Pokémon: The Power of Us (Dir Tetsuo Yajima, 1h 45 m)

It would have been easy, twenty one films in, and twenty years since Mewtwo Strikes Back stormed into cinemas worldwide and introduced a generation to the world of anime, in an epoch defining moment that arguably did as much for the medium as the artfully crafted worlds of Miyazaki, for Pokémon to go back into autopilot. After all, this is a franchise, that, with few changes, has done what it's been doing for twenty years on much the same formula, from anime to cardgames to films to videogames.

Pokemon: I Choose You Pikachu, a charming love letter for Pokémon fans young and old, released last year,  seemed like a blip, a standalone before Pokémon returned to its cheap and cheerful ways with Ash and familiar characters from the anime battling various legendary Pokémon in what are essentially feature length episodes of the anime. But, continuing in this new rebooted universe for Pokemon film, The Power of Us, is as much of a visual treat and a well-told story as the first film of this new series, if not more so.

Perhaps the most daring thing that Power does, other than its grander visual scale and detail, partly thanks to Studio Wit, who also have the colosally popular Attack on Titan under their belt, is the scale of the ensemble cast-no longer is the story purely based around eternal ten-year-old Ash Ketchum, and his Pokemon partner and series mascot Pikachu. Instead we have, alongside Ash, an ensemble cast, ranging from Toren, an easily startled and shy professor, to Callahan, a boastful man who tries to impress his niece with his bragging and tall tales, to Harriet, a grumpy, Pokémon-hating old woman, whose backstory is eventually revealed in one of the most genuinely affecting moments of the entire Pokémon franchise to date.

Power also excellently sets up these characters, and the location that their adventures take place in and eventually overlap, in its opening sequence, quickly giving you some idea of each of their personalities, as well as showing off some superb animation. And, to be frank, the Pokémon world has never looked so good-the team behind this film clearly wanted to make the setting of Fula City, that feels like a greener, and more windmill-heavy area of San Francisco, as Pokémon rich as possible, and the number of them in background shots, together with the pure number of trainers and other humans brings this close to some of the best animation outside the works of Shinkai, Miyazaki and Hosoda

As with all the best anime films, there is a great sense of character in each of the main members of the cast-Ash's design, as with the last film, and the recent Sun and Moon series, now looks like a modern anime character rather than a throwback to the late 1990s, whilst little details, from Toren's bangs entirely covering one eye, and upturrned labcoat collar suggesting his shy personality, to Risa, who journeys to Fula to capture a Pokémon for her hospitalised brother having quite a fashionable look, to Callahan's bulky and boisterous personality present in his design. Even Ash's returning nemeses, Team Rocket, get a slight redesign, as they play a much larger part in this film than the previous outing.

The plot too, feels fresh, and utilises evey element of its ensemble cast well-with Fula City holding an annual celebration of its connection to legendary Pokémon, Lugia, including contests of trainer skill, in which most of the cast play their part, interact with each other, and sow the seeds for the rest of the film. As one character is revealed as a liar, another is found to be heading into the off-limits mountains, and two other characters are forced to confront their fears, so the actions of various characters conspire, despite their attempts to fix things, to cause chaos, leading to the town being threatened with a poisonous cloud that sweeps down into town in a scene oddly remininscent of hokey volcano movie Dante's Peak, a fire starts in a nearby forest, and a mysterious Pokémon that hates humans all begin to play their part.

Add to this a character who has given up on her own ability as a runner, and a plot around exonerating the human-hating Pokémon, and all these elements collide to create an excellent setpiece ending in which every character plays their part, and an important aesoep about team work is repeated again and again, to, for a Pokémon movie, excellent effect. The film ends with all of its character having grown as people, and with Ash, whose role in this film is to act as the glue holding this team together, off to another adventure.

Is the film perfect? By no means-the large cast is occasionally left twiddling its thumbs whilst Ash plays big damn hero, there are occasionally moments in which the film pulls plot-twists out of left-field, and the fights between Pokémon, whilst excellently animated, are few and far between. Nevertheless, the film is beautifully animated, its plot is well-paced and juggles its characters and their motivations, for the most part with ease, the voice acting is among the best I've heard from a Pokémon movie, and the score, with cues familiar and new, adds a gravitas that Pokémon has rarely had before.

And, most importantly, what Power of Us does is build upon the solid foundations of I Choose You Pikachu, developing the art, story, and feel of this new take of Pokémon further, grander, and with even greater accomplishment than before. As Pokémon caps off another year of resurgence with a duo of retrospective games, so Power of Us shows that at least one eye of this behemoth of popular culture is firmly on the horizon ahead.

Rating: Highly Recommended.