Well, first off let me tell you that I'm a 23-year-old college student with no kids. That aside, I'll get into my take on the movie.
It starts off with a short cartoon, "Pikachu's First Vacation", where the audience is treated (?) to a day in the life of a Pokemon at a little amusement park without supervision any of its "trainers" around (there are only voice overs when the trainers say it's time to go). The only dialogue comes from the Pokemon themselves ("Pika! Pikapika!") and a Pokedex computer voice that talks through the film like a "Wild Kingdom" nature show announcer. It's mildly interesting, but ultimately a little bizarre. Pokemon veterans would probably like it, but others would just scratch their head, and even cry foul--small, almost subliminal, interruptions happen right in the middle of the action consisting of a bunch of Pokemon sliding across the screen making disturbing chants with their names (obviously a marketing ploy of some sort).
And then, finally, comes the movie. The plotline deals with a genetically engineered super-powerful Pokemon, Mewtwo, who decides to play God and clear the planet of all humans and Pokemon not under his protection with his awesome powers. He invites a few of the best Pokemon trainers around (including our hero, Ash Ketchum) to the island under cover of a challenge when really he plans on using their Pokemon's genetic material to make his own "super Pokemon clones". Yep, clones.
The movie's introduction is surprisingly impressive in my opinion. Mewtwo has a dramatic introduction that has him pondering his existence and purpose in life. The beginning made the movie look more promising than I had hoped. I thought it was an odd beginning for a kid's movie, but I wasn't complaining. Unfortunately, that's where the movie's goodness ends and its heavy-handed cheesy moralistic side begins.
The movie actually tries to preach against genetic experiments and cloning! I just couldn't believe it. And then the movie surreptitiously switches it over to a "racial harmony" kind of message. I was sitting there thinking, "What the hell does the movie think it's doing?" Several teaspoons of sugar are added and eventually you just want to block it out until something better comes along.
All in all, I don't think it was worth the price of admission. The animation was great, the story was more interesting than I had expected to start, but by the middle and end of the movie, you're just ready to get out of there. If you're a college student still clinging to his/her childhood, wait to rent this one. But if you do go, just be ready to take the bad with the good. The good being Mewtwo (and the bumbling Team Rocket) and the bad being the movie's forced doses of silly out-of-place morals.
Well, okay, it gets bonus points for Mew. Mew's too cute!
My score? A 2 out of 10 for parents, a 6 out of 10 for people my age, and a 7 out of 10 for the kids.
It starts off with a short cartoon, "Pikachu's First Vacation", where the audience is treated (?) to a day in the life of a Pokemon at a little amusement park without supervision any of its "trainers" around (there are only voice overs when the trainers say it's time to go). The only dialogue comes from the Pokemon themselves ("Pika! Pikapika!") and a Pokedex computer voice that talks through the film like a "Wild Kingdom" nature show announcer. It's mildly interesting, but ultimately a little bizarre. Pokemon veterans would probably like it, but others would just scratch their head, and even cry foul--small, almost subliminal, interruptions happen right in the middle of the action consisting of a bunch of Pokemon sliding across the screen making disturbing chants with their names (obviously a marketing ploy of some sort).
And then, finally, comes the movie. The plotline deals with a genetically engineered super-powerful Pokemon, Mewtwo, who decides to play God and clear the planet of all humans and Pokemon not under his protection with his awesome powers. He invites a few of the best Pokemon trainers around (including our hero, Ash Ketchum) to the island under cover of a challenge when really he plans on using their Pokemon's genetic material to make his own "super Pokemon clones". Yep, clones.
The movie's introduction is surprisingly impressive in my opinion. Mewtwo has a dramatic introduction that has him pondering his existence and purpose in life. The beginning made the movie look more promising than I had hoped. I thought it was an odd beginning for a kid's movie, but I wasn't complaining. Unfortunately, that's where the movie's goodness ends and its heavy-handed cheesy moralistic side begins.
The movie actually tries to preach against genetic experiments and cloning! I just couldn't believe it. And then the movie surreptitiously switches it over to a "racial harmony" kind of message. I was sitting there thinking, "What the hell does the movie think it's doing?" Several teaspoons of sugar are added and eventually you just want to block it out until something better comes along.
All in all, I don't think it was worth the price of admission. The animation was great, the story was more interesting than I had expected to start, but by the middle and end of the movie, you're just ready to get out of there. If you're a college student still clinging to his/her childhood, wait to rent this one. But if you do go, just be ready to take the bad with the good. The good being Mewtwo (and the bumbling Team Rocket) and the bad being the movie's forced doses of silly out-of-place morals.
Well, okay, it gets bonus points for Mew. Mew's too cute!
My score? A 2 out of 10 for parents, a 6 out of 10 for people my age, and a 7 out of 10 for the kids.