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This month, the newest Pokémon movie (fifteenth to be exact) premiered on Cartoon Network on December 8. With the unwieldy title, Pokémon The Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice continues the journey of Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum (who, fifteen years later, is still ten years old), his beloved (and ever popular franchise mascot) Pikachu, and their friends Iris and Cilan through the vast Unova region. While traveling in a train, our heroes come across an injured Pokémon named Keldeo. The young, unicorn-like Pokémon, on a quest to prove his worth to his mentors (the legendary Pokémon Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion, aka The Swords of Justice), challenges the legendary Pokémon Kyurem ("The strongest Dragon-type Pokémon ever!") to a battle, and in the process, seriously hurts itself. Keldeo escapes the battle before Kyurem can finish it off, but Kyurem is determined to end the battle- and possibly Keldeo itself! On the run from the wrath of Kyurem, our heroes must help Keldeo regain his courage and prove that he too, is a true Sword of Justice.
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| Ash and Pikachu aren't the focus of the film- Keldeo is. |
As someone who has watched all but two of the fifteen Pokémon movies, I am pleased to say, this one turned out to be one of the stronger ones. There was an unexpected level of emotion and I actually found myself rooting for Keldeo, the star of the movie. The movie makes impressive use of CGI effects, and in scenes involving ice, this is very evident. At times, I found myself going, "Wow" at the visuals. There sadly isn't much to say with regard to the generic dialogue and bland music, but suffice to say, it's good enough. Another factor that worked in the film's favor is the fact that the main character Keldeo is voiced. Most Pokémon never talk, but Keldeo's voice gave it an extra dimension of emotion and you actually kind of like the little guy. Other supporting characters like Kyurem, Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion are voiced as well, and it works to a fair extent.
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| Kyurem can morph into two forms- blatant video game promotion. |
The short runtime is something of a blessing. At just one hour and five minutes, the movie doesn't feel heavy and does not suffer from padding of any kind. Messages like friendship, courage and finding one's true worth are driven home in rather obvious ways, but that's a good thing, since in recent years I've struggled to make out the meaning of Pokémon movies.
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| Kyurem vs. the Sword-in-training |
All Pokémon movies are designed to serve one purpose: promotion. This one is no different. Something that has always irked me in recent times is the fact that Pokémon movies are less focused on story and character development and are more concerned with big (impressive but often meaningless) set pieces and the emphasis on "powerful" legendary Pokémon. Sure, it's not like anyone's expecting a Pokémon movie to be up there with the likes of Disney or Pixar, but would it kill them to at least try? Japanese brother Studio Ghibli could show them a thing or two.
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| There's a nice reference to The Three Musketeers in here. |
That said, Pokémon The Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice is a surprisingly watchable film with enough fluff and substantial depth that will keep your energetic ten year old still for an hour. Nothing much here for devoted animation fans, but long time Pokémon fans are in for a great time.
RATING: ★★1/2
Related Review: Pokémon: The First Movie