Pokémon 4Ever
In order to escape a greedy Pokémon hunter, Celebi must use the last of its energy to travel through time to the present day. Celebi brings along Sammy, a boy who had been trying to protect it. Along with Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of the gang, Sammy and Celebi must encounter an enemy far more advanced than the hunter, with the fate of the forest hanging in the balance.
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- Cast:
- Rica Matsumoto , Ikue Otani , Unsho Ishizuka , Mayumi Izuka , Yuji Ueda , Tomokazu Seki , Megumi Hayashibara
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Reviews
The Worst Film Ever
Highly Overrated But Still Good
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
The early Pokémon movies sure have their charm. This one is no exception. It's a step down from "The Power of One" and "Spell of the Unknown," but still a very worthy addition to the series.There are a few flaws. There are some stupid scenes which include Ash jumping on the boat while it's leaving, Misty twisting her knee, a pointless berry-picking scene, and a few others. Also, the villain, while certainly intimidating, is as clichéd as can be.However, the film makes up for that in many other ways. Celebi is a very cool Pokémon, and the mythology behind her is intriguing. The forest and the scenery in it is beautiful to look at. The CGI could have been better, though."Sammy" was a likable character, and I liked his relationship with Ash. I hope Ash later learned that "Sammy" is...you know.As to be expected, the final half-hour is action-packed and full of excitement, even if it doesn't quite match the Charizard/Entei battle from #3. Suicune's entrance was pretty awesome, too.While not quite as exciting as #2 or as dark and ambitious as #3, this still has plenty to offer for any Pokémon fan.RATING: B
Of the first four Pokemon feature films, Pokemon 4ever has the strongest Disney vibe, and I feel like it is a good choice for the youngest pokemon viewers. For the more adolescent fans (however many there are), I am more dubious to recommend this. Pokemon 3 may have been dark, but the story was imaginative and had some wisdom and emotional depth. Whereas Pokemon 3 could almost have been a family movie, Pokemon 4ever is easily just a kids movie.Pokemon 4ever takes Ash and friends out of the darkness and back into sunlight. As beautiful as this fourth entry is, it is also quite corny. All pokemon movies integrate a new legendary pokemon into the story. Pokemon 4ever showcases Celebi; a forest spirit who is chirpy, but nothing more. Celebi has about as much personality as the sugar fairies in Fantasia. She may be a pokemon, but a character she is not. Equally unmemorable is the cackling antagonist, who dresses like the terminator's second cousin and behaves like a shallow Disney villain.Pretty much the entire film takes place in the Johto region forest, (having been aired at the end of the fourth season) This is a visually spectacular piece of landscape, which becomes the setting for a less than spectacular storyline. Pokemon 4ever, may be concise and simple in plot, but not only is it rather shallow, but it feels strangely rushed. Pokemon 4ever also has the kind of syrupy ending that tries to pull to emotions out of us which it has not earned. The pokemon world can offer a variety of strong story possibilities, but this movie does not exploit them. This is essentially a Disney movie, that has pokemon in it. My conclusion is that Pokemon 4ever is a visually strong but thinly written entry in the adventures of Ash Ketchum.
The film begins with a fantastic chase through the forest. The whole forest is beautifully created, and the anime style fits in nicely with the stylized CGI. The plot is fairly simple. A boy saves a time traveling Pokemon and is brought forward 40 years where he meets Ash and co. They must battle a Pokemon hunter that wishes to enslave the super awesome Pokemon. It's a fun movie that actually adds to the relationships of those in the Pokemon universe. Once again it has an obvious eco message, but you also get to see a huge CGI woodland monster type thing, so I ain't complaining. Again, this is just for Poke fans, but may be entertaining enough for those outside their comfort zone.
I so love this movie! The animation is great (for a pokémon movie), the cgi looks so awesome. I love the music in the movie. So great they kept the Japanese music.As for the story: its great. It has a great feeling of friendship. Celebi is a very cute and powerful pokémon. Ash is really great in this movie, and I like his friendship with Sam. The only thing I didn't like was Suicune's appearance, he just suddenly pops up, helps Ash & co a bit and leaves. They could have made his part in the movie a little bigger.But overall, awesome movie! Can't wait to own the USA version on dvd!