 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL SCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 90 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | A | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 05/27/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 06/15//2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
The Rise of Darkrai is the latest Pokémon movie to hit shelves in North America, and Ash and Pikachu are back again to face whatever crosses their path! Ash may think he's seen everything when it comes to Pokémon, but is he ready to face the mysterious Darkrai in his latest awesome feature film adventure? While touring Alamos Town - home of the Space-Time Tower - with the beautiful Alice, Ash and his friends discover that the town's special garden has been decimated! Baron Alberto, a dashing but arrogant fellow, immediately blames the destruction on Darkrai. As if it just overheard the accusation, Darkrai appears and confronts our heroes. Who is Darkrai? Is it a friend... or a friend in disguise? And as a battle between Legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia rages directly above Alamos Town, and threatens to tear a hole in the space-time continuum, will Ash and his friends survive this showdown and learn Darkrai's true nature? All the answers to these questions and more are ready for you in the latest Pokémon movie: The Rise of Darkrai! Pokémon is a franchise that you either love or hate – most people are Poke-crazy, or Poke-no-go. Either way, it is a multi-million dollar franchise and it isn’t going away anytime soon, as those who love it love it a lot. Most readers can remember the boom in the late nineties with the original Pokémon adventures being aired on television, but since then it has become much more! Pokémon has been animated into many other continuing series and stand alone films like this one. The Rise of Darkrai is the latest of these Pokémon film incarnations, and it certainly has a lot to show. As far as the animation, this film is truly stunning. Sure, Pokémon is more simplistic than a lot of anime in its visuals, but so are most “kid’s cartoons.” Despite what anyone might say about the style and what not, the visuals are bright and have a lot of dynamic movement – it’s really great animation. Something else that really stood out was how well the computer generated effects merged with the traditional animation – it was quite seamless and much better done than in past Pokémon films. As the times change, the proficiency of things like animation change, and it must be said that The Rise of Darkrai has greatly benefitted from this truth and so therefore the viewer will benefit as well. A lot of old friends are back for this one - including Ash and Pikachu – but there are also many new Pokémon and characters to keep things interesting. In usual Pokémon fashion, the story and action are well-paced and the colors and animation are both bright and full of life. It’s really no wonder that kids are so entertained by this franchise – it just has so much fun and collectability at its core. Speaking of kids, there’s nothing to worry about in relation to the “Not Rated” status of this DVD – it is very much suitable for people of all ages, with only a smattering of cartoon violence that shouldn’t faze anyone. It’s an exciting Pokémon adventure that features some very beautiful animation and involving story – fun for the whole family!
EXTRAS:
Extras include a closed captions for the hearing impaired in both English and Spanish.
IN SUMMARY:
The Rise of Darkrai is a vibrant and dynamic Pokémon film if ever there was one – this feature has really benefitted from some awesome animation techniques that are a joy to experience. Kids and parents alike will agree that Pokémon has come a long way, and this film is a good indication of how great a Pokémon feature can be! |
