Super Bowl 50 was notable for the competitive battle between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. Two teams that were at the top of their respected divisions. Both teams couldn’t be more diverse. Peyton Manning, aged, injured, yet experienced, would let the Broncos incredible defence, do the heavy lifting. Cam Newton, young, healthy and a fantastic QB, would stand beside the Panthers solid offence and defence during a 90 minute extravaganza. Denver would win, surprising NFL fans alongside this one.
For Pokemon fans, The Pokemon Company would spend 5 million dollars to air a very special 30 minute commercial. This piece of marketing is one of the greatest Super Bowl spots in years. Exciting, encouraging and heartfelt, it was a delight for Pokemon fans young and old. The spot reminded me of the early days of the phenomenon, celebrating the franchise’s 20 years. At the end of the spot, a father and son are staring in awe at a Poke-Battle on television. The boy is amazed. The father whispers, to encourage his son, “you can do that”. The spot ends with the anniversary tag line “Train On”. As a father myself, I see a dad passing that joy of this game to a newer generation, to his family. I love that commercial.
Recently, the first three Pokemon movies were released on Blu-Ray in a special anniversary tin. It’s been a blast watching the movies once again.
Pokemon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back features the incredible story of the origin of Mewtwo, the world’s first man created Pokemon. Cloned and created from Mew, Mewtwo is a psychic Pokemon with devastating powers and abilities. The journey would take Ash and Pikachu alongside fan favourites Misty and Brock to a climactic battle that would leave the audience in tears. Literally. Yes, in tears. I still remember going to the flick opening night alongside my girlfriend. The lineup was huge, fans were excited. It was definitely notable for its box office performance, which would earn over $163 million worldwide and leave a very positive impression on fans.
Pokemon: The Movie 2000: The Power of One would release a year later. Focusing on a new villain named Lawrence III who travels the world collecting legendary Pokemon. The flick would sprinkle a little bit of a romantic plot between Ash and Misty which would eventually lead, of course, absolutely nowhere. My least favourite of the trilogy, does include a few great action sequences and a rousing finale. Plus, those Ash and Misty scenes are gold. It would do very well at the box office, making over $133 million worldwide.
My personal favourite Poke-Flick out of the trilogy, in fact out of all of the feature films(there are 18 in total with number 19 on the way) is Pokemon 3: The Movie: Entei - Spell of The Unown. Yes, that is how that word is spelled. The Unown are a mysterious, mythical Pokemon. They are uncovered by Professor Spencer in an archeological dig. Once discovered, they snatch Spencer away, sending him into an alternate dimension and never to be seen again. His little daughter Molly finds out about her father’s disappearance and is crushed and feels alone. I love this movie because it’s about family. Father’s and daughters. Mother’s and son’s. I don’t want to blow the plot away but all I’ll say, the flick is well paced, written and features some fantastic action sequences and imagination. It really is a treat, delivering plenty of genuine emotion. With such high praise, it did decent at the box office collecting over $68 million worldwide. Making a $100 million less than The First Movie. With dwindling box office performances, the next movie Pokemon 4Ever, would be the last the films to have a worldwide theatrical release.
That wraps up Pokemon’s first trilogy of films. They’re definitely worth the purchase and watched in chronological order. If you're only going to watch one, check out Pokemon 3, it’s seriously good stuff. Expect my next bunch of blog posts to talk about the anniversary, memories, recent merchandising and oh yes, those games of course.
