Those who crave movies revolving around epic ring combat need look no further than these two films. But which one truly has what it takes? Let’s find out. I will rate each movie based on Title, Sidekicks, Protagonists, Villains, Flashback Sequence, and overall message. Who will come out on top?
#1 Title
As the title suggest, Pokemon: The First Movie is the first Pokemon movie. Now, one can’t help but notice the overall title and wonder one thing. Is this just another prequel movie which will include everything, but resolve nothing? Will we be forced to watch incarnation after incarnation of a franchise slowly coming to the realization that we are going to get nowhere? The answer is “yes” and the creators of this franchise were brazen enough to promote that!
Bloodsport, in contrast, has no suggestion that we are going to have to wait for a grand finale. This is a sport in which blood is involved and blood usually means death and in the world of combat movies death equals results. There is no “#1” or subtitle “the beginning” which means everything we will need to know will be compacted into the hour and half we are about to take part in.
Verdict: BLOODSPORT
#2 Sidekicks
Pokemon’s star trainer Ash Ketchum has a supply of sidekicks unlike any other leading man. Of course, no sidekick of Ash’s is quite as famous as that little yellow blob, Pikachu. A cross between a rat and a dog, this little fella more than makes up for his wussy cuteness with about 20 thousand volts of electricity surging through his body at all times. And, as it is with all animal sidekicks, Pikachu’s doe-y eyes and never-give-up moxie make him a character who is hard to outshine.
Bloodsport’s Frank Dux looks to wisecracking behemoth, Ray Jackson, for his support. Unlike Pikachu, Jackson is far from humble, is horribly unpleasant to look at, and is not there when Dux needs him most. All of these things are major no-no’s in a good side-kick.
Verdict: POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE
#3 Protagonists
As was suggested from the previous comparison, Ketchum without his numerous sidekicks is kind of lame. He is just another whiny dork who needs the lash of his bulbasaur or the jet stream of his squirtle to move any further in his plight. In the end, Mewtwo’s complete triumph over Ketchum proves irrefutably that Ketchum is just a little wuss who, when not backed up by a fire breathing dragon, cries for his pokemom.
Dux on the other hand is a no-nonsense ass-kicker who relies only on his wit and quick thinking to personally deliver fists of justice to all his rivals, sans poke-balls. He’s way cooler with the ladies, has a non-pre-pubescent voice, and doesn’t rely on other when he’s in a jam.
Verdict: BLOODSPORT
#4 Villains
Both Pokemon’s Mewtwo and Bloodsport’s Chong Li are bad dudes. One is a genetically engineered Pokemon capable of destroying man or beast with a single thought. The other is a power mad Korean who can destroy blocks of ice hanging from trees with a single kick and has pectoral muscles bigger than most people’s whole body. While Mewtwo must be admired for his love of rational thought and reasoning, Chong Li must be admired for his complete disregard for the rules or human life. As villains they are polar opposites in the way they handle things, yet are both serious baddies. That being said, it can not be ignored that Chong Li is bested by force rather than his own feelings. A bad guy who has a conscience is just a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Verdict: BLOODSPORT
#5 Flashback Sequence
Dux’s blind ambition and awful characterization as a boy makes it difficult to buy the Bloodsport flashback’s reasoning behind Dux’s desire to fight in the Kumite. Though the scene in which Dux tells his Shidoshi, Tanaka, he was taught to “keep and open mind” is worthy of a Best Actor Oscar, the flashback’s overall impact falls a little short.
Mewtwo, in contrast, is blessed with an entire featurette which deals with his origins. Painted successfully as a victim of the system and trapped in a world he never wanted to be a part of, Mewtwo rises to the current state of affairs with a rich sense of character development and purpose.
Verdict: POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE
#6 Overall Message
The final category comes down to answering the question: Who said it better? Both movies seem to have a message that says “if you believe in yourself you can achieve anything.” That being said, the fact is, at the end of the day, Frank Dux is Kumite champion and has successfully banged a hot reporter chick while Ash Ketchum is left crying with Pikachu while Mewtwo escapes to the island of endless sequels. So, though both have the same message, I think we can all agree that only one of these movies actually proves that this message can be accomplished.
Verdict: BLOODSPORT
WINNER: BLOODSPORT
Once again, Van Damme’s action packed martial arts extravaganza proves it’s worth against a worthy opponent.
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