Positive Prequel Things #65
Positive Prequel Quotes #5
“I’m not afraid to die. I’ve been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life,” Padme Amidala, Attack of the Clones
That’s not gut wrenchingly terrible dialogue at all, it’s straight from the heart and my god it’s beautiful.
Positive Prequel Things #64
Positive Prequel Quotes #4:
“Mom, you said that the biggest problem in the universe is no one helps each other,” Anakin Skywalker, The Phantom Menace
Wise words from Tattooine’s favourite son.
Positive Prequel Things #63
Positive Prequel Quotes #3
“You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness,” Obi-Wan Kenobi, Revenge of the Sith
Delivered perfectly by Mr McGregor this was easily one of the best scenes in the prequel trilogy.
Positive Prequel Things #62
Positive Prequel Quotes #2
“Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?” Obi-Wan Kenobi, Attack of the Clones
Is there anything cooler in a prequel than foreshadowing of future events?
Positive Prequel Things #61
Positive Prequel Quotes #1:
“There’s always a bigger fish,” Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace
We’re a sixth of the way through this ridiculous challenge and I won’t lie it’s driving me a little loopy at this point. I’m trying to find positives where previously I’d only seen negatives and I won’t lie to you it’s been hard work. So I’m taking the easy way out and having a month off from thinking too hard as we dedicate March to quotes! We’re kicking off with one of Qui-Gon’s pearls of wisdom. And he’s got a point right?
Positive Prequel Things #60
Padme literally dies for no good reason which is pretty funny
Padme is largely terrible throughout Sith and her rather bizarre death (yes I get that to fit in with the originals she needs to die but come on) is always good for a laugh. It’s hard to believe she is the mother of Leia who would never just drop dead because her husband left her to slaughter children.
Positive Prequel Things #59
A positive father and son relationship
The Star Wars saga is filled with kids that are mad at their dads right up to the Force Awakens. But Attack of the Clones gave us a father and son who had a great relationship. Admittedly that son was actually an exact clone of the dad but you get the feeling Jango never cancelled any fishing trips with Boba to stay late at the office. This parenting done right.
Happy Pokémon Day!
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the original release Pokémon Red and Green in Japan (don’t think it made it to the UK until 1999 but who’s gonna miss an excuse to celebrate?). To celebrate this monumental anniversary I decided to re-watch the original four movie spin offs of the long running anime. Today we’ll be focusing on the original, and possibly the best, Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back!
The currently available versions of this movie do not include the short Pikachu’s Vacation so we’re just gonna ignore it this time round. Apart from this jaunty little picture of course.
A group of scientists find a fossil of the legendary Pokémon Mew and use this to create a supersoldier clone known as Mewtwo. This new psychic Pokémon doesn’t like the fact that he was designed for science experiments and destruction so he has a bit of a paddy and escape his human masters. Not happy with just his freedom Mewtwo decides to wipe out humanity and this plan involves inviting a load of Pokémon trainers (including our heroes Ash, Brock and Misty) to battle him on a far off island. Despite not enjoying being a clone Mewtwo decides to clone all the Pokémon that meet his challenge (include Pikachu and that god awful gobshite Meowth) leading to Ash, perhaps the world’s most incompetent Pokémon trainer, taking a stand against him and trying to save the world. Also Mewtwo spends a large chunk of the film trying to beat the shit out of the incredibly cute Mew. Ash makes the ultimate sacrifice, Pikachu breaks our heart and Mewtwo realises he’s been a bit of a dick and decides to change his ways.
Pokémon: The First Movie is a dark and twisted tale of morality, freedom of choice and the importance of the self. Dismissed by critics upon its release rewatching this film as a much wiser man I appreciate it’s depth and soul in ways I never thought about before. No longer do I see Mewtwo as a mindless villain but rather as a tortured soul desperate to find his way in a world he doesn’t belong to. Mewtwo is trapped in an existential crisis that leads him down a devastating path that leaves the Pokémon world on the brink of destruction.
We’re dealing with some controversial issues here. This film tackles head on the biggest controversy in the whole franchise. Pokémon battles are little more than glorified cock fights and it’s always been a morally grey area. Mewtwo makes brother fight brother and we realise the true horror of a Pokémon battle. Is Ash Ketchum really a hero or little more than an evil slave owner? We’ve always been told that the Pokémon enjoy battling but does Pikachu look happy as he’s getting slapped senseless by evil Clone Pikachu? I don’t think so.
This film touches on so many big issues; the morality of cloning, racism, slavery and the importance of friendship. Mewtwo is willing to destroy the world to get what he wants and Ash is willing to sacrifice his life to stop him. There are lessons we can all learn from what I would say is an under appreciated masterpiece in modern cinema. This is deep philosophy dressed up as a kid’s movie. And is there anything more heart breaking than Pikachu trying to revive the petrified Ash?
Look at the little fella isn’t it just devastating? And then when he tries using his electricity to bring him back? Ah man I’m welling up just thinking about it.
Reminiscent of Spock’s sacrifice in the Wrath of Khan, Ash’s sacrifice is noble and heroic (the needs of the many really did outweigh the needs of the few here). And his resurrection, much like Spock’s in The Search For Spock, is only possible because of the love and care his friends and well wishers provide (oh and magical Pokémon tears that is totally signposted near the beginning of the film which I missed in my younger days).
In all seriousness Pokémon: The First Movie doesn’t set out to tackle the big philosophical issues it brings up and when it does address them usually address them in the least subtle way (yeah I’m looking at you Meowth with your very on the nose speech about not judging people who are different) but it’s a kid’s film, the first in a very, very long line of Pokémon movies (what are there, like a hundred fifty of them now?) and it’s still a lot of fun. And Mew is still super cute look at the little fella…
This film isn’t going to win any awards and it will never be considered a classic but if you were a fan of the Pokémon anime back in the day you’ll likely still enjoy it. It left me feeling all warm and fuzzy in side as the nostalgia flushed through me and yeah I still cry when Pikachu tries to revive Ash. I’m only human goddamnit. And maybe the lessons this film tries to teach us aren’t subtle but does that make them any less important?
I won’t lie there were a few things about this film. First of all that soundtrack is fucking awful. What the hell was that version of the classic Pokémon theme all about? Whoever recorded that should be taken out and shot in the balls. It’s dreadful and the Pokémon theme song is one of the greatest of all time and it deserves far better than that monstrosity. What is it with films not using the original themes? Take a page out of the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy movie people love the old themes so use them! Also I know Team Rocket are supposed to bring a bit of humour to the pathos of one Pikachu slapping the shit out of another but Christ if Meowth had made one more terrible pun I’d have put my fist through that screen and strangled him to death with my bare hands. And Brock has always been my favourite character but man does he come across a little bit rapey. Guy needs to get himself a jar of Vaseline and an erotic magazine and calm the fuck down when there are ladies present.
Let’s end with a thought. This film is 17 years old now. We are all old as fuck it’s enough to make you cry really…
Next time: Pokémon: The Movie 2000: The Power of One
Positive Prequel Things #58
The final duel with Darth Maul
The battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is easily one of the very best scenes from the whole saga. The original trilogy had lightsaber duels but they were never that impressive. With the brilliant Ray Park in the mix the Phantom Menace delivers one of the most exhilarating sword fights ever committed to screen.
Positive Prequel Things #57
A man becomes a quadruple amputee but manages to rise to the position of second most powerful man in the galaxy
Anakin Skywalker had already lost an arm and then he loses his other arm and both legs but does he let that get him down? No, not at all. He gets to be the second in command of the entire Empire and the hot favourite to replace the Emperor should anything happen to him. That’s a pretty inspirational story.
It Was Earth All Along! 