opinion
New on Netflix
“The Arceus Chronicles”: Why I switched off as a Pokémon fan
Pikachu is perhaps the most well-known Pokémon and also appears in the new film “The Arceus Chronicles”.
The new Pokémon film joins the revivals and spin-offs of recent times. But a real retro and nostalgic feeling doesn’t want to set in.
As a child, Pokémon was one of my favorite series, and I also played the video games for it. I trained my favorite Pokemon Bulbasaur until it evolved into Bulbasaur and could not only do poison but also some Psychic attacks. Even later in college, I would rediscover Pokémon and watch the seasons and continue training Venusaur when I wanted to skip studying for exams. Procrastination Pokemon Edition.
But the new Pokémon film “The Arceus Chronicles” has little to do with the original Pokémon. Still, for the retro feel, Ash’s old friend Rocko from the very first seasons has a cameo appearance. Brock is now a Pokémon doctor and has a small spaceship that he can use to fly around to home to sick Pokémon. The popular Pokémon Pikachu, Goldini and Magikarp are also included.
But this time the focus is on the special prehistoric Pokémon Arceus. Ash and his friends want to find it and have all sorts of adventures along the way. As good as always. But not much is left of the former Pokémon charm. Protagonist Ash is about to grow up. And it should probably look more contemporary. The Pokédex (a device that can identify all Pokémon) is now a smartphone. And Ash likes to pose for selfies.
“Pokèmon: The Arceus Chronicles”: Ash now takes selfies and has a smartphone
Otherwise, everything seems a bit like science fiction: the villains from Team Galactic are looking for holes in time and suddenly throw around terms like space-time shifts and different dimensions.
It’s a shame, because “The Arceus Chronicles” could have fitted in well with the current streaming and cinema trend of revivals and spin-offs. “Sex and the City” came back as “And Just Like That”, “Top Gun” as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “How I Met Your Mother” as “How I Met Your Father”. To name just a few recent examples. However, they were strongly based on their predecessors in order to create a certain nostalgia. And it was a hit with the audience.
Unfortunately, the new Pokemon movie does that (not enough) and so I soon tuned out again.