The Movie

The phenomenal Pokemon hysteria that overcame the country a few years back might have subsided for the most part, but that hasn't slowed down the production of television episodes or movie releases today. Pokemon 4Ever is the latest movie release to grace the DVD format. It plays much like the previous movies, failing to offer anything new and fresh, but does continue to offer the same elements that all Pokemon fans yearn for. Namely, new and powerful Pokemon, and action packed sequences.

Pokemon 4Ever introduces us for the first time to two new exotic Pokemon, Celebi (the voice of the forest), and Suicune (the spirit of the North Wind). Suicune's role is slight, yet pivotal to the story, and besides Ash, and newcomer, Sammy, Celebi is the real star of the movie.

The plot plays out much like an excessively long television episode, minus all the battles. Ash and company venture out to a mysterious forest to find new Pokemon, yet when they enter the forest they find an unconscious young boy named Sammy. They soon find out that Sammy is from the past, and was brought to the future by Celebi as a last resort to escape an evil Pokemon hunter. The gang must quickly find Celebi and heal it before a new, heartless Team Rocket hunter can capture it and turn it evil with his "Dark Ball." The fait of the forest, and the world depends upon the successful rescue of Celebi.

Pokemon 4Ever is a cute movie that offers some great 3D animation and a mix of adorable new Pokemon. Although I felt the battle scenes were fairly weak for a Pokemon movie, overall I enjoyed it. And if it's any testament, my two-year-old daughter watches it at least four times a day.

While it may not be the best feature length movie to come out of the Pokemon series, it does have a nice subliminal environmental message that is very encouraging for young viewers. And to top it off, you even get a surprise twist at the end of the movie. If your little ones at home love Pokemon, you can't go wrong with this DVD.


The DVD

Video: Pokemon 4Ever is presented in 1.33:1 full screen. The aspect ratio really bothered me because I don't believe a widescreen version is offered, yet it's obvious that the movie has been cropped. I can't help but feel horribly gypped.

The transfer itself is average at best. The picture is VERY soft, and looks even softer on a big projection TV. Colors are plentiful (nothing surprising from a Pokemon movie) but seem somewhat bland. Overall it looks much like a Pokemon TV episode. However where it differs is in the beautiful 3D animated scenes. The trees in the opening "forest fly through" look wonderful, and the "celibi twig beast" is a breathtaking site. Though, if not for subtle 3D animated scenes, I wouldn't be able to tell this movie apart from its television siblings. This is an adequate video transfer, but I expected better from a animated movie.

Audio: Here we get 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track. This is a fairly active soundtrack that keeps things exciting at all times. There's not much sound to be had in the lower registers, but overall it was an engaging audio experience. I would have liked to hear more audio from the rear surrounds, but the sounds I did hear, were quite excellent. Overall I'd say the audio track is nothing extremely memorable, but neither is the movie.

Extras: There is a small list of special features offered on this disc.

Multi-Angle Animation Progression: Here we get to see multiple angles of various action scenes throughout the movie. The scenes are, Forest Fly Through, Dust Storm, Battling a 3-D Foe, and Climbing Ivy.

Pikachu's PikaBoo- Short: This is a 12-minute short cartoon featuring Pikachu and various other Pokemon. In the grand tradition of all Pikachu shorts, this one is overflowing with cutesy behavior and action. Basically Pikachu and his friends find a beautiful mansion surrounded by immense gardens, and when they get a closer look, they find new friends and engage in a friendly game of hide-and-seek. I probably enjoyed this short just as much as the feature movie, so it's most definitely worth seeing. My daughter actually likes this short better than the movie, so it will probably get a lot of play from your little ones.

Audio Commentary: This was a wonderful audio commentary given by the American voice talent and producers of the movie. I greatly enjoyed the information given in this commentary, and I learned a lot about the Pokemon franchise. For instance, here you learn that the original Japanese script is often totally rewritten to better fit the general American audience. Also, I was tickled to find out that the actor that plays Meowth has a voice much like his character. The only thing I didn't like about the commentary was that is ended about 20 minutes early. What's up with that? If you're going to do a commentary, especially with a group of people as large as this, there's no reason to stop that short of the end of the movie. I think if they run out of things to say, they should have a question script on hand to help keep things rolling. But it was an interesting commentary nonetheless.

Rounding out the rest of the features are a Japanese sneak peak at the next Pokemon movie, both the American and Japanese theatrical trailers, Pokemon 4Ever trivia game, and a DVD-Rom trading card game interactive tutorial. Actually, one of my favorite special features of this movie was the special edition Pokemon trading card that came with this DVD. Mine came with Suicune.


Final Thoughts:

Pokemon 4Ever is a cute movie that offers everything a Pokemon fan wants. We get to see the legendary Celebi and Suicune in action for the first time ever, and we are introduced to the evil and powerful "Dark Balls" of Team Rocket. The 3D animated scenes are a real treat to see, and although void of the intense battle scenes I would have liked to see, this movie will undoubtedly keep the interest of your little Pokemonster at home. Recommended