Pokémon: O Filme 2000

This is a rehash of my comments on Gekijô-ban poketto monsutaa: Maboroshi no pokemon: Rugia bakutan. I think they are more appropriate here.

Many of those who claim to hate this movie openly admit to hating Pokemon to begin with. As I had said in my comments on "Pokemon The First Movie," you have to go in to the movie with an open mind. If you go see "Pokemon 2000" because you were "dragged in" by your kids/nieces/nephews/others, you've already decided that you're going to hate it. I'm not saying that you WILL hate it; just that you've DECIDED that you're going to hate it no matter what, just because it's Pokemon. Current Pokemon fans (like me, and I'm over 30!) or more open-minded moviegoers will probably like "Pokemon 2000."

I was glad that Kids WB decided to go with a more "theatrical" score for "Pokemon 2000." Although I would have preferred that more of the Japanese music would have been left in, I think that the orchestral music was more fitting than the bubblegum pop that permeated "Pokemon The Movie."

Like most people, I liked "Pokemon 2000" more than "Pokemon The First Movie," probably because of the overall brighter feel. I personally loved the first U.S. appearance of one of my favorite new Pokemon, the flowery Bellossom. There are points of the movie that I felt could have been expanded on, but overall, "Pokemon 2000" is a fun ride.

Pokemon 2000 is the second installment in the Pokemon film series, and is very probably the best. The writing, storyline, and animation are all markedly improved from The First Movie, and it really does feel like a cinematic experience. The only thing wrong with it at all is that the Pikachu short film seemed like an excuse to show off some new Pokemon, without having much of a real reason (it's still good, though). Now, if you haven't read countless summaries already, here's the plot in a nutshell...

Wiiiieeeerd stuff is happening all over the world. Climates and temperatures are changing at an alarmingly rapid pace, sometimes going from summer heat to snow in under a minute! The cause of this is a Pokemon collector who is trying to capture the four elemental Pokemon: Zapdos, Articuno, Motres, and ultimately Lugia. His wicked misdeeds are causing nature to go completely out of whack, and it's up to Ash, Misty, Tracey, and Pikachu to find the Elephant In The Room and set things right again.

Even from a summary, it's apparent that Pokemon 2000 is more than an extended episode of the show. In fact, even without the short, it's still easily feature length, and that's more than can be said for The First Movie (which had a runtime of 74 minutes). It may not be an edge-of-your-seat, unpredictable story in the vein of Inception, but it's a satisfying and entertaining one. This is helped along by the dialogue, which is some of the sharpest I've yet seen in Pokemon. There are many memorable bits in here, not few of which involve Team Rocket.

In conclusion, I recommend watching it, even if you're not a die-hard fan of the series. Unless Pokemon Heroes knocks my socks off, I think it's safe to say that 2000 is the best of the bunch. (Oh, and before I finish this review, I want to whine about something. Once again, there is either no widescreen version available on video, or it's very hard to find. Boo, Warner Bros, BOO.)

Many of those who claim to hate this movie openly admit to hating Pokemon to begin with. As I had said in my comments on "Pokemon The First Movie," you have to go in to the movie with an open mind. If you go see "Pokemon 2000" because you were "dragged in" by your kids/nieces/nephews/others, you've already decided that you're going to hate it. I'm not saying that you WILL hate it; just that you've DECIDED that you're going to hate it no matter what, just because it's Pokemon. Current Pokemon fans (like me, and I'm 30!) or more open-minded moviegoers will probably like "Pokemon 2000."

I was glad that Kids WB decided to go with a more "theatrical" score for "Pokemon 2000." Although I would have preferred that more of the Japanese music would have been left in, I think that the orchestral music was more fitting than the bubblegum pop that permeated "Pokemon The Movie."

Like most people, I liked "Pokemon 2000" more than "Pokemon The First Movie," probably because of the overall brighter feel. I personally loved the first U.S. appearance of one of my favorite new Pokemon, the flowery Bellossom. There are points of the movie that I felt could have been expanded on, but overall, "Pokemon 2000" is a fun ride.

Being a Pokemon fanatic, I was thrilled to see a sequel to Pokemon: The First Movie. Then again, I was sort of skeptical, because the first movie was not as "adventurous" as I thought it would be. Also, it is known that sequels tend to be worse than the original film. However, I was proven wrong. This film has better animation, a more detailed plot line, and greater sense of a "movie" rather than an extended version of the television series. Even the short, "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure" made more sense than "Pikachu's Vacation" in the first movie. I know what you all may be thinking, he is probably just some kid who just wants to brag about how good Pokemon is; but the fact is... I'm 20! I can legally walk into a "R-rated" movie! But, I would prefer walking into this delightful feature, because sometimes, with all the horror and boring over-dramatic films out there, it feels good to see a cute & funny animated film with a lesson to be learned at the end (which I'm not going to spoil for you). I highly recommend this movie, because nowadays, we all need to feel like a "kid" to release us from the stress! So, until a third movie comes out, I'll watch this one some more!

I thought the P2000 was a lot better. It made more sense. I mean the first was kind of far fetched. That whole thing with Ash being turned into stone. What was that about?! Someone before mentioned about how they were waiting for Misty to say something about her bike. I was waiting for that too..(LOL). I think Ash and Misty have some kind of chemistry between them. I wonder what will happen in the next one.....