Fake Film Spotlight: "Pokemon Apokelypse"

I wonder about the effort that goes into producing a fake trailer for a movie that may never see the light of day. I always assumed people would make a trailer based on clips of a film that has already finished production. Out of the many fake film trailers, some have been bad and some are good. And one Mortal Kombat Rebirth trailer, that is now a web series.

I tend to remember the "Pokémon Apokélypse" trailer most of all and it's not just because of my nostalgia days of the cartoon-though it does help in understanding the subject. The trailer manages to show many things that are good and bad about fake trailers.

The trailer shows off the world of Ash, Pikachu, and other staples of the anime as they are more mature and gritty. The Pokemon League is a thing of the past and Pokemon battles are reduced to underground and criminal underworld cockfights. No longer the plucky 10-year old, Ash and his little animals disrupt the hell they have been forced into.

The trailer manages to introduce this new Pokemon world even if it takes the cliché grittier direction, which is commendable. The new direction shines the characters in a new and believable light. It manages to bring most of the familiar anime Pokemon world into play, which makes the trailer great for fans while those who never touched a Pokemon game or DVD will scratch their heads in confusion.

Aside from the potential unfamiliarity that plagues most fake trailers, this trailer has a few bugs inherent of most trailers. The actors in it either do not convincingly look the part or could use a brush up in acting lessons. But the set pieces in the Pokemon trailer do fare better than using a park of a backyard.

Probably the biggest achievement and flaw are the Pokemon themselves. It was admirable of them to include the lovable Pokemon creatures into the trailer via CGI. But while they worked hard on them, they still fall deeply into the uncanny valley where the faults are more visible as it nears realism. I know movie CGI wants to emulate realism and are willing to base films like "Yogi Bear" and the upcoming "Smurfs." But they will still never convince the audience that those are real creatures instead of potentially creepy animated designs.

But I guess it is better than having little kids in fur-suits bash each other around.