Pokémon's Most Underrated Movie Is A Hidden Gem Every Fan Needs To Revisit (2024)

Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys is the seventh movie in the long-running series, and while it isn't the most beloved or highest-grossing of the 23 Pokémon films, it is an essential viewing experience for any fan. This adventure has all the hallmark elements of Pokémon: a journey to an unfamiliar town, exciting new Pokémon along with old favorites, and a foe that tests the bonds of friendship and trust between trainer and Pokémon. But this time around, the film incorporates themes of Kaiju and horror movies, and to great effect, which sets Destiny Deoxys a cut above the rest.

Destiny Deoxys begins with new characters, Professor Lund, his assistant, Yuko, and his son, Tory, on a research expedition in the Arctic, when a meteor crashes into Earth and unleashes an alien Pokémon, Deoxys. Sensing the extraterrestrial's power, the legendary dragon, Rayquaza, appears and seemingly destroys it. Four years later in Hoenn, Ash and Pikachu, along with travel companions Brock, May, and Max, arrive in LaRousse, a fully automated city patrolled by robots called Block Bots. A chance encounter with Tory unites Ash's group with local trainers, who must fight for survival when Deoxys returns looking for its friend.

Rayquaza vs. Deoxys Is the Match-Up of the Century

Destiny Deoxys is a Kaiju Film with Elements of Sci-fi and Fantasy

One of the most striking parts of Destiny Deoxys is how similar it feels to a Godzilla movie, with Rayquaza assuming the role of the titular green lizard defending its territory, Deoxys as the invading threat, and Ash's group representing the humans caught in between, desperate to survive. Rayquaza, making its anime debut in the movie, unleashes Hyper Beam as its main energy attack, evoking the King of Monsters' atomic breath. The two opposing Pokémon's ability to fly spares most of the city from destruction, but neither holds back their tremendous power nor shows any regard for their surroundings.

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What Destiny Deoxys highlights by presenting Rayquaza and Deoxys as Kaiju rampaging through the city is the wild nature of Pokémon. Humans capture and train Pokémon to battle one another in structured battles, but they're intelligent creatures with their own motivations, capable of fighting one another without human direction. Whether searching for a lost friend, like Deoxys, or protecting its home from invasion, like Rayquaza, Pokémon can be just as destructive as a natural disaster, and Destiny Deoxys smartly places its human characters on the sidelines rather than in direct confrontation with the two legendary Pokémon.

Destiny Deoxys Is the Rare Pokémon Horror Film

The Movie Plays-up Horror Tropes to Great Effect

Deoxys is quite terrifying, evoking Alien’s genetically perfect antagonist. It arrives with the violent crash of a meteor, sending Ice-type Pokémon stampeding for safety, which traumatizes a younger Tory. The extraterrestrial encounter combined with almost being trampled to death makes Tory fearful of the Pokémon that surround him in daily life, leaving him paranoid and isolated, the perfect horror movie protagonist. The tension is dialed up when Deoxys' clones start abducting the inhabitants of LaRousse, the Block Bots start malfunctioning, and Rayquaza penetrates the city's defenses, shutting down power to the automated city.

Destiny Deoxys cleverly plays into fears of technology run amok, resource scarcity, and alien abductions, milking any opportunity to build tension among the already frazzled protagonists.

The situation is dire for the heroes, as they have no Pokémon strong enough to quell the fight between Deoxys and Rayquaza, and access to food and water is cut off. Destiny Deoxys cleverly plays into fears of technology run amok, resource scarcity, and alien abductions, milking any opportunity to build tension among the already frazzled protagonists. When the film's comedic relief, Plusle, Minun, and Munchlax, infiltrate Lund's laboratory, Ash and the others look at the rattling air vent like a Xenomorph is coming through the ventilation system.

Destiny Deoxys Stands the Test of Time 20 Years Later

The Seventh Pokémon Movie Looks Gorgeous and Feels Timeless

Destiny Deoxys feels timeless, even though the adventure takes place during the third generation of Pokémon, which is currently in its ninth generation. With 1,025 Pokémon and counting, it's refreshing to see a more limited roster of monsters, especially Deoxys and Rayquaza, which appear infrequently and are rarely the main focus. In addition to debuting the two legendary Pokémon, Destiny Deoxys also introduces new characters like Tory, Rafe, and the other LaRousse trainers. Despite never appearing again after the movie, these characters are well-rounded, memorable, and have great chemistry with Ash, Brock, May, and Max.

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Pokémon movies are supposed to present bigger, bolder challenges for Ash and Pikachu, and Destiny Deoxys delivers. The blend of hand-drawn animation and CGI lends a grand look and feel that the television series never reaches. The animation is not the only aspect that is amped-up compared to the series, as the importance of friendship is at the forefront of each major plot thread. Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys achieves its resolution not by one Pokémon overpowering the other, but through the power of understanding one another and abandoning hasty presumptions to move forward, a feat not every movie pulls off successfully.

Pokémon's Most Underrated Movie Is A Hidden Gem Every Fan Needs To Revisit (3)

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Pokémon

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

Animation

Ash Ketchum, a ten-year-old from Pallet Town, embarks on an adventure to become a Pokémon Master. With his first Pokémon, Pikachu, Ash sets out to capture and train Pokémon while battling other trainers in Pokémon Gyms to earn badges. Joined by his friends Brock and Misty, Ash consistently thwarts the plans of the nefarious Team Rocket, all while making new friends and encountering Pokémon across various regions.

Cast
Rica Matsumoto , Mayumi Iizuka , Yūji Ueda , Tomokazu Seki , Kaori Suzuki , Fushigi Yamada , Megumi Toyoguchi

Release Date
March 7, 1992

Seasons
25
Streaming Service(s)
Hulu , Netflix
Franchise(s)
Pokemon

Writers
Takeshi Shudo , Junki Takegami , Atsuhiro Tomioka , Aya Matsui , Shoji Yonemura , Dai Saito

Directors
Kunihiko Yuyama , Daiki Tomiyasu , Jun Owada , Saori Den

Main Genre
Adventure

Creator(s)
Naoko Takeuchi
Pokémon's Most Underrated Movie Is A Hidden Gem Every Fan Needs To Revisit (2024)

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