Rarely has Pokémon ventured into territory that is either unfamiliar or done anything super different in their formula for film entries. This base template was adequate for a while and had some variations to it along the way. Now though with more than ten films in, it has begun to feel very much the same and unoriginal. Having multiple entries lined up to be released after every season doesn't seem to help with its freshness. Perhaps releasing a film after every region Ash and friends visit would have been a more reasonable approach. That way there would be more time in between films to develop a better story and make it worthwhile for the fans. Cranking out a film that is basically a copy of the last really does nobody a service. This one still falls in the same trap with some very small differences.
This entry finds Ash and company on their way to another random city, this being inspired from the look of Dubai. There they randomly encounter a new Pokémon by the name of Hoopa (Lori Phillips). Believe it or not, this Pokémon not only knows English but speaks it this time too, wow! Of course it still has the small big eyed cutesy look to it. Hoopa belongs to Baraz (Daniel J. Edwards) and Meray (Emily Woo Zeller) and are looking to restore Hoopa's power by giving its unbound power back (Ryan William Downey). Currently Hoopa exists in its confined state due to lack of maturity and understanding. Surprisingly this entry is not handled by that usual duo always being mentioned. Yes, it is still directed by Kunihiko Yuyama but the script was written by Atsuhiro Tomioka in their first Pokémon movie credit. Maybe Hideki Sonoda finally took a needed break from doing that last several entries. Unfortunately, Tomioka only adds some new things to this entry.
The pluses to this film are the usual categories pointed out for several films before this one. Voice acting works just fine for this project. The main cast of actors all voice their characters like they should and emote properly when the scene calls for it. Even for the supporting characters, Daniel J. Edwards and Emily Woo Zeller have experience working on other animes. Of all the voices Ryan William Downey who plays the unbound version of Hoopa is pretty cool sounding, even though he has lesser credits to this name. Lori Phillips is also fine as the confined version of Hoopa although the Pokémon is very much a copy of Zorua; laughing and smirking thinking it's clever. Actually it's annoying, can't something more unique be made with these focal point Pokémon's personalities?! The character arc for Hoopa is okay to be clear, that at least isn't the usual super power Pokémon in need of saving.
This doesn't mean the rest of the writing works though. The continuity to this narrative doesn't make sense. The reason why the title says "Clash of Ages" is due to it involving the many legendary Pokémon on screen. However, some of the legendaries called into question are ones that either should appear and don't, ones that shouldn't appear but do, and ones that look nothing like they've been depicted before. It's very confusing because this is obviously supposed to take place as the latest point in time in Ash's journey. Yet with these discrepancies, it's very difficult to understand why things are the way they are. Then again, being that Ash and friends have done some time traveling in various stories, maybe that's what's causing these changes? It's really not clear and doesn't make sense why these loose ends can't be tied up.
Visually though the animation is still very good looking. The 3D CGI images against the digital 2D animation blends well together with nothing that looks like an eyesore. Cinematography was handled by Tatsumi Yukiwaki who seems to be taking over this role for Hisao Shirai. Of course, the clarity of the role goes unknown. Music on the other hand was another interesting listening experience provided once again by Shinji Miyazaki even though Ed Goldfarb is credited for some reason. Because the location of the story takes place in the area closely resembling the middle east, Miyazaki incorporates a lot of instruments and cues that match the setting and it gives the scenes a much more engaging feel. And as expected there is a Japanese album release but that is all. As we all have come to know and expect.
The franchise is still languishing in the average viewing experience realm. Aside from some minor changes in screenwriter, change in musical sound, standard animation and credible voice acting it is still a regular ho-hum entry. The main Pokémon still isn't that interesting and continuity is baffling to say the least.
