Pokemon 15: Kyurem gegen den Ritter der Redlichkeit (2012)

Pokemon 15: Kyurem gegen den Ritter der Redlichkeit: Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama. With Sarah Natochenny, Eileen Stevens, Jason Griffith, Vic Mignogna. An over zealous pokemon called Keldeo enrages a very powerful Kyurem, with the help of Ash and Pikachu can Keldeo become a sword of justice and defeat the mighty Kyurem?

“It is commonly agreed upon that the u0026quot;Black u0026amp; White!u0026quot; and u0026quot;XYu0026quot; films are the worst in the Pokémon franchise. Although I only have seen u0026quot;White – Victini and Zekromu0026quot; and u0026quot;Black – Victini and Reshiramu0026quot; so far, I can already feel the remainder of this retrospective hanging above my head like an outflow pipe of Damocles.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThank God, then, that u0026quot;Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justiceu0026quot; is at 1h12m the shortest instalment in the series since u0026quot;Latias and Latiosu0026quot;. It may not be good; at least itu0026#39;s over quickly.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe storyu0026#39;s focus is the Pokémon Keldeo, who wants to become a member of the elite group u0026quot;Swords of Justiceu0026quot;, but cannot enter yet because his horn isnu0026#39;t big enough. This may be a relatable problem for many boys, but that doesnu0026#39;t justify the set-up being almost 20 minutes long — not so much a prologue as the filmu0026#39;s entire first act.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNo matter the size of his Sword of Justice, Keldeo deems himself ready to fight and challenges the legendary Pokémon Kyurem to prove it. As expected, Keldeou0026#39;s horn canu0026#39;t get hard enough, and he is nearly killed in a classic case of stranger danger. Only barely does he manage to escape, thanks to the help of some friendly passers-by.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs it happens, these saviours are Ash Ketchum and his cardboard friends. You may remember them as being the protagonists of the u0026quot;Pokémonu0026quot; television series. They are but side-characters in this film though, here to give Keldeo a helping hand with his humble horn. Perhaps for the better. It is not like this cast has undergone any growth during the past twenty years. Keldeo at least has a haphazard but functional herou0026#39;s journey to fulfil.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;Haphazard but functionalu0026#39; is an apt description of the film as a whole — not so much an appreciation of the creatorsu0026#39; effort, but rather relief that they didnu0026#39;t mess up as badly as before. Turns out it was a matter of u0026#39;less is moreu0026#39;. Decisions like reducing Team Rocket to a cameo appearance, or skipping Ashu0026#39;s obligatory tournament help make the plot feel less aimless.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNot that whatu0026#39;s left is any good. u0026quot;Kyuremu0026quot; moves through its story without any joy or scenic charm. In earlier films, the production team would literally go out of their way to create an appealing backdrop from their story, taking inspiration from places like Venice, Barcelona, Athens and the Netherlands, but Roshan City is a cold and desolate place. I donu0026#39;t remember having seen a single inhabitant walking down its streets. The town is just there as the background for a quick fight scene before we can move on to the next uninspired location.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI guess I could mention that the plot is stupid, the pacing is off and the dialogue is terrible, but why bother? u0026quot;Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justiceu0026quot; is bearable. It is short and flimsy, but not offensive like most other films from this era. And besides, it has a message I can get behind. Always remember, kids: Size matters.”