So as Detective Pikachu continues its development, any fan can see the amount of untapped potential that could come from this franchise. You have hundreds of Pokemon across vast lands to show, with massive takedowns of Syndicates and epic battles brought to life on the big screen. Imagine Red's final battle with Blue (and vice versa), or Sun/Moon vs. Giovanni in the most recent games!
This franchise could be a game changer for everyone involved, especially Nintendo and Legendary. So here are some of my ideas for the movies that could not only look great in theaters but also breathe life into this glorious decades-old franchise:
1) Don't use the turn mechanic- players of Pokemon know that depending on which Pokemon has more speed, it goes first in the battle. BUT, imagine if the faster the Pokemon, the more blows can be dealt, or the other status boosters that can be implemented? What if the stronger the bond with the Pokemon, the more independent they were and therefore capable of fighting a battle with barely any command from the trainer? Imagine the possibilities.
Speaking of which-
2) Give the Pokemon personalities- I know this has been going on in the anime as of recent memory, but it could be extremely fun to see Pokemon have their own character arcs while changing and growing with their trainer. We'd actually root for Pokemon as much as for their trainers!
Speaking of growing, actually-
3) Please fix the Pokedex size numbers. Is Haunter really 5'? That's terrifying, especially when you take Charizard into effect as well, being that they're also 5' TALL. I'm not trying to bash on Haunter, but there are some entries in the Pokedex that are downright unexplainable in reality. Think Dratini and Wailord, too.
Also, and this is just a theory, what if Pokemon grew in size with higher experience points, and by evolution level, they'd be at the minimum height for their evolved forms and the process continues until the next form, etc. Just a thought...
4) Save the iconic ones for last/ don't put them all in the first movies- Pokemon in your movies are like heroes and villains in comic book movies; they're great, but there is a concept of too much of a good thing (see Amazing Spiderman 2, Spiderman 3, and Green Lantern). People might get fatigued from seeing so many famous Pokemon take a huge chunk of the spotlight in the franchise, so mix them up. I'd personally hold off on the highest stage of the gen 1 starters, including Charizard, until the 3rd movie or so. Pikachu is a given for all of them, but some fan-favorites should be dispersed throughout to generate more buzz. Imagine revealing iconic Pokemon like Greninja and Infernape across different movies. You'd definitely get those butts in the seats.
5) Don't make them all a part of one series of movies. Imagine someone saying they were going to see a movie called "Pokemon 9"; I'd feel bored even hearing that phrase. Just like a long lasting movie series, it might feel stale to keep them all under a single narrative with one set trainer across all the regions. While a live-action remake of the animated movies sounds good, it might not give the Pokemon world new stories that could breathe new life into this franchise.
6) Acknowledge the fanbase and use everything produced with the Pokemon name- While some of the ideas and theories brought by the fans wouldn't fly with the child-friendly nature of pokemon (like creepypastas about lost game files and Cubone's mom, as well as many others), I feel like adding in winks and nods to either previous spin-off games or major events in pokemon (ex: Pokemon Go and the Twitch streams, as well as winning PCG decks and Smogon battle rosters) would be massively appreciated by the fans, of which there are so many.
Finally 7) Make it epic- Think of the storyline you have and just make it more epic. Develop a cohesive story with relatable characters, exciting Pokemon and threatening villains, but THEN, and ONLY then, should you go epic.
But my goodness, imagine what you can do with this franchise. Now print that on film.
People have waited years to see their favorite imaginary animals become real, so make every single Pokemon their most epic selves.
Make the battles epic,
the showdowns epic,
the massive takedowns of syndicates epic;
make the different regions epic,
the Pokemon moves epic,
the evolutions epic,
the people epic,
but most of all, make their world epic.
Anyways, that was my totally original list of things I would advise Universal on for handling the Pokemon franchise. What do you think? Leave a comment, if you dare.
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