Movie REVIEW: Pokemon: Zoroark - Master of Illusions

Before I start I should probably mention this. Cartoon Network, for reasons unbeknownst to me, decided to not air the prologue sequence, instead going into the film straight at the opening credits. Having grown up with Pokemon in English and therefore vastly preferring it dubbed (even after the cast changed) I haven't seen the prologue, and probably won't now until the DVD is released (or I can be bothered to track down the Japanese version). While it was still quite easy to get up to speed with the story, the opening does seem a little confusing when you consider 15 minutes of the plot that features all the main characters has suddenly disappeared. It was a shame, because I always love the openings of Pokemon movies.

Moving along, the latest Pokemon movie sees Ash, Brock and Dawn arriving in Crown City for the annual Pokemon Baccer Tournament, only to find a lost Zorua with the ability to talk looking for its mother (or if you're watching the dub, it's Meema - which kind of makes it sound like the Pokemon equivalent of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory). Zorua's mother is a Zoroark being manipulated by business man Grings Kodai, who is searching for the time ripple - a mysterious energy caused by Celebi's time travelling. 20 years ago the ripple gave Kodai the ability to see the future, and now losing his power he intends to restore it. Its up to our heroes to save Zoroark and stop Kodai, with the aid of Celebi and Crown city's legendary protectors - shiny versions of Raikou, Entei and Suicune.

Okay so the plot is a little silly, but for some strange reason it seems to work in Master of Illusions. Perhaps its because its been a long while since a Pokemon movie has been this refreshing, not once dipping back on recycled clichés from earlier Pokemon films (something the rest of the Sinnoh movies are notorious for) or epic legendary battles. Raikou, Entei and Suicune's role in the film is actually minimal, making the moments they do appear all the better (it's strange that absolutely no reference is made to them being a different colour though). Its a shame that it had to include a Pokemon that could speak English, especially since Zorua is an illusion Pokemon (and therefore the whole concept of it looking for its mother could have easily been told visually) but it's become such common practice with these movies that it should probably be expected from now on. On that note, Zorua's voice is incredibly annoying - not as bad as Arceus in the last film, but still pretty bad. Think Jirachi but worse. Digimon fans might recognise the voice as Sora from Digimon Adventure 01 and 02.

On the flip side, the Master of Illusions dub also has some pretty good talent too. Grings Kodai happens to be voiced by Sean Schemmel, voice of Goku in Dragonball Z/Kai who also appeared as Lucario in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

Master of Illusions is by no means a great film. In fact it's a decidedly average endeavour into the world of Pokemon. However it is most certainly a step up from the more recently Pokemon movies and the best effort since Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. With a story that hinges on characters more than legendary Pokemon, Master of Illusions is the perfect warm up to the release of Black & White on DS next month. Bring it on.

Movie REVIEW: Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life

After the last few years have given us Pokemon films that were either abysmal or average at best, here is the latest in a long line of Pokemon films (the 12th in fact). Arceus and the Jewel of Life is the last in the trilogy of Diamond & Pearl generation films. This movie sees Ash, Brock and Dawn in the of Michina. Little do they expect to once again be found in a conflict between Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. They are saved by a young woman called Sheena, who can communicate with a Pokémon's heart, and explains the whole conflict was because of Arceus being close to awakening. She also tells them that her ancestor Damos betrayed Arceus and s... tole the Jewel of Life, sending it into a rage and a slumber. Sheena plans to return the Jewel to Arceus.

It is nice to finally see some solid continuity between the movies, as this ties together all the previous meetings the trio have had with the legendary trio of Sinnoh. As per usual, the film opens with a stunning battle sequence (these are always among my favourite parts of the Pokemon movies) to the anime theme song at the time (I can't wait to see it in Japanese with High Touch! played over it). It also boasts some stunning battle sequences between Arceus, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina and also the introduction of the notch eared Pichu, who is rapidly becoming a favourite of mine. I just hope its available on the Western versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver...
But here's the negatives. Although only a dub comment (I'm yet to view this movie in the original Japanese), Arceus voice is TERRIBLE. Seriously, it sounds like a stereotypical anime dub villain. I expected something a little more grand for the supposed god of Pokemon. The villain also seems to be a bit lacking and generic, and I felt like Arceus came off as alot more sinister than he did (although again that could just be because of that god-awful voice).

The film also suffers from an issue that has plagued alot of the more recent Pokemon movies, the fact they all just borrow elements from older movies. Here is a little list I've compiled just to show this...
* Pissed off Pokemon mad at humanity for abusing it >>>> Mewtwo Strikes Back
* Major character dying and being resurrected >>>> Mewtwo Strikes Back
* Time travelling >>>> Pokemon 4ever
* Major legendary Pokemon battle >>>> Pretty much EVERY Pokemon film

This continues my worry that, much like the anime series, the writers have run out of ideas and the films are just going to go around in a repeated circle. Although the next Pokemon movie will supposedly include ANOTHER epic legendary battle, here's hoping they do it in a somewhat original way.

But despite its faults, Arceus and the Jewel of Life is a cut above the rest of the D/P gen films and even some of the Johto/Hoenn ones. I would recommend this to anyone out there who's still a fan of the Pokemon anime and hasn't been put off by its repetitive cycle yet.