'Pokémon: The First Movie' Honest Trailer: It's Somehow Against Pokémon Fighting

Detective Pikachu is coming to theaters later this month, but let's not forget that back in 1998, the craze for Pokémon was so big that it demanded a big screen adventure imported from Japan.Pokémon: The First Movie brings Ash Ketchum and his little buddy Pikachu to the big screen in the movie that introduces the genetically engineered psychic Pokémon called Mewtwo. Plus, as the Pokemon movie Honest Trailer points out, the movie is somehow against Pokémon fighting with each other except when it's in an officially sanctioned Pokémon battle. What?

Pokémon: The First Movie doesn't look like it's doing anime any favors. Hell, it doesn't even look like it's doing Pokémon any favors since it doesn't exactly try to introduce anyone unfamiliar with the little monsters to this world at all. Hopefully that's something Detective Pikachu will succeed with when the film arrives later this month.

Otherwise, this movie looks cheap, goofy, and clearly a cash grab to get kids to drag their parents to theaters and then spend more money on Pokémon cards. All of the characters are complete buffoons, with the exception of Mewtwo, who actually makes some sense when it comes to keeping Pokémon away from their human trainers. But then he starts killing everyone, so there goes that benefit of the doubt we were going to give him.

Don't let Pokémon: The First Movie bring you down, because we think Detective Pikachu will be a much better way to experience the world of this Nintendo video game franchise on the big screen. See it when it arrives on May 10, 2019.