Video Reviews

POKéMON 2000

D: Kunihiko Yuyama, Michael Haigney, Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Rachel Lillis, Ikue Otani.

Pokémon works well in 30-minute increments. Sometimes, it uses typical cartoon slapstick to its advantage. In other instances, the stories are well-written and fairly engaging for children and adults. As full-length features, however, studios have decided to take a somewhat serious approach. Like the first Pokémon film, 2000 takes the prime characters on an adventure of epic proportions. Heroes Ash, Misty, Tracy, and Pikachu collide with a sinister Pokémon collector, Lawrence III. This villain is hoping to capture three sacred Pokémon bird creatures for his collection. The bad news is that this will have serious ramifications on the balance of the ecosystem and other sensitive issues. Once again, lots of creatures fighting and too much drama. Although the animation is crisp, the story is too apocalyptic to appreciate. Had the filmmakers stuck to the basic premise of the television series with kids discovering their potential through daily challenges, this may have worked. Instead, they're insistent on providing kids with ultraviolent sequences and a tale that's too difficult to watch, much less comprehend.