This is a remake of Nobita and the Birth of Japan (1989), in which Nobita and his friends run away from home to... the Pleistocene Epoch 70,000 years ago. I'm very happy with this version of the story. Whereas I've always found it disappointing how little agency the protagonists had in resolving the main conflict of the 1989 movie, this version has a substantially modified climax in which they do most of the work in bringing down the villain (and yes, everyone in the group gets to do something helpful). The film even finds a way to add a plot-relevant role for Dorami! Meanwhile, the rest of the story remains largely intact, which is essentially how I would have preferred it.
I also love the end credits artwork in this remake. Something I've noticed is lacking in many Doraemon movies (even some of the best ones) is that they rarely revisit the inciting incident that kick-starts each adventure. In the original version of this movie for example, the children's grievances against their families are hardly brought up again after they set off for the Pleistocene (outside of some hallucinations Nobita gets when he is lost in the snow, which ultimately don't amount to any narrative importance). The end credits here are set to scenes showing what everyone gets up to once they return home, providing closure for that subplot. Besides, the art style used for the credits is very uplifting and adorable.
Do I have any criticisms of this movie? I suppose I do, but most of them would be issues that were already present in the original. For instance, when the protagonists attempt to revisit the prehistoric tribe they'd befriended, they are shocked to find that the entire group has been captured by the villain. However, it never occurs to them to try traveling to a time before the tribe was captured.
Even with some quibbles though, Nobita and the Birth of Japan 2016 may very well be my favorite Doraemon movie released as of 2023, and is one of my top recommendations in the Doraemon cinematic lineup.
