Review of the Movie: Pokémon XY: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages

Hey there and hello! So, continuing on with my review of the XY series, as is known from my review of the Diancie movie, I had decided that I really couldn't count my series' review as complete unless I covered the movies that accompanied it. For where I currently am in the process of compiling said review for Part 5, I'll now review Movie 18, or the second XY movie, known as Hoopa and the Clash of Ages.

Like the previous movie review, I'll be using the same structure that pretty much goes over the plot and what I came up with as I watched along, as well as some general thoughts regarding the film. Trust me...there's a lot I can say. With that, let's dive into this!

General Thoughts

The Legendary Pokémon clashing is a cool concept that never
really pans out very well.

Like with Diancie, I need to give some general thoughts on the movie before even contemplating diving into the plot. This is so that my perception of the film is just laid on the table and we can get the broad strokes out of the way. And simply put...the movie sucks.

If one thought the Diancie film was bad, then this takes all those bad decisions, reverses them in terms of concept, and somehow makes them worse. Now, are there good things? Sure. The concept alone of a bunch of legendaries battling it out against one another is totally a movie-worthy concept and a brilliant idea. Granting, it's one we sort of had back with the second movie, but this sort of idea was going to up that idea to eleven. Yet, somehow, it takes what should be a really cool concept and utterly wastes it. It's sad, but I should at least give the movie points for fixing some of Diancie's problems.

Pikachu looks more like his SM counterpart than his XY version.

That is not the way Water Pulse looks in XY.

Like the Diancie movie as well, I'm not a fan of the animation here. The CGI isn't so bad, I felt, even if some of the earlier scenes and Unbound Hoopa's animations were a little, painstakingly obvious. No, what fails on the level of the animation is actually the character designs. Pikachu looks more like his SM model in most scenes than his XY (and yes, there is a difference). I wouldn't necessarily care, but come on! If you're making an XY movie, make it an XY Pikachu! Add that to move animation like Frogadier's Water Pulse being changed and it's baffling that this movie belongs to XY at all, especially when all of 5 of the main cast's Pokémon show up this film.

Also, Hoopa is one of the most annoying movie mascots since Shaymin...and even Shaymin wasn't that annoying. Right away, it drops the movie lower.

The Opening Tale

The fact that the movie opens with Hoopa just...appearing,
kind of tells you how the whole movie will go.

Thankfully, at the very least, I can admit that the movie gets one thing right: it doesn't waste all the time on exposition...even if it takes time to set up. Instead, we're really just shown what's going on as Unbound Hoopa summons legendaries and destroys things because it wants to show how strong it is, before getting captured. In a way, that one opening scene explains everything about the movie: it's a disaster movie. That's pretty much it. Lots of stuff gets destroyed.

Legendaries and destruction pretty much run this whole movie.

The Prison Bottle is the artifact of the film.

That opening scene really just sort of does a quick setup for that, though for my own opinion regarding that, is that it's too sudden. The movie just throws you into this character doing this and then being sucked inside the Prison Bottle before cutting away to the usual Pokémon intro montage. It comes off as rather lacking and makes you blink, though you'd probably still be willing to give the movie a chance, especially as the film's typical Pokémon opening uses it to focus on legendaries. It's certainly cool, at the very least.

Let's ignore the fact there's a desert in Pokémon France...

Then the film finally cuts away to Ash and the gang in a desert oasis, swimming in the pool there. First, let's just ignore the fact that an actual desert in the middle of Kalos at the point they should be (the cold area of Kalos on the way to Anistar), is ridiculous. That alone should make one peer suspiciously, but if we conveniently forget that, we can move along to typical shenanigans: Bonnie's excited over Pokémon, Clemont's working on things, Serena's baking and Ash is...swimming and eating.

No, Hoopa, you didn't.
This is just one part of making Hoopa annoying

It's not long before this gets interrupted, however, as a donut is stolen before Ash's eyes and he follows it in to meet...Hoopa! Are you surprised? No, of course not. The movie is called Hoopa, for goodness' sake! But be prepared to hear that over...and over...and over. There's a reason I consider Hoopa so annoying, and this is one of them; it doesn't help that Hoopa actually spends most of the movie being the load without any good reason.

Baraz and Meray: key characters that serve more than those in Diancie did
but ultimately play second fiddle to Ash.

Anyway, Hoopa summons a horde of Pikachu, and only puts an end to it when Meray arrives and tells him to stop. Meray, naturally, is a movie-only character that is there to look after Hoopa...you know, until Ash takes that job. Her brother, Baraz, is looking for the Prison Bottle to free Hoopa, because that sounds like a smart idea, am I right? At the very least, though, these two don't end up strictly like the thieves and Carbink from the last film, given that they play an actual role in the plot...kinda.

Regardless, with Ash having met Meray, he pulls, Bonnie, Serena and Clemont through a ring of Hoopa's to Dahara City (you're not subtle here, movie), and the plot can begin!

The Prison Bottle Debacle

Hoopa can't get through his own rings.

Baraz is possessed and unleashes the trapped form of Hoopa.

So, now in Dahara City, the group all decides to go visit Dahara Tower, but, surprise, Hoopa can't pass through its own rings. We're not strictly given a reason other than Hoopa needing to learn something, but it necessitates the group to go on foot...while TRio is watching them, of course. I'll get to them in just a little bit. The main point of this particular moment is the arrival of Baraz, who's possessed by the Prison Bottle (admittedly, we saw this happen a little earlier, so it's not much of a surprise). As a result, he lets Hoopa loose and it begins destroying things, just like the beginning of the movie. Just as Hoopa asks if we're surprised a lot, he destroys a lot, too.

Some quick thinking on Meray's part seals the other Hoopa inside the bottle while Clemont manages to find a way to get it picked up without possession. With Hoops exhausted, they head for the nearest Pokémon Center...despite Nurse Joy seeming to have just been where they were...I might have missed something, but still.

This sums up the whole Hoopa backstory in seconds, really.
But otherwise, it defines nothing for the audience.

Elaboration on the sibling connection...which goes nowhere in the plot.

Along the way, we get a bit of backstory on Hoopa and the reasons it was captured: pretty much it got too strong for its own good. Since then, Baraz and Meray's great-grandfather tried to teach Hoopa good things, but he only connected with the siblings. It's a small point they bring up now that's important later, but really not stressed enough. The film doesn't really define why Baraz and Meray are doing this or why they think it's okay, especially since they end up not even being a focus of the plot. It's literally an excuse plot for the whole concept of the movie to occur.

Arceus is loosely connected to the siblings,
because why not throw in more Legendaries?

In fact, following the flashback, the whole next sequence does the same. The group goes to the Pokémon Center, talks about their little family with Hoopa and their special powers. Said powers are pretty vaguely explained and seem to have a connection with Arceus, judging by the symbol on their necklaces. Honestly, the best part about this is the fact that Ash recognizes it. Actually, that seems to be a thing this movie does: the upcoming legendaries are actually the legendaries from previous movies! Of course, they don't outright say this, and none of them talk, so it's impossible to tell, but it helps make the movie at least a little better...maybe...

The scene literally shifts just so TRio can intervene...

...and actually kickstart the plot in a movie for once.

Anyway, literally right after that scene, for some inane reason, the group moves outside. They had a perfectly good place inside but, nope, they decide to sit outside, all so TRio can come in and kick the plot off. I mean, sure, for once TRio actually does something in a movie that affects the plot, but considering the plot of the movie had to bend over backwards to make it happen, and immediately afterwards we have TRio do nothing (except for a moment of  awesomeness where Wobbuffet reflects a Legendary's attack), it really makes them pointless, and something where they could have found a completely different way to have happen...you know, like the possessed Ash that the trailers suggested, but no...

Hoopa defeats its shadow and the siblings use magical power...
it's not explained at all how this happens...

So, Meowth gets possessed because TRio is stupid, the shadowy Hoopa gets released, and the regular Hoopa fights it. Baraz and Meray use their powers (still vague and unexplained as to why they have them and how they work) to try and help Hoopa, who manages to break free of its shadow. How? Again, no idea. But the shadow is pissed, so it destroys the bottle and seeks to go after Hoopa to make it disappear and all. To counter, Hoopa calls out Lugia, and the climax of the film begins...Well, at least it's better than waiting an hour like the last movie...

Battle of the Legendaries

Lugia begins the whole Legendary clash.

At the very least, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie have more they
contribute to in this movie, but...

...this whole business with Bonnie and Hippopotas came out of nowhere.

With Lugia engaging the shadowy Hoopa, the characters run and begin to formulate a plan: they'll restore the Prison Bottle using Baraz and Meray's power, along with that of Fire, Water and Ground. Naturally, Ash gives Frogadier to Clemont and Serena has Braixen, but they're missing one. Not for long, though, as Bonnie seems to conveniently remember that there's a Hippopotas she knows. Wait, what? No. She does not know this Hippopotas. She literally just saw it and thought it was cute like always...ah, screw it...Hoopa brings the Pokémon to them and they're all set, with Ash staying to protect Hoopa from the shadow.

Plus, this ensures Ash is the only character that'll be actually
focused upon in the film.

If this seems like a hamfisted attempt to shove everyone but Ash to the side, you'd be totally right. It pretty much forces everyone but Ash to be pushed to the wayside, even the two people that have a role in Hoopa's past. It's ridiculous, but at least unlike the Diancie movie, they're given something to do, though one can argue on how much weight it holds.

Ash expresses his desire for the two Hoopa to get along.

With the group splitting up, Ash brings up the possibility of Hoopa and its shadow actually getting along, since they're one in the same. This kind of sentiment doesn't last long for the moment, as the shadow finds them. You should know what happens next, though...

Talk about Legendary overload.

This is all they do the rest of the movie...

An overglorified chase sequence! Yep, that's exactly right. Hoopa summons Rayquaza, Latios and Latias, while the shadow summons Dialga, Palkia, Groudon, Kyogre and Kyurem. Here's where the absolute bullshit of this movie starts, however. For one thing, you'd think with so many legendaries, you could have some amazing battles, but instead, what we get is Ash riding around on Latios trying to escape Hoopa and the legendaries while the others recraft the Prison Bottle. That's it. The legendary attacks hit the buildings and do damage, but the whole place seems empty, even as people start to flee. Hell, even Lugia is punted from the movie early on.

How the hell can they Mega Evolve?

How the hell is Kyogre flying in the air...?!

But this is only the start of my problems with this whole sequence. While it has the potential to look cool, and Ash is an absolute badass in commanding the Legendaries, it feels like there's little point and little stakes to the whole event. Beyond that, the contradictions to past movies makes me hurt. How can Dialga and Palkia be in the same space and not cause a collapse of space-time? How the hell is Kyogre flying? How can Latios and Latias Mega Evolve? I mean, at least for Diancie, she was a stone, herself, and got Xerneas' power, so one could argue, but nothing makes sense here! The whole movie and climax is just contrived! It's like the creators said "Last time, the legendaries barely fought. I know! Let's have a whole bunch of them clash this time!" It's completely inane, fueled only by an excuse plot to lead Ash and Hoopa right back to the Tower...you know, where they could have gone and cut out 20 minutes of the movie.

Okay, this was pretty cool...

Admittedly, though, Ash's defense of the tower using Twister and Psychic is pretty cool. Shows him as the great trainer he is, for all the good that it does.

The Literal Deus ex Machina

Hello interesting plot point with no impact...again.

In any case, Ash's defense of his friends (who barely have any speaking lines at this point, and almost no impact on the outcome of the plot...) fails, causing the tower to crumble. Thankfully, they've succeeded in creating the Prison Bottle and trapping the shadow. Which means Ash has to pick it up and get possessed...for all of a minute. It's like the Pikachu business from the last movie all over again! I'm not even sure if Ash did it intentionally or was just a dumbass.

This is literally all it took to conclude the plot of this whole thing...

What I do know is that Hoopa seems to somehow share its happy memories with its shadow and all is well. Yes, just like that, the rage disappears from the other Hoopa. There's no consequences for Ash being possessed and the whole situation is just resolved like that...

Random event just to prolong the film, really.

Hoopa finally earns his true form and helps people.

...well, until space-time begins collapsing. Oh, now it happens! And yet, it's explained as being because so many Legendaries were forced here. Yet Dialga and Palkia can't do a thing but ultimately watch...? Once again, it's a completely contrived moment to further the climax a little longer and give Hoopa more to do. Yes, it's a result of the dark cloud that's been there since the legendaries were summoned, but likelihood is that you (like I) weren't even paying attention to that, so this thing just comes out of nowhere to elongate the movie. We do have Hoopa escorting the citizens out in his true form, though, so I guess that's cool...

Hoopa can now pass through rings...
but it's not very well explained as to how.

Of course, we know from earlier in the movie that Hoopa can't go through his own rings. At the very least that was set up. One by one, they all attempt to get Hoopa through as the space-time business closes in on them...until it stops! Why does it stop? We'll get to that in a moment, as they attempt to push Hoopa through, Baraz's necklace glowing, and Hoopa holds on to the thought of family, which somehow allows them to break through. Usual message, but truly comes out of nowhere, as it wasn't hinted that this was so important, in comparison to Diancie, where it was subtly hinted at.

Arceus becomes a literal deus ex machina to resolve the film.

Uh...happy ending? At least the song is nice.

Then we see the source of all this being saved: Arceus. Yep, the god of Pokémon. It shows up, stops the distortion, and leaves. I'm not even kidding. It is a literal deus ex machina that shows up to stop the random elongation of the climax and then disappears. And with that, the movie pretty much ends, even though Hoopa wishes Ash luck on his journey to be a Pokémon Master and all that while planning to help rebuild the city. It just ends. And not a moment too soon! (Though Tweedia is a nice song)

Conclusion

The Hoopa movie, like what occurs within its plot, is an unmitigated disaster. To be fair to it as a film, it does fix some of the mistakes that the Diancie movie did, such as by giving Legendaries more fighting screentime and making characters other than Ash and the titular Legendary some actual impact on the plot, no matter how minimal it is. However, it doesn't fix them enough, and instead has events just happen with no rhyme or reason throughout it, making the whole plot feel like not only just an overbloated episode of the series (not in a good way) but like one big coincidence. The fact that a deus ex machina is used to end it kind of says it all about the film.

Do I recommend the movie? If you want to completely shut down your brain and just watch a disaster flick, sure. Otherwise, skip it. Even the Diancie movie is better. I wouldn't even say it's a good representation of XY as a whole, like the past movie was, since only Ash really gets enough time to do anything. So, that said: don't watch, because it's a horribly constructed film.

With that done, thanks a lot of reading, and look forward to Part 5 of the XY review, coming soon.

Dare to Be Silly,
Epicocity