Heróis Pokémon

At 70 minutes (as timed at a press screening), POKÉMON HEROES is the shortest Pokémon movie yet. This may be a relief to parents and Pokémon-haters everywhere, but it leaves Pokémon's target audience hungering for more. The big action climax never quite delivers and the great triumphal note the earlier films ended on never quite comes. This is especially disappointing because the film's first half offered a most exciting build-up involving two spectacular new Water Pokémon and two clever and attractive new villains. Thanks to these elements, the film is still worth seeing but you may want to wait until the DVD release, when it will be accompanied by the Pikachu short that played with it when it ran in Japanese theaters last summer.

The film does at least make its new Pokémon characters, Latios and Latias, a little more powerful and more layered than most Pokémon get the chance to be. Shaped somewhat like dinosaurs and able to both fly at high speeds and swim underwater, they're colorful, graceful creatures, a brother-and-sister team who are thoroughly devoted to each other. Aside from Ash's faithful Pikachu, they get the most screen time of any Pokémon in the film.

Annie and Oakley are the new bad girls in town and they completely blow their colleagues, Team Rocket, out of the water (well, actually, INTO the water--a running gag throughout the film). They're fashionable, if somewhat snobby, teen villainesses with eye-catching outfits and hairdos who get ample opportunity to wrap the audience (at least the older male part) around their little fingers before their ill-fated (and somewhat rushed) attempt to take over Alto Mare, an island city that hosts the annual Water Pokémon Festival (the draw for our heroes, Ash, Misty and Brock). As master thieves, Annie and Oakley seem to be a lot more efficient than Team Rocket and should be given more to do in future Pokémon entries.

The design of Alto Mare deserves note for being the most extensively detailed urban setting yet seen in the entire Pokémon series. Largely created by CGI, and modeled after Venice, Italy, it's quite visually stunning and deserves greater attention from anime fans than it's likely to get.

The big mystery surrounding this film (and the previous one, POKÉMON 4EVER) is why Miramax has chosen to distribute it in theaters without the 23-minute Pikachu short that normally accompanies each Pokémon movie (and did so for the first three Pokémon movies when they were released by Warner Bros.). Certainly, given the short running time of this one, the addition of the delightful "Pika Pika Starlight Camp" (as it was called in Japan) would have gone a long way to giving fans their money's worth.

As it should be. This movie continues along the concept of the original movies: to further the sales of the games by expanding upon their concepts. For those of you who actually play the game, this movie makes complete sense. For everyone else, I suggest you start by playing the game to get some background before delving into the Pokémon Universe (and giving this movie a one).

This is one of quite a few films based on the cartoon anime Pokemon TV series.

Ash, Brock, Misty and their pokemon are in a town called Altamar for a big water race. Ash comes in the lead - but takes a wrong turn. It turns out Misty wins! The person who came second, a boy just older than Misty, takes her and her friends on a Gondola around the town.

Meanwhile, two baddies working for the same person as Team Rocket are, are looking for two rare pokemon in Altamar, Latias and Latios...

I think this Pokemon film is very good, due to the well-structured plot, the characters, the pokemon and the setting, which is based on Venice.

However, there are often distracting songs in the background of the film and Team Rocket are very silly and most of their content is slapsticky jokes.

Overall, a good film for Pokemon fans or just for people who like animated children's films. Enjoy! :-)

7 and a half out of ten.

This, the 5th Pokemon movie, is a step down from the previous entry in the series but is still better than a 5th movie ought to be. Ash, Misty, and Brock arrive in a Venice-type town called Altomare for a water Chariot race involving their Pokemon.

The town is protected by legendary Pokemon siblings Latios and Latias, who can assume human forms. Meanwhile, Annie and Oakley, a couple of cat burglars from Team Rocket (this affiliation is only in the Western dub) attempt to steal a special jewel called the Soul Dew, which powers the city.

It takes just a little too long to get going. Jesse, James, and Meowth are featured, but they don't really have much to do. However there are still some lovely moments, a bittersweet ending, and in the end they do add up to more than the sum of their parts. The animation and architecture of Altomare echoes the look and feel of Koriko from Kiki's Delivery Service. I just wish that Miramax didn't tamper with it before releasing it to Western audiences. There is about 5 minutes missing and its inclusion might have made the film a little bit stronger.

Pokemon Heroes is fun. It's action packed, full of suspense, and everything a Pokemon fan like myself could want. Some may tell you different, Pokemon is known for being hated on for things every movie has. It may be short, but it will leave you entertained. My fourth favorite out of all of them, watch it yourself without a negative output, as most people who watch this movie do. Another example of why Pokemon is not for little kids, this movie will be entertaining to any fan of the show and people who don't watch the show might like it as well. Probably the most underrated out of all the films, give it a chance and you will find some soft-spot for it. Fans love it, others give it a try and you might like it for yourself.