POKMON 4EVER
MPAA Rating: G
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Entertainment: +2
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Content: +1/2
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Featuring some fairly complex serial stories, brightly colored scenes and highly imaginative characters, Japanese animation or anim is frequently seen on after-school and Saturday morning television. A popular series is the on-going story of Ash Ketcham and his friends, who live in a world populated by Pokmon, or pocket monsters. The strange and assorted Pokmon can be caught and trained to use their natural defense powers in sports-like competitions, called Pokmon battles. Of course, the trainers of Pokmon are always looking for new and more powerful creatures. This fourth feature length story introduces the Pokmon, Celebi, who defends itself by traveling through time. A young boy named Sam stumbles onto an injured Celebi just before it travels to the future, taking Sam with it. In the future Sam meets Ash and his friends, but an evil trainer is also hunting the Celebi to use its power for bad things. Using a special Pokmon trap that changes any creatures nature into an evil force, the hunter turns the forest loving Celebi into a forest destroyer. And its up to Sam and Ash to try and restore Celebis good nature.
Although the stories usually feature a good moral-type message, in this case an environmentally friendly one, the frequent clashes glorify sports fighting and feature some fairly violent clashes. In one encounter, both Pokmon and trainer are shocked. While in others, human characters are attacked by evil creatures. Sam and Ash persevere to reach the evil Celebi, using reminders of their kind and friendly acts to break the spell. A lake in the forest is called the Lake of Life and appears to heal the injured Celebi. Celebi, in turn, heals another characters injured knee with a touch. The stories and characters are also based in Japanese mythology, which equates a living spirit in each item of nature. It is interesting that Celebes is a forested Indonesian island. Celebi is called the Voice or Spirit of the forest and another Pokmon is called the Spirit of the North wind. Like Aesops fables, the moral messages are good, but the frequent violent clashes and nature spirits make it questionable viewing. There is also concern by some that interest in Pokmon and associated games, could lead to other, more sinister role playing games.
Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Miramax Films, 375 Greenwich St., New York, NY 10013
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Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.
Crude Language: None
Obscene Language: None
Profanity: None
Violence: Many times Moderate (explosions/ fire, electric shock, struggle, characters battle with various powers, step on fingers, destructive beams shot at characters, fall through trees)
Sex: None
Nudity: None
Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: None
Drugs: None
Other: Characters referred to a voice (spirit) of the forest/ spirit of north wind, lake of life revives character, character heals anothers injury by touch, character takes on devilish shape, characters return another to good w/reminders of friendship, environmental message about polluting forest
Running Time: 74 minutes
Intended Audience: Ages 10 and under
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