#it's 'aightish

[advluv4life]

This is me live-blogging to the original Pokemon the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back comparing it to the Netflix Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution that I watch two days ago. It was kind of fun to type this up. Maybe I'll live blog another movie sometime, lol 😅

Enjoy, or not... 😘

(I'm not going to put a spoiler warning because literally nothing has changed from the original overall. They added a few things and they took away some lines, but it's the same movie at the end of the day)

First, I was wrong the prologue is roughly the same length. It just is even more boring in the new one than it was in the old one so it felt even longer because I typically skip the prologue whenever I watch it. ((I don't want to go on blast, but the only Pokemon movie prologue that I watch is the Pokemon 3 prologue, that's it. Pokemon 3 underrated. It's the best movie. But they remade this one so this is where I'm at.))

One thing I've noticed 10 minutes into the original is that there is no second where there's no music and that's what really frustrated me during the remake. There's so much time when there's absolutely no music or the music is really quiet that it's barely there. It was really depressing and I could not get invested in almost any of the typical scenes you get invested in because I was so disconnected from the film. And it's not even the official Pokemon the First Movie soundtrack songs that I was missing. It was just the score. This movie's score is so amazing and we couldn't even relive that again. So, that kind of killed the entire Evolution remake for me. And now I'm very happy to hear this music.

I press play and then I hadn't even gotten to the song yet, but I do want to point out that during the remake the movie made me feel kind of stupid when they were introducing us to Brock and Misty in the scene of them before lunch, because obviously when the original movie came out they just assumed everybody knew all the characters, so I understand for new kids who don't know who Misty and Brock are they probably need to introduce them, but I did not appreciate it. But also I feel like the original scene, when they're sitting at the table already and Ash is just bored and starving is good enough to introduce the characters. I didn't need a whole extra scene before lunch.

On a sidenote: I hated Misty's voice in the new film. Hated it. Sorry. Especially the lines that were the same to the original I disliked it even more. Which really isn't abnormal with remakes, I just didn't like how her lines were spoken. Or the pitch of her voice.

The joke they had about Ash battling before breakfast or lunch, or whatever falls flat in comparison to Brock's joke about Ashes mouth still working before the battle as well.

And I don't know why they had Pikachu noticing the camera in the remake, because Pikachu doesn't figure out what's going on before hand.. So there's no point in him noticing something above them, you know?

I'm so nit-picky.. I'm sure they just had to change a certain amount of things to feel like it was its own movie, but it's wasn't necessary. Obviously, it was a cash grab, but still- not necessary.

And you're telling me after 20+ years they couldn't use the same remake of the song!? They were working 'with' The Pokemon Company and they couldn't use that song? Or did they not want to? Bad decision. 😔

I'm one of those people who likes the opening, but I love it when they remake it and turn it into something 'else', up the bass, give me more background singers, lol. I really accept different versions of the song though I prefer this movie's version a lot of the time. I like it when they remake all the openings for the first 10 films they redo most of the openings and I love it. I like all the openings up until Black and White and I like all the film remakes of them, so I wasn't against them redoing the song a different way...but I feel like this battle this scene is iconic why would you change that? Plus, it just felt like a cheap knockoff of this version...

Ash's voice overs (in the video) are part of the song to me 😂 "Great job Bulbasaur, you did it!" 🥰

While we're still at the scene I thought in the remake James has 'look at that spread' joke fell flat because they didn't show us close-up of them eating so I was kind of confused, maybe that's just me. Overall, Team Rocket puns throughout the remake are questionable to me. They don't really flow as well as they do in the original.. Man, I'm so mean to this remake, but it's true.

Back on that music thing. When Nurse Joy invites them to Mewtwo's party the music that plays behind her invitation speech is perfect and then when they get off it's silent, but you can hear the birds chirping you can hear noise behind them and that makes their world seem so much bigger. And that was lacking in the new version of the film.

On another note, I know that technically in both films we are completely aware that it is Mewtwo who was behind everything, but it feels much more ominous when we don't see him until he appears coming 'down the stairs'. So, in the remake when they showed him responding to Nurse Joy.. I didn't care for that.

I want to say though, out of context the art of the Pokemon in the remake is amazing. If it was just that someone made 3DCG animation pictures based on the original: 10 out of 10. I'm thinking about the screenshot of Mew in the bubble. It is beautiful in 3D CG, absolutely beautiful, but I still am old school and I prefer the original animation overall.

The scene with the harbor manager was not one that I paid much attention to, because it's not one that I usually pay much attention too (and I was bored out of my mind by that point). So, I don't have much to say in comparison.

The Viking jokes are indeed outdated, but I still like them, lol

Regardless, there is still background music, even at this point in the film. I say this, not only because they are having a comedic scene with lots of puns and jokes, but there is also a rainstorm going on in the background. So it'd be easy to just not have any music, because you already have background noise, but no there is also a score.

Brock calling out Nurse Joy when they arrive to New Island in the remake rubbed me the wrong way, like it was out of nowhere, but I think it was the lack of background music. I feel like that whole movie's issue is the lack of background music. There's nothing to set the tone, so everything's just kind of 'meh'.

They had some fancy doors in the new one, lol

But the original has creaky, scary doors 😉

Mew theme makes me smile 🥰

Prosser props ardeal ready there's a whole list; one it's Pidgeot, two Brock hits on the girl when they arrive, and three (kind of early but) Team Rocket gets Sycther correct during their impromptu game of 'Whose That Pokemon??' 😂

Intimidating background music, I love you.

I like how in this scene Mewtwo explains that he removed the memories of Nurse Joy. Whereas, in the remake, he implies that 'of course she would forget everything that happened', as if he wouldn't want her to, that was weird.

The original's colors and music make this movie feel so much more high stakes than the Remake does. And the voice work is just so natural. It's not overplayed, it's not underplayed, it's just perfect and that's because it's the original, but it's how I feel. For example (I'm going to jump ahead because I still remember watching the remake and being so disappointed) when Ash jumped down the tunnel after the ball that captures Pikachu and he's yelling in the original, but he doesn't do that in the remake and that broke my heart. The yell in the original was so desperate and determined, and in the remake it's so weak.

I can't remember if in the remake they use the same line when Brock says that Mewtwo is going to destroy humans and save Pokemon and Mewtwo corrects him. I honestly can't remember, but that plays a big part in who Mewtwo is as a character and villain. He's not saving Pokemon, he is destroying the entire world to remake it in his image... but I can't remember how they do it in the remake so I can't say, lol

Why do they never tell the other three side characters names in the movie? They don't do it in the original or in the remake, but I'm pretty sure they're listed in the credits, 😓

Charizard's a buttface and I love him (but he's even better in Pokemon 3)

I did notice in the Evolution version that they didn't use the Brock's line of 'carrying the Pokemon away' after Ash's suggestion of putting them in the pokeballs failed. I kind of thought they should have had that line.

And, again, I don't know if maybe it's the music- but the version of the chase in the original feels a lot more hectic and crazy and fast, versus the new version where it kind of feels like it takes more time and it's not as urgent, but maybe that's just me.

"You're not gonna' get Pikachuuuuuu!!!" 🥰🥰🥰

Not going to lie, I don't remember the remake version of when he gets Pikachu out of the Pokeball and the Machine breaks. I don't remember it. I do remember that the release of his Pokemon is relatively the same- if not the same, but I can't remember him in the machine pulling on the ball and chewing on the arms. I don't know if that happened 😅 I don't know why it wouldn't, but this is the moment in the remake where I realized the lack of music. It took me this long to understand why I just didn't care and this was the moment. He didn't yell in the tunnel like he does in the original and then he got in the lab and he was telling Team Rocket that he did not have time for them at that moment and I just thought something was missing and it was the music.

In this scene, if he did not say anything to Team Rocket I would have thought he didn't even see them. He was so focused on getting Pikachu back.

Team Rocket has great puns, they hit right in this movie. In Evolution it feels like they tried, but they didn't stand a chance.

I don't think the remake does this either, but Charizard never reappeared and Ash was like "You're all alright!", but where is Charizard??

So, when Mewtwo's clones appear there's a big explosion, but it's quiet--but when Ash and the originals return it brings up that loud, marching, hero entrance music. There was music in the remake, but it wasn't like a Hero's Return kind of music. It was really quiet it was pretty, but it didn't give that same powerful feeling 😓

On that note, I also don't remember the scene right after yet before Mew appears in the remake. Does Evolution!Ash try to punch Mewtwo and get thrown back into a wall? He must because I saw him climbing down, but I did not notice. I all I was completely spaced off 😅

I like Meowth's commentary in this version better. It's worded so well and the overview is just perfect.

Brother, My Brother. 😭 They had instrumental music during this scene in the remake even though there are plenty of songs out there that you could use in this scene (that are not this specific song, but they didn't even try). And the instrumental music they had was quiet even in the midst of the big fighting versus when it gets to the slow motion scenes of the fight where you get like really really sad because it's just terrible what's going on. I don't think the remake had any music, whereas the original does have really strong long notes and they they stretch on and you see it it emphasizes what's going on in this scene and how painful the fighting is and I felt like there was no feeling in the remake.

The side characters commentary in the remake is different from the original and I feel like (I don't want to sit here and say the original is better but it is) in the commentary in the remake they mainly kept repeating that the pokemon were clones and we already knew that, versus in the original they're explaining that they're all living creatures and that forcing them to fight because of how they came into the world is wrong.

Meowth's commentary with Meowth is spot-on and it hits me hard. I wish they kept that too they changed that and I don't know why they changed that.

Weird observation, but I feel like Ash's climbing in the original.. the wall is so big and makes him look so small and in the remake he did not look nearly as tiny. Which isn't like a criticism it's just a thing that I thought of just now.

I don't think they had a Ash watching Pikachu in the remake like they do in the original..and that builds to the point in which Ash will run out there. I do not remember this much focus on Pikachu's battle when Ash was climbing down, but I could have not been paying attention too so..

"Someone's got to say 'no' and refuse to fight, just like Pikachu." 😭😭

Okay, before I go on to bawl my eyes out (because I can't stand it when Pikachu cries and this scene has torn me apart since the first time I saw it and it will continue to tear me apart because I'm weak). I did really like that in the remake you can hear Pikachu sobbing the entire time they go through all the other Pokemon crying. You can hear Pikachu crying the entire time and I did cry because that was sad. 💔😭😭😭

Just thinking about Pikachu's sobs hurts! 😭😭

"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant, it's what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are." A perfect quote is indeed perfect and was not touched- wise decision Evolution 😘

This is actually the last scene where I paid any specific attention, so it's really the last thing I can comment on... so I'll probably just stop this commentary here.

If you read this: props to you, it was a nice ramble.

I don't know if I can rate Evolution, because the only thing that it really had going for it specifically is it's animation and I didn't even really like the animation that much.

I'll be nice, 6/10. If anyone thinks it deserves higher let me know. 3/5 stars. I'd probably have rated it higher if it had a better score. And if the new jokes actually made sense.

[acidicacedia]

fuck