Pokemon 4Ever: Celebi-Voice of the Forest

Deep in the forests of the Johto Region, a young Pokemon trainer from 40 years in the past is spirited to the future by a mysterious Pokemon called Celebi.  Here he meets Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock and soon they all become embroiled in a battle to save Celebi and the Forest from a rogue member of Team Rocket.  Two generations of Pokemon trainer must combine their talents and hearts to defeat a new breed of Dark Pokemon and ensure peace returns to the forest.

I’ll say this about the Pokemon movies: they may involve saving the world in some way but overall, so far, they’ve all been pretty unique adventures.  Evil clones, Legendary Birds, even a psychedelic wish castle, no one movie has been the same.  They do try to stand out from each other and Pokemon 4Ever continues that trend.  Here we get a battle for nature that feels right at home with the likes of Ferngully and Princess Mononoke.  It might not do things as poignant or extravagant as those examples but there’s still a bit of fun to be had, even if it never comes close to matching the awesomeness of Pokemon 3.
 

T5W#557-Top 5 Thoughts on the Teaser Trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero

The Return of the King is nigh.  Three years after his historic Oscar win, Godzilla is on his way back to the big screen with the highly anticipated sequel to Godzilla Minus One, Godzilla Minus Zero.  And yesterday, the very first teaser dropped at Cinemacon.  It was less than a minute but there’s a lot to chew on as to what is waiting for us in the next chapter of Writer/Director Takashi Yamazaki’s new take of the King of the Monsters.  So let’s not waste anymore time and roar our way into todays Top 5 Wednesday as we check out my Top 5 Thoughts on the Teaser Trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero.

Pokemon: The Movie 3-Spell of the Unown

The wishes of a lonely little girl accidentally summon a race of ancient Pokemon: The Unown.  As a beautiful town turns to crystal, Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock get pulled into the action when a legendary Pokemon: Entei, abducts Ash’s mother.  Once more, Ash and friends venture into danger but this time against an otherworldly forced they’ve never encountered before.  Can they save Delia and little Molly before the Spell of the Unown consumes the world?

I’ve said before and continue to say that if you’re gonna do a Pokemon movie, you’ve gotta go bigger than the TV show and that definitely includes rare and legendary Pokemon seldom seen on the small screen.  That’s one thing both Pokemon: The First Movie and Pokemon 2000 both did at the very least.  Pokemon 3, however, not only includes two of these types of Pokemon, it also manages to outdo both of its predecessors in story, animation and *gasp* actual Pokemon battles?  It even manages to have some nice emotional resonance that doesn’t feel as brutally forced as Pokemon: The First Movie.  I dare say it, this might just be the best of the Pokemon films I’ve looked at so far.
 

T5W#556-Top 5 Potential Sequels/Spin Offs Setup in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Mamma Mia, is it any shock to anyone that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie did gang busters this weekend at the box office?  It shouldn’t be.  Even if I and others didn’t think it was as good as the first, Mario Galaxy is still a Mario movie and that alone is enough to put butts in seats for a fun 90 minute romp.  One thing that the Mario Movie sequel emphasized more than it’s predecessor (believe it or not) was it’s cameos and Easter Eggs.  Nintendo clearly has plans for opening up it’s plethora of iconic gaming characters to enter their newly minted cinematic universe and I’m not gonna lie, some need those projects more than others.  So on today’s Top 5 Wednesday, I’m speculating about the Top 5 Potential Sequels/Spin Offs Setup in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.  Aside from our first entry, I’ll keep Spoilers to the bare minimum if I can, but still you should probs check the movie out anyway before checking out my ideas here. 

 

Pokemon 2000: The Movie-The Power of One

When a Collector of rare Pokemon begins ensnaring the three Legendary Birds, the world is thrown out of balance and is on the brink of destruction.  This time, Ash finds himself the literal chosen on a mission to return peace and harmony to the planet and quell the violent rage of Moltres, Zaptos and Articuno.  But he cant do it alone.  Not only will his closest friends and most dangerous enemies join forces, but they’ll get help from another Legendary Pokemon: Lugia.

Despite the heavily hyped and ancitipated battle between Mewtwo and Mew, Pokemon: The First Movie seemed more interested in teaching life lessons with tears than showing off exciting action.  By contrast, Pokemon 2000 is much less darker and way more adventurous than its predecessor and even delivers on the promise of seeing multiple legendary Pokemon duking it out on the big screen.  Sure it gives the fans what they want action wise.  The rest of Pokemon 2000 kind of suffers from a lack of spectacular storytelling.  This is as basic an epic adventure as you can get, so basic in fact that it makes all the risks taken by Pokemon: The First Movie more respectable.