rocket is used exceptionally badly
- Lack of continuity makes legendary cameos feel wasted
- Animation budget appears spread too thin, resulting in repetitive flying animations
- Battle sequences are unimpressive and boring
- Inconsistent handling of city population during battle scenes
- Disconnect between events and stakes due to lack of human-legendary interaction
- Plot is bare-bones and feels like an advertisement for games (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire)
- Characters (Hoopa, Baraz, Meray) are bland or irritating
- Ash and friends have little to do with the plot
- Movie is too long and boring, especially the first half
- Cash-grabby sentiment due to excessive legendary cameos