All 24 Pokémon Movies Ranked Worst To Best

In an early issue of Hidenori Kusaka's 1997 manga "Pokémon Adventures," based on the game by Satoshi Tajiri, the definition of a Pokémon was laid down as merely "a mysterious species not recorded in traditional biological taxonomies." A look around the Pokémon universe, however, finds no animals that have been recorded in traditional biological taxonomies, either. There are no cats and dogs in this world, only Pokémon. Some have theorized that Pokémon takes place in a distant future, a post-post-apocalyptic world where animals evolved into superpowered creatures. Others simply repeat to themselves it's just a show and fans should really just relax, understanding that Pokémon exists in a fantasy world. 

In this world, 10-year-olds are offered the opportunity to leave home with a bindle with a superpowered animal in their charge, all in the hopes of garnering the honor (there is no cash prize) of becoming a Pokémon Master.

The volume of Pokémon media to have entered the world since its inception in 1997 is staggering. In addition to video games, card games, collectibles, and numerous TV shows, there have been a total of 24 Pokémon feature films (with one having been released in two only-slightly different versions, technically bringing the total to 25). While only the first five feature films were released theatrically in the United States (as was the 2019 film "Pokémon Detective Pikachu"), the remaining have been creeping steadily onto home video and streaming ever since. The world never has to wait long for a Pokémon feature film. 

Not all Pokémon films are created equal, however, and the time has come to perform that most onerous of tasks: watching and ranking all 24 films. 

In 2019, Yuyama remade "Pokémon: The First Movie" in CGI using a new voice cast and an almost identical script. The screenwriter for "The First Movie," Takeshi Shudō, had passed away, and the Pokémon company had to get permission from his estate in order to use it again. The only returning cast member is Ikue Ōtani, who has played Pikachu in every iteration of Pokémon since its beginning. One has to admire Ōtani for creating a decades-long career playing a single character who only has a single word of dialogue to work with. 

The animation on this film is smooth and static, and the story is just as baffling. It looks and sounds like an extended video game cut scene rather than a feature. "Evolution" calls to mind Gun Van Sant's 1998 remake of "Psycho." Can a film function just as well using the exact same shots and script with updated colors and textures? Like "Psycho," "Evolution" proved that such experiments typically fail. It is only the most minor cosmetic changes that have "Evolution" standing above "The First Movie."

The story of "Genesect" would have made a better film in the "Jurassic World" series than "Jurassic World Dominion," but that, one might opine, is a low bar to clear. Genesect are an insectoid, machine-resembling Pokémon that had been resurrected, "Jurassic Park"-style, using ancient DNA. The species had been extinct for 300 million years, putting them square in the Pokémon world's  Carboniferous period (assuming the Pokémon world follows a historical trajectory similar to ours). The Carboniferous period is when amphibians were proliferating around the Earth, however, and Genesect are certainly not amphibians. 

Look, if one is leaping to their encyclopedias to look up information on the state of life 300 million years ago instead of engaging with a film about Genesect, then perhaps the Genesect film is failing to engage in an interesting way. By the end of the film, MewTwo, also cloned from Pokémon DNA, takes Genesect into space, where the two absorb the awe and mystery of the cosmos, which may very well be Genesect's home. Ash catches them when they fall back to Earth. There are a lot of dark corridors and cowering in this film.

Tetsuo Yajima's "The Power of Us," the second film that takes place in a rebooted Pokémon timeline (the first is 2017's "I Choose You!"), is possessed of a slightly different style than the bulk of the Pokémon feature films, and repeats a lot of elements from previous Pokémon movies. The appearance of Lugia as the McGuffin is something taken from "Pokémon: The Movie 2000," but is glossed over by a rather insufferable plot about a hearty uncle trying to impress his niece with tall tales about what a great Pokémon trainer he is. Naturally, he tells nothing but fibs. 

This intersects with a plot about a Pokémon called Zeraora that once started a forest fire in the area, as well as a shy scientist who must learn to speak out. 

This is one of those well-constructed films that, sadly, falls back into some pretty banal territory. In a wonderful world full of glittering cities, magical animals, clean air, and gorgeous landscapes, must we tell another piddling, facile story of learning to be confident and telling the truth? The stakes seem so very low.  

The release pattern for Pokémon video games is unique: Games are released in pairs (Gold & Silver, Ruby & Emerald, Black & White, Diamond & Pearl), with one game featuring half of the currently available Pokémon, and the other game featuring the other half. Each one will also have only one of two "final boss" legendary Pokémon. Everything else about the games are identical. The idea is that you will buy one version, your friend will buy the other, and you can trade Pokémon between yourselves. Eventually, Nintendo will release a third version that combines the first two. 

The "Reshiram/Zekrom" movies, released at the same time, offer a fun conceit. In one cut of the film, Ash is seeking the white Victini, and in the other, he is seeking the black Zekrom. Thanks to some clever dubbing and a few swapped-out scenes, one can select which Pokémon they want to be the star. The two films are, like the games, largely identical except for the central creature. 

The plot is, sadly, the usual Pokémon hooey about a creature called Victini that can enhance the powers of other Pokémon, and a mysterious energy field called the Dragon Force. "Reshiram/Zekrom" get some points for the "switch out" gimmick, but both are pretty average beyond it.

"Pokémon 3: The Movie" was the last Pokémon feature film released internationally in theaters until "Detective Pikachu," so for many this early entry felt like a last hurrah. Despite coming early in the franchise, the film feels like a last gasp. The Pokémon movies, you might find, actually increase in production value as time passes. A look back to this film, released in 2000, shows some dated CGI Pokémon called Unown who are unwittingly manifesting the fantasies of a young girl who is terrified following the disappearance of her father. She manifests a lion/dog called Entei and coats the city in crystals. Ash has to trek inside to reason with her. 

One might notice that the plot of "Pokémon 3" is identical to the plot of the last two seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery." A mysterious damaging cosmic force has rippled across the galaxy, doing untold damage. At the epicenter of the cosmic force is an innocent being, kind of childlike in demeanor, who unwittingly caused the damage. While one cannot say for sure if the writers of "Discovery" are Pokémon fans, it's certainly a strange coincidence.

Not long into a vast sojourn into the 24 Pokémon feature films, a viewer may begin to realize just how terrifying the world of Pokémon really is. Despite being presented as a future utopia — poverty and disease seem to be on their way to being eradicated — there is always a possibility that the very rules of reality will be re-written at a moment's notice due to the whims of some random 18-inch tall fairy living in a glade somewhere. Gather enough Pokémon together, and one could practically orchestrate their own dimension from scratch. 

Note to the makers of Pokémon movies: Consider the above a pitch. 

The plot involves a comet that returns to Earth every century, and the near-immortal Pokémon Jirachi that briefly awakens when the comet passes. Jirachi also has the power to grant wishes. Naturally, a villain seeks to seize Jirachi and wish for the resurrection of an extinct Godzilla-like Pokémon called Groudon. For a story about the dangers of selfish wishes, and how the resurrection of the dead will ultimately cause devastation, "Jirachi" is a better film than "Wonder Woman 1984."

In the above description of "Jirachi," one can see that Pokémon are an animal species, but one might easily — in a mythological sense — see them as minor deities. They are spirts of nature born of the Earth, and we humans can befriend them if they deem us worthy. If a Pokémon took it upon themselves to cause mischief, then we would have to regard them as impish trickster gods. 

That's certainly the case with Hoopa, a playful minor deity that was imprisoned in a bottle who emerges to play pranks. It is an imp. A Rakshasa. Hoopa's shadow occasionally grows into a massive, evil version of itself. Because this is the world of Pokémon, Hoopa's displays of power have to involve other Pokémon, so it summons many of the outsize creatures seen in previous film, and then supercharges them into even larger, scarier versions. 

I admit a weakness for Hoopa. I like the notion that Pokémon are wrathful deities than simply need to be appeased. Ash and company deal with Hoopa, but, really, they are helpless. 

After the low-budget shenanigans of "Pokémon 3," this theatrically-released feature scaled way back in terms of its story, featuring little more than the fate of a single wood sprite named Celebi, and the threat a villain poses to a small portion of the forest. Celebi, psychically connected to a remote glade, can leap through time, and takes Ash and company back to when Pokéballs — the baseball-sized techno-spheres that can convert Pokémon into energy and serve as their carrying cases — were made of wood. 

Blah blah, supervillain, blah blah, catch Celebi, blah blah, balance of nature, blah blah, fighting is wrong. The story only escapes feeling rote as it was only the second time in the series such a plot would be employed (the first time was in "Pokémon: The Movie 2000"). The fact that the stakes are so low aids "4Ever" in feeling more personal. In the climax, Celebi is mind-controlled into making a fragile monster made of bark. It's a fun image that evokes "The Wicker Man." 

If one can secure access to the "4Ever" DVD, I recommend the commentary track. 

"Giratina" is the second of a trilogy of interconnected Pokémon films that involve the raging battles between Palkia and Dialga and the echoes they leave throughout reality. In "Giratina," Ash and his pals find themselves trapped in a bizarre mirror dimension where physics works backwards. The conflict involves Giratina dragging Pokémon back and forth between various dimensions, and a villain who wants to absorb Giratina's powers. 

Giratina is a truly terrifying creation. It's massive like a kaiju, and seems intent on causing chaos. There is a nightmarish quality to the creature, leaving it feeling truly threatening. It's rare that Pokémon actually read as a genuine threat, and Giratina does indeed feel like it's capable of dragging all reality asunder. It's Giratina, and the use of the nightmare dimension (called Reverse World, an Escher-like realm), that elevate "Giratina" above other, similar peers. One might almost be distracted from the usual formula of a villain aiming to steal a legendary Pokémon, etc. balance of nature, etc. fighting is wrong. 

Also of note: While three Pokémon films in a row connect directly, one needn't see them in any order to understand them properly. This is the way sequels ought to work.

"Heroes" was the final theatrically released Pokémon film and — if judging by the crowd in my theater was any indication — few cared to seek it out. A pity, as "Heroes" is another Pokémon film rich in alluring, utopian locations. The central city this time is a Venice-like town with canals and the instigating incident is a Pokémon race. Lurking about the city are two benevolent Pokémon shaped like airplanes called Latias and Latios. Later on, Ash and his friends will visit a museum to learn more about the two Pokémon in question. What follows isn't so much a high-stakes adventure as a pleasant, calming European vacation. Even the stakes are low. A pair of thieves – Annie and Oakley — try to kidnap Latias and Latios. But nature doesn't hang in the balance this time. Annie and Oakley just need to be taught a lesson about the evils of poaching. 

What "Heroes" proved was that Pokémon movies, even with a generally accepted mission statement of mayhem, can also serve as a balm. One might not think of a Pokémon feature film as a "hang out" movie, but that's kind of where "Heroes" lies. Sometimes, it's nice to just visit. Wanna hit up the deli after the museum?

This "vacation" notion will come into play again further down this list. 

"Secrets of the Jungle" is a Pokémon feature film that gains traction by playing small. The main plot involves an infant who is left behind in the jungle to be cared for by the baboon-like Pokémon Zarude. Like a Pokémon version of Tarzan, but without the distant whiffs of European colonialism, the boy, named Koko, is raised by the Zarude, and learns to speak their language. As a teen, the boy begins to drift away from his Zarude father when he learns he does not have a Pokémon's superpowers. He will flee into the city and befriend Ash. A "wild child" story will unfold.

The plot will eventually concern the fate of Koko's parents, the location of a magical tree, and the scheme of a team of bad guys who seek to tear through the jungle in a tank. "Jungle" is, of all the Pokémon feature films, the most solidly written. It has small character moments, pathos, resentment, joy, and righteousness. The story has consistent themes and the goals are clear and excitingly difficult. Pokémon are allowed to be openly emotional (which helps when the human audience can understand them). We are a long, long way from the inane mayhem of "The First Movie." Here, we have, well, a real movie. 

While the existence of Pokémon needs no explanation, the origin of Ash and the start of his journey did need to be established at the head of the Pokémon animated series that first began airing in 1997. In the first several episodes of the show, audiences learn that Ash, an impetuous youth, is all set to pack up and take to the road in the hopes of gaining skills and collecting Pokémon. He oversleeps, however, and is given the last creature at the shop: an equally impetuous Pokémon called Pikachu. For several episodes, the two hate each other. It isn't until Ash repeatedly protects Pikachu from harm that the little yellow mouse begins to trust him. 

In "I Choose You!," the events of those first few episodes are retold in rebooted form with slicker animation and much, much better writing. Like "Legends of the Jungle," "I Choose You!" feels like a proper film that actually builds to something. Instead of feeling like a rushed condensation of a TV series, it feels streamlined. There doesn't seem to be any pressure to milk Pokémon for nostalgia. It simply finds a better way to tell the story. 

By the end, "I Choose You!" accomplishes something that few of the other films manage. It makes Pokémon an understandable, workable world. It's handily the best of the films.