The Movie

Over the past ten years, the Pokemon franchise has grown pretty big. Most people, whether they have children (or are children themselves) have a good idea what a Pokemon is and who exactly Pikachu is. On the chance you do not know anything about the huge franchise I'll share my limited perspective. Pokemon is a Japanese game that found its way into cartoons, trading cards, plush toys, video games, books, television, feature films, and just about everything else you can put a picture of a cute little yellow creature and his friends on.

The franchise has done well for itself, producing a long running television series Pokemon about a would-be-Pokemon-master Ash, his friends, and the Pokemon Pikachu. In their adventures, they battle other Pokemon trainers, wining tournaments, collecting more Pokemon, and hoping to one day become masters. Pokemon 9: Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea is the franchise's ninth feature film.

In "Pokemon Ranger", Ash and friends join forces with a Pokemon Ranger named Jackie Walker. Pokemon Rangers are an elite group of individuals who dedicate their lives to protecting the innocence of pokemon. They want to keep bad guys from exploiting their powers for evil, destructive purposes. They also try to protect nature and the environment. Pokemon Ranger Jackie Walker is a tough dashing blonde guy who was once saved by pokemons. Since then, he has dedicated his life to protecting them.

The story behind "Pokemon Ranger" is a simple concept. Like other pokemon movies, there is a super special pokemon, bad guys want the pokemon, and a grueling battle to keep the pokemon safe. The tale begins when Jackie, in disguise as a member of the evil Phantom the Pirate's crew, steals the unhatched pokemon egg of Manaphy. Later, Ash and group stumble upon a nomadic troupe of water people. Among them is Jackie; he is hiding from Phantom and waiting for Manaphy to hatch; so he can return him to the sea.

The problem, of course, is that Phantom and his surly bunch of pirates are closing in on them. They, along with Team Rocket, give Jackie, the water people, and Ash and team a run for their money. After an initial clash between the good and bad guys, Ash and company join Jackie and the kind hearted water people on their quest. And when Manaphy hatches, he develops a strong bond with May (viewing her as his mother). Jackie fears the bond will make it difficult for Manaphy to take on his role as prince of the sea.

As the story continues, there are a few issues addressed. First, the group has to help Manaphy embrace his role as prince of the sea. Along those lines, they have to get to the water temple and not get caught by the pirates. Second, Manaphy and May's loving bond grows and it becomes an issue. Third, a key point to their endeavors is to prevent Phantom from getting to the sea crown, which would give him ultimate power.

As an overall movie, Pokemon 9: Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea is pretty dry and lackluster. While I do not count myself much of a pokemon fan on any level, I still do not mind seeing the occasional production. They can be fun. Unfortunately, I did not find this feature very appealing. It has an overly simplistic storyline, characters that feel too over-the-top, and not enough action. However, for those of a young age, I can see how a story of this nature and characters of this caliber would be appealing. It is not too serious and innocent with minor comedy (usually Team Rocket makes goofs of themselves) that would appeal to a young audience.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. As for the quality, I do not have a lot of experience with animated features on DVD and I am not sure what the norm is. In respect to this feature, the picture looks fairly clean during the segments with little or no movement. During the high-motion scenes, there is ghosting, and visible compression artifacts that gives the picture a rough appearance.

Audio:
The audio is in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound. The sound quality is acceptable and meets the level of expectation I would have for a film. Spoken dialogue is easy to hear, as well as the sound effects and music.

The DVD has English subtitles and supports closed captioning.

Extras:
There is an additional short feature, Pikachu's Island Adventure. It runs for approximately twenty-two minutes and is about Pikachu, Pichu, Wynaut, Meowth, and more. Other extras include an art slideshow and featurette "Location Scouting" (9:44). The featurette is about the production staff's trip to Italy. They went to look at locations to model the underwater temple. It stars director Kunihiko Yuyama and writer Hideki Sonoda.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I wasn't as moved by this feature as I was with Pokemon 8: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. "Pokemon 8" was an over-the-top adventure with a corny story and a good amount of action to keep one entertained. Pokemon 9: Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Seas, on the other hand, has similar qualities but the underlying story is so dull that is it hard to appreciate on any level (speaking from the perspective of an adult). When considering how a young child would perceive the film, I see it as a good watch. It has all the right elements to make a good flick for a young kid. The bottom line is that unless you are a young kid, it is not worth your time.