Pokémon 3: La Película

I'm at the point now where I can name the well-known Pokemon, but I still consider myself mostly Pokemon-illiterate. I never much cared for the TV show, and I don't play video games anymore. So why, you may ask, would I go to see the movies? Well, I confess that I love seeing animation on the big screen. I don't know if they spend more money or what, but animation to me almost always looks better on the big screen. I loved the first movie, didn't like the second. And now that I've seen the third, I gotta gay I love it, too.

The "Pikacu and Pichu" short is, just like its two predecessors, merely a showcase for more Pokemon. Didn't leave an impression. The feature, however, is great. Entei is now my second favorite character from these movies, second only to Mewtwo. Like Mewtwo, Entei has a reason for doing what he does, even if it is misguided. Also, he (again, like Mewtwo) is one of the reasons why you must experience this film in the best sound system possible, because his voice comes out of all the rear surround speakers. Ralph Schuckett does another good job with the musical score, and the two songs I heard I LIKED. I also liked the use of the little girl Molly and her imagination as the reason for the happenings, and the inclusion of Ash's mom, no doubt making this a more personal battle for Ash. Oh yes, the animation is quite nice (best of the three), and the action rarely lets up once it starts!

No doubt some will bash this simply because it is Pokemon, but all I can say is if you can get past "Pikachu and Pichu," TRY giving it a chance--even if you know nothing about Pokemon, you might still enjoy it. I sure did.

Returns some of the darkness of the first film. Here we find a bunch of legendary Pokemon making one young girl's dreams come true. Not as nice as it sounds when her imaginary world is a nightmare for the rest of the earth. Pokemon 3 does a lot of things right, such as limiting the number of Pokemon, allowing for more story. It also brings Ash back his Charizard for a while, which only makes sense, since he doesn't have any powerful Pokemon at this point in the continuity. Team Rocket are reduced to such a joke that even they question their appearance by breaking the 4th wall. More CGI, which doesn't quite mix with the simple anime style, adds something new but not essential.

I'll admit it. I'm 21 years old and I enjoy Pokemon. With that aside, let me say that Pokemon 3: The Movie is actually one of the better films I've seen this year. As usual the short, this time entitled "Pikachu and Pichu", is a throwaway. Pikachu goes exploring the "big city" and meets up with the Pichu brothers (cute little Pokemon who resemble Pikachu). Together they have a series of misadventures, mostly running from a large dog Pokemon named Hounddower. This short serves only to introduce new Pokemon for the kids to get excited over. What makes it worse is that the "short's" running time clocks in at a lengthy 22 minutes. However, if you can survive that, you are in for a treat. The feature, entitled The Spell Of The Unown, begins with a young girl named Molly and her father reading a bedtime story. We can see that the girl loves her father very much. We soon learn that the father is a famous Pokemon researcher who is investigating the ancient Pokemon call "Unown". While escavating a temple, where the remains of the Unown were found, he mysteriously vanishes.

When Molly learns about her fathers disappearance, she sinks into a deep depression feeling that she is truely alone (her Mother had also disappeared several years earlier). Molly happens upon the remains of the Unown (which resemble letters of the alphabet) in her father's study. She spells out the names "Mama" and "Papa" with the Unown and begins to cry. The Unown come to life and give Molly the power to create her own dreamworld where she can have anything she wants. She brings to life an ancient Pokemon called "Entei" to be her surrogate father and promptly begins to turn her house and the rest of the countryside into a magnificent crystal palace. Enter Ash, Misty, Brock, Team Rocket, all those cute little Pokemon, and some old friends and you have the beginnings to a great movie. This movie has a lot going for it. The animation is well done, the colors are exceptionally vibrant, and even the American added CGI effects look much better in this as compared to the first two movies. The story line in Pokemon 3, which borrows liberally from Star Trek, Alice in Wonderland and The Neverending Story, has a much more dark tone than the first two and feels more like an actual movie rather than an extended episode of the TV series. It deals with such adult oriented issues as loss, loneliness, and depression. However, it is still perfectly suited for kids as there is no language and very minor cartoon violence. All in all Pokemon 3 is a great movie to take your kids to, or just to take yourself to if your in the mood for a great action/fantasy anime movie. I give it an 8/10.

This is definitely the best of the pokemon films. Unlike the previous movie which depended mostly on juvenile action, this one gives us strong imagery, emotion, and a better use of Pokemon to advance the plot.

Even though like Pokemon 2000, this movie feels a bit short, I think the story works well enough. Even though the dialog is juvenile as one might expect, somehow it feels less hokey than Pokemon 2000. Just as it was in the previous two films, Team Rocket acts as a comic relief, by constantly making reference to the fact that they are in a movie. In a way, they have become good guys, but I think the filmmakers are a little confused about what to do with them. The rest of the movie works fine. No movie will ever be as good as the show but, the Pokemon spirit does manage to come alive here for an entertaining hour and a half.

The other day, I was looking through some old boxes filled with old stuff of mine. In this box was my original NES, some games, and all of my Pokemon stuff. Including each of the films on VHS (well, the first three and Mewtwo Returns).

I remember watching the movies when I was still a Pokemon passionate, and wanted to see if I could get that same rush still, four years later.

Well, with the first two, no chance. The third one, Pokemon 3: The Movie, however, was different.

Again, this review is coming from an 18 year old high school graduate. And even four years later, Pokemon 3 still delivered the thrills.

Loaded with excellent animation, some tense battle scenes (Charizard vs. Entei, anyone?), and a heartwarming theme that children can embrace, I recommend Pokemon 3 to anyone who wishes to rediscover their childhood or for anyone who is just up for some great animation.

9/10