Epic Action
It goes without saying that having massive beasts fight each other should be epic but if all you know of Pokémon is the games then the sense of scale is likely lost on you. Seeing Pokémon of equal skill level fight permeates an epic sense of scale and power. With the right amount of attention, a good filmmaker can give these Pokémon a proper weight and sense of power.
A good example of this is the recent
Pokémon Origins which retold the story of the original
Pokémon Red and
Blue games in a way that is more faithful to the source material. In the final episode, it culminates in a battle between Red and Mewtwo. I won’t spoil it for you in case you want to watch
Origins. I will put the video below for you to watch.
Some live-action adaptions of anime fail to maintain the visual elements that make the original anime so engaging (i.e.
Attack On Titan). However I think that Pokémon has a higher than average chance of finding a filmmaker who can understand that sense of scale.
Right In The Feels
Pokemon has always balanced the action and excitement of capturing and battling but there’s a lot more to the dynamic between Pokémon and humans. The games and anime have done a great job of expanding the universe beyond just the original games.
Even in the anime, many will remember Pikachu’s brave and selfless act of protecting Ash from a hoard of Sparrow. This was a moment that really did start establishing the bond between Ash and Pikachu. Before this, the two really weren’t the best of friends.
I believe a live action adaptation would need to ensure that it maintains this balance of heart and action. It’s important for showing any trainer bonding with their Pokémon.
Amazing Cast of Characters
If all you know of the cast of human characters is perhaps just Ash, Gary, Misty, and Brock then you’re not fully aware of all the great side characters with their own unique motivations and characterization.
One great example is the 5
th Generation of Pokémon (
Pokémon Black and White, Black 2 and White 2) which introduced Team Phasma. Their leader, Ghetesis, and his adopted son, N, are interesting in that they are not straight up villains. Their goals are to liberate Pokémon from the supposed slavery brought on by their human trainers.
Legendary Pokémon
Part of the fun of the Pokémon franchise is the rare and legendary Pokémon. While it’s fun to have unique set of Pokémon that are commonly used, it’s also exhilarating to find and catch a legendary Pokémon that is.
Pokémon like Mewtwo, Arceus, Darkrai, and so many others are known for their powerful movesets and exclusive abilities and moves. In the movies it would be interesting to have the Legendries be McGuffins in a sense. The Anime has done this already and to great effect. These are Pokémon of myth and legend and should be treated as such.
Possibilities for Stories are Endless
Not to reiterate myself too much but if you are relatively old school in your Pokémon knowledge you may not realize how the world is constantly being expanded upon. There are always new regions, new secrets, and new dynamics being added.
This is where I think live action films can really do the series justice. There’s an entire world to explore and it would be great to see a film adaptation not just cover the same ground as the games or anime but feature new characters and new areas, give the world even more depth then what we’ve seen previously. If done right, it will be a treat for long time fans like myself, encourage people who fell out of love with the franchise to seek out the games once more, and bring in a new audience all together.