While I haven't been paying too much attention to the current Pokemon season, when I read that Cartoon Network would be showing the latest Pokemon movie, I figured I'd give it a shot and see how it is. After seeing it, I would say that, while it's not necessarily a bad movie, it really wasn't that great either. I have seen all of the First Movie, Movie 2000, and Pokemon Heroes, and I think bits and pieces of some others, and I can definitely say that this was the least impressive to me compared to those 3. I think some of that has to do with the story, which had little suspense. The main characters that many are familiar with are basically supporting characters in this movie as opposed to being heroes or the like. Speaking of the characters, like with the TV series itself, I'm also not enthusiastic about the new characters. They just don't have the charm that the others had, those of course being Brock, Misty, May, and Dawn.
I can only recommend this movie to fans of the Pokemon franchise. Everyone else can skip it, though I doubt they need my opinion for that. Even for Pokemon fans or casual observers, I can't give this a full recommendation. Like with most if not all Pokemon movies, this is just an opportunity for the franchise to introduce the legendary Pokemon not seen in the TV series. Unlike the other movies though, the lack of any "world in peril" or other intriguing plot keeps it from standing out or being that memorable. For all this, I give it a 5/10 (Mediocre).
