Recap: Pokémon Heroes

The result is impressive but does little to further the experience.- Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix

We've seen it all before, and too many times.- Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News, 2/4

An easily avoided waste of time.- Sean P. Means, Salt Lake Tribune, 1.5/4

At worst, you're paying to see something you can basically see on television.- Sue Pierman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1.5/4

Having settled into a formula of maximum action and minimal whimsy for its battery of feature releases, the makers of Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias barely raise a ripple as they tread water in this fifth entry.- Robert Koehler, Variety

This series isn’t getting any better.- Rotten Tomatoes, 16%

These are; for the last time, a small sample of the negative reviews given to Pokémon Heroes. That last one often has me think, “16%? Honestly? Worse than Suicide Squad? Much as I like that, guess I mustn’t have noticed how cool Latios and Latias were in THIS movie.”

Finally, the time has come to address the last of the original series Pokémon movies. At age 11, while I definitely watched this movie a bunch; I was definitely among many that was on the tail end of my initial Pokémon fandom. Given recent events, I can suggest that the model they have now is definitely more based on how kids are rather than any genuine fault with the series. I can address more about that to illustrate how I feel another time; but that’s not important right now. Let’s open up “Pokémon Heroes!”

Once again, I have not seen the Japanese version, and will probably do so at a later time. For now, however, I will be taking the dub on its own merit; but I will address changes made when I have to. So let’s get started.

After the “World of Pokémon” segment (I already addressed this element in my recap of the last movie, so I don’t feel a need to do so again); we open on a library where our villains, Annie and Oakley are reading a book about the Legend of Alto Mare. OK, so right off the bat; I’ll have to address a couple things: 1. The backstory of the film ended up getting severely truncated for the dub, and 2. Rather than being independent mercenaries, a G-rated Dirty Pair if you will; they’ve made our villains Team Rocket operatives, complete with the same naming convention of the dub naming them for famous criminals (in this case, outlaw cowgirl Annie Oakley).

Also, for some reason; their flying car reminds me of the one in Agents of SHIELD in hindsight (still working on catching up on that one; the new season is going to have Ghost Rider, should be cool).

Anyway, Annie and Oakley are rather giddy at the prospect of stealing the Soul Dew and using it to power the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare. I also rather like the fact their hair, eyes and highlights of their clothes are gold and silver. Nice, subtle reference to the games; and not bad for a proto- Panty and Stocking.

The next day, there is a water race known as the Tour de Alto Mare taking place; and Ash and Misty are naturally among the participants while Brock looks on. The race is also set to an extended version of the theme to Master Quest; “Believe in Me,” a song I really enjoy as the last original series theme. Have a listen for yourself. 

I must say; the copy I’m using to write this recap is pretty good-looking. For a long time, the version we got was not only cropped to fullscreen, it had this weird blue tint on it for some reason. While many of the movies have been given remasters for the 20th anniversary; there is a contingency for more as time goes on. I hope that we can get an official widescreen release in HD sometime soon. I’m working filling in the blank spaces in my DVD collection myself.

While it seems Ash is in the lead; the plot seems to kick in at just the right moment so Misty can take the win instead. I said I wanted to get this recap out by the end of the month; so it’s once again time for me to play Cinema Sins with what’s going on.

"Hero leading a race has victory snatched from him by an unseen force" cliché.

Also, Team Rocket has REALLY gotten shafted here; as not only is this movie where they have the smallest role, they don’t even share any scenes with the heroes. These guys should fire their agent.

As the group goes on a gondola ride into the city; it’s fairly easy to tell that Alto Mare is heavily based on the real-world city of Venice, Italy. The filmmakers have sometimes traveled to real-life places for inspiration; and the video games have also gone through similar patterns in recent years. Still; they also take enough care that they give each world its own unique identity to serve as a sort of fantasy counterpart culture.

Their tour guide explains how Latios and Latias are the guardians of Alto Mare; and Misty also notices their images in her medal for winning the race. Even though this is the shortest movie of the original series (it clocks in at 72 minutes; about the bare minimum of what can be called feature-length here); it still does a good job of establishing the story in the time it’s given.

Meanwhile, Annie and Oakley are trying to find Latios and Latias; and determine that they can hide amongst other beings, even humans. Not pictured is one of their probes; which looks like a mix of one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions and one of Darth Maul’s probe droids from The Phantom Menace.

They head off on their speedboat, and Jessie, James and Meowth decide to give chase.

Anyway, while Pikachu gets a drink from a nearby fountain, Ash meets a lovely young woman who proceeds to lead him on a merry chase. 

Also, apparently she’s really a Latias; as Annie has these sunglasses that can determine the fact. They remind me of the ones in the cult classic They Live (not looking forward to the planned remake, by the way).

Obey, consume, reproduce, don't question authority.

They try to ambush the girl with an Espeon and an Ariados, but Ash fights them off with Pikachu and helps her escape! 

As the girl disappears; Ash then reunites with Brock and Misty over ice cream, and the group then heads to a local museum.

Of course, Annie and Oakley are still spying on them; and decide to make Ash’s meeting with Latias work to their advantage. I also notice that these two are quite vain, as Annie is even taking the time to dry her hair before she continues pursuing them (she got knocked into the water during the last fight scene). Also, I rather like the implication of how her anime hair is about as feasible to maintain as one of Padmé Amidala’s hairstyles. Applies in any situation, really.

The group enters the museum, and they’re all in awe at an Aerodactyl fossil being in the floor. That’s interesting, usually it’s just an Old Amber found lying someplace.

The curator of the museum points out another fossil of Kabutops, as well as the DMA: Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare. As for the way this shot is lit; I am well aware of the “Needs more lens flare” meme, and I can only imagine Yuyama saying words to that effect to the animators.

As the curator explains more about how Alto Mare was formed; Ash sees a young woman similar to the one he saw before drawing with pastels on the balcony.

Yet, it turns out that this is actually a young woman named Bianca, much to Ash’s confusion. Also, no relation to the goofball from the Black and White section of the series either. I still like that series; and will probably do more of it whenever I need a breather from something more intensive.

Even so, Latias reappears and leads Ash and Pikachu to a proverbial secret garden; hidden from everything and everyone else in the city.

Latios then tries to attack Ash, but Latias then steps in between them. Insert “you shall not pass” joke here.

Furthermore, when Bianca arrives; she even chastises Latias for copying her, much to Ash’s confusion.

Then, the curator, who also happens to be Bianca’s grandfather, then says everything is fine. After that; Latias then decides to have a little fun with Ash.

She pushes him a bit on the swing before showing her true form. After that, they decide to frolic in the garden to a song that I don’t know the title of. Not all that different from most early-2000s bubblegum pop; really.

Bianca then explains the reason why Latias takes her form a lot is because she’s her best friend. That’s convenient for the story, isn’t it? Just what I would expect for a movie about a video game; but it definitely makes more sense than somehow piping cheat codes into a Mini Cooper (seriously, what was up with that scene? That’s one of the many reasons why I don’t like Pixels all that much).

I also rather like this scene where Latias plays keep away with Ash’s hat; with him outright saying it’s his favorite. I know the feeling, dude. Before anyone says anything, it’s highly likely he still has his old outfits; kind of like how Batman often has previous versions of his batsuits. Also, it’s definitely a good contrast with how he acts playful and friendly towards Latias, rather than getting all angry at Mankey or Pikachu in the second movie.

About a half-hour in; we get the introduction of one of Latios and Latias’ special powers: “sight sharing.”

Needless to say, Ash is quite impressed with Latias’ abilities. 

Bianca’s grandfather exposits further about the legend; saying that Latios’ ancestor brought the water to the city at the cost of his life; which is contained the Soul Dew.

He goes on to say that the Soul Dew is needed to power the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare; and it happens to be right there in the garden’s fountain! Wow, it’s all the ingredients for a movie like this! A pair of roguish thieves, an ancient legend of a mystical city; and an item that’s needed to power a device that could bring great chaos in the wrong hands!

Wouldn’t you know it, the Soul Dew is also needed to keep the balance in Alto Mare; otherwise it would spell disaster! That’s why it can’t leave the garden! They’re really pulling out all the stops for this last movie, aren’t they?

Also, Latias has REALLY taken a shine to Ash in this movie; hence the notion of AltoShipping. Once again, even though I don’t actively take part in this sort of thing; I’m open to the idea. 

As Ash leaves to reunite with his friends; another probe has found out the garden!

That night, Annie and Oakley get ready to make their move; with Jessie, James and Meowth in pursuit on the rooftops of Alto Mare.

They reach the workshop; and Espeon incapacitates the curator while Annie and Oakley invade the garden!

Latios and Latias try to turn invisible, but Annie and Oakley put on their sunglasses that can track their heat signatures! Also, Oakley’s sunglasses remind me of the kind worn by John Lennon or Ozzy Osbourne. 

Ultimately, Latios allows himself to be captured so Latias can escape and get help! This is actually pretty intense for a movie of its type; to the point where my associate SkulShurtugalTCG was surprised that the picture slipped by the MPAA with a G rating. I’m not too much, given how Kahn had a reputation of not thinking very much of his audience and probably played some part in their decision.

What’s more, Annie and Oakley manage to successfully steal the Soul Dew!

Then, they find the instructions on how to control the machine in the garden!

Oakley determines that the water will vanish from the city; but decides to go through with her plan anyway! While not quite as evil as Vicious from the last movie; I am honestly surprised that a couple of thieves would be willing to destroy an entire city’s ecosystem just to further their own ends and get paid, which is still pretty damn callous. Even to a guy like me, that’s cold.

With Latios and the Soul Dew; Annie and Oakley activate the DMA! While the movie may have been made for a modest budget for other animated movies; for the show it was adapting, it was rather expensive. I rather like the use of CGI on the DMA, with all the moving parts and Rube Goldberg-esqué design.

Also, for some reason, the music in this scene reminds me of James Horner’s “Surprise Attack” cue from The Wrath of Khan.

Latias then finds Ash at the Pokémon Center, and asks for his help to save Alto Mare! Ash agrees, and the two head off to stop Annie and Oakley!

With Bianca and her grandfather Lorenzo restrained, Oakley takes the controls of the DMA and begins to take advantage of its full power!

Anticipating that Latias will come back for her brother; Oakley resurrects Aerodactyl and Kabutops from their fossils! Huh. As I said before, it usually takes me a bit to find the Dome Fossil and the Old Amber, much less the facility to bring them back to life. 

Oakley even boasts she can control the whole world from in there! Wow. It took me almost 15 minutes just to download Metroid on Virtual Console for my 3DS. 

Even as the others try to help Ash, Oakley begins sealing off the city with the DMA! However, the waterways aren’t blocked off, which allows Ash and Latias to make their way back to the museum! Once again, highly convenient for the plot of this specific movie.

Aerodactyl destroys the gondola he was using, but Ash finds one of the watercraft from the beginning of the movie and uses it to go to the museum! There’s even a driving rock sound playing in the background of this scene! 

Of course, Oakley is dismayed that Ash is on his way to stop her. Arceus, you sound like a Kotaku writer whenever things don’t go their way! Long story, won’t get into it right now. 

Even Annie is shocked at her partner’s cruelty; that she would willingly destroy the ecosystem of Alto Mare, flat out refusing to release Latios and the Soul Dew! While Lawrence III may not have been aware of what he was doing, nor Molly or to some extent Mewtwo; Oakley is more than willing to harm anyone or anything that stands in her way; albeit not to the extent Vicious is.

Just as Ash reaches the museum, Oakley begins to drive the water away from the city!

Then, the DMA starts going crazy as it puts further strain on Latios and the Soul Dew!

Ash and Pikachu free Lorenzo and Bianca; but Latios is still trapped inside the machine!

With the help of Latias, Latios is freed; but the waters are vanishing from the city as the Soul Dew has gone dark!

Annie tries to take the Soul Dew, but when she touches it, it emits a bright light!

Ultimately, Latios uses what’s left of his strength to revive the Soul Dew at the cost of his own life. So, this the first time a Pokémon movie has killed off a character permanently; with no revival through Pokémon tears or the goodwill of other versions of the Pokémon.

The water returns to the city, and the Soul Dew is returned to the garden; fulfilling the legend that Lorenzo spoke of. Thus, as the last of the original series Pokémon movies; I can make the argument that it’s probably the most bittersweet. While Latios has made the ultimate sacrifice; there is still hope that his spirit will rise again. By that same proxy; even certain events in XYZ going on now cannot deter my enjoyment of the series as a whole. The 20th anniversary has not only greatly rewarded longtime fans; it has laid the foundation for a new generation of them. In spite of some more infamous memes and articles I’ve seen lately, for me to stop now would be utterly foolhardy; as it would for everyone.

So, as everyone prepares to leave the city and the original series behind them; Ash is given a drawing and a kiss for his help.

Much like the second movie; this shocks Misty, to the extent that she drops Togepi here! Brock also remarks that he’s “extremely jealous,” but they’re left to wonder: was that Bianca or Latias? It’s left ambiguous, given how we don’t see much of Latias in this scene, but Bianca left her beret in her room hanging on her easel.

So, we close on Ash unfolding the drawing that Bianca made of him and Pikachu as he leaves Alto Mare with Brock and Misty. This movie has been in very heavy rotation since I was 11; and I’ve yet to get tired of that ending. 

So, that’s Pokémon Heroes. As the final movie of the original series; it was definitely a good one to go out on. Once again; I can say that it’s not as bad as others would have you believe, especially given how 2003 was the year Uwe Boll began foisting true cinematic excrement on us with his video game adaptations (while showing outright contempt for his audience, no less; to the point where Hideo Kojima famously said in reference to a potential film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid, “We will not sell the rights, not to you, especially not to you.”).

The film is definitely worthy to close out that saga, as it has very good animation and an adventure that might be the shortest of the movies to date; but is also fast-paced and fun all the while. Even though Miramax predictably dumped the movie into less than 200 theaters with no advertising (in stark contrast to the first three movies playing in at least 2,000 theaters apiece); it did find an audience on DVD and repeated brings on TV, and is definitely a cult classic of sorts among fans like me; as I suggested with the other movies. I do not know what the planned live-action Detective Pikachu movie will be like; nor the inevitable rebrand for Sun and Moon (not to mention persistent talk of more Origins-like specials), but I definitely plan to keep this marathon going after this. So, check back with me in September for my look at the first of the Advanced Generation movies; Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker! See you, space cowboy!