Pokémon 3 The Movie
At this point, about the kindest thing you can say about a new PokŽmon movie is that it isn't quite as aggravating as those that came before it.That might not sound like much of an endorsement for "PokŽmon 3 The Movie," but at least this animated adventure is a slight improvement on the others — probably because it's slightly shorter in length, not because of any great leaps in terms of quality.
However, the rather unimaginative title for the movie also implies that there may be more of them to come unless we nip this burgeoning film franchise in the bud right here and now. Outside of canceling both the television series and the movies outright, the best thing the studio could do for parents and film critics is to release "PokŽmon: The Final Adventure."
As with the other two films, this one contains some of the flattest, most nondescript animation ever to make it to the big screen, some of the least appealing animated characters ever and some of the most violent action to ever garner a G rating from the MPAA.
And like the earlier films, this one is actually made up of two movies in one, including the largely dialogue-free animated short "Pikachu and Pichu," in which the supposedly adorable "pocket monster" and two newer, even cutesier PokŽmon have a series of "comic" misadventures.
The only clues to his whereabouts are some sort of ancient Scrabble tiles, which are actually the Unown, cryptic entities that use their vast power to bring Molly's wishes to life. They start by creating a caretaker for her, the legendary, lion-like PokŽmon Entei, and also begin transforming the nearby community, Greenfield, into crystal.
Enter PokŽmon-trainer Ash Ketchum and his friends Misty and Brock, who are visiting Greenfield. They're in town to visit the local PokŽmon center, but when Ash's mom is kidnapped by Entei, and the crystal structure continues to spread, they're pressed into action.
Two screenwriters — including the film's American producer, Norman J. Grossfeld — attempt to clarify the nonsensical story, but it's a lost cause. (Their "serious" dialogue is much funnier than the lame attempts at in-jokes and pop-culture humor.)
And as mentioned, the animation doesn't even come close to reaching typical big-screen quality standards (at times the blurry linework appears to have been blown up from the small screen).
"PokŽmon 3 The Movie" is rated G, though it does contain animated violence (PokŽmon battles) and peril, as well as some brief vulgarity (a vulgar gesture). Running time: 93 minutes ("Pikachu and Pichu": 22 minutes; "Spell of the Unown": 71 minutes).
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