This movie was directly aimed at longtime fans of the franchise, specifically the anime, movies, and games. There was so much fan service and nods to classic Pokemon in this retelling of the first part of the anime series; I felt like I was on an hour and a half nostalgia trip that was constantly bombarding me with sentimental feelings for this beloved series. It did this so effectively that I found myself getting emotional at parts that were direct nods to old Pokemon episodes and even a not so subtle scene that was straight out of one of the Pokemon movies. It had me feeling like an excited 12-year old again who was obsessed with everything Pokemon, so much so I am now thinking of buying Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon this week despite not caring much for the first two.
There were a few things I didn't like as much though, mostly the absence of a few main characters from the anime and games, and at minimalizing certain characters roles for the sake of giving new characters more development. They also rushed a lot of the more memorable parts from the show for the sake of condensing everything into a movie, which felt off at times, but overall the experience of seeing this film was mostly enjoyable.
When I walked out of the theater I noticed that 90% of the people there were over the age of 25 and if I wasn't sure before I knew then that this movie was made specifically for us; 90s kids who remember playing Red and Blue version on our Gameboy Pockets, waking up early Saturday morning to see new episodes of the anime on Kids WB; using money from mowing lawns and babysitting to buy another booster pack of Pokemon cards, and begging our reluctant parents to take us to see Pokemon the First Movie and Pokemon the Movie 2000. It definitely reminded me how much I adore Pokemon as a whole and this movie very effectively conjured up my most sentimental feelings for the franchise.