The storyline took a while to get going and was mostly an excuse to do fun stuff in Vancouver. But when it did get going, it was excellent, more sci-fi than fantasy and all for the better. In particular, it reminded me a lot of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and given that I really liked that movie this made me happy.
There was nice comic relief throughout and the action scenes, while not QUITE as good as some other movies, were great and intense.
Above all though was the FANTASTIC animation. The backgrounds, and whole atmosphere of the city was extremely well done, not quite as good as Alto Mare but pre close. Pretty much every scene was lovely, and the direction was excellent. The first 10 minutes, in particular, were amazing, and like the beginning of the first movie didn't feel like Pokemon at all, but was better for it. From a pure animation perspective, it was only behind the first and fifth movies, and that says a lot.
Once again, a great movie. Anyone who likes Pokemon and sci-fi should love this.
