Pokémon: Zoroark – Master of Illusions 2010 123movies

Watch: 劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド&パール 幻影の覇者 ゾロアーク 2010 123movies, Full Movie Online – A greedy, manipulative media mogul seeks to capture Celebi for nefarious purposes, using the shape-shifting Pokémon Zoroark to hunt it down..
Plot: Ash and his friends must stop a greedy media mogul from using the shape-shifting Zoroark to capture the time-travelling Celebi.
Smart Tags: #ash_ketchum_character #dawn_character #brock_character #jessie_character #james_character #meowth #team_rocket #pikachu #zoroark #zorua #suicune #entei #raikou #celebi #pokemon #anime

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Ratings:

	6.0/10 Votes: 2,091
	N/A | RottenTomatoes
	N/A | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 170 Popularity: 22.488 | TMDB

Reviews:

A Pokémon Retrospective, Part 13
In an earlier review, I compared Pokémon to Minecraft in terms of quality. At the moment I feel “Star Trek” would be more apt, in that, for a while, the even-numbered films were substantially better than the odd. “Lucario and the Mystery of Mew”, “The Rise of Darkrai”, and “Arceus and the Jewel of Life” outshone respectively “Destiny Deoxys”, “Pokémon Ranger: Castle in the Sea” (yes, I am going to keep calling it that), and certainly “Giratina and the Sky Warrior”. “Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions” fits neatly into this pattern, because it is overtly bad. (Of course, since then every new Pokémon film has been bad, but let me have my simile.)

Let’s begin on a positive note: I really like this film’s setting. Crown City was based upon existing locations in Belgium and the Netherlands, where I happen to live, and looks very pleasant indeed. As Celebi flies through the narrow canals at the break of day, it seems we will be treated to atmosphere-building on par with the earlier films. But this notion is erroneous. Within minutes, the city is locked down by a villain, and the remainder of the film is spent running and fighting.

Oh dear, the paragraph I had reserved for the things I liked turned sour after only three sentences; what a discouraging sign. If these films keep worsening, I may do away with a synopsis altogether, and write no more than ‘it’s boring; don’t watch.’ But at the moment I’m still willing to determine *why* this film is boring and not worth watching.

Firstly, the set-up is some of the flimsiest in any of these films. Ash and Co. save the shape-shifting Pokémon Zorua from an assault, only to be insulted in return. (It seems Zorua has taken personality lessons from Shaymin.) As always, the idiots will nevertheless try to help the Pokémon, in this case to find its mother Zoroark, who has been taken prisoner by the evil magnate Kodai. Oh, and Zoroark can transform into legendary Pokémon, which is about the most desperate fanservice to still earn a G-rating. What follows comes almost down to a Battle Royale: Ash, Brock, Dawn, Kodai, Zorua, Zoroark, Celebi, some civilians and some henchmen are locked into the city, and hopefully only part of them will come out of it again.

Another thing that stands out is the strange pacing. Not only considering the plot structure — that has been well-balanced in two or three of these films at best, — but also in terms of dialogue. The writing is as asinine as usual, but the way in which it is delivered flows worse than usual. Conversations are plain uncomfortable to listing to, nor does a single joke land. I never found Dawn’s clowning Piplup very entertaining before, but here it is the source of many an awkward silence.

Really, the entire film feels uneasy. Scenes that were supposed to be funny feel awkward; scenes that were supposed to be beautiful feel businesslike; scenes that were supposed to be exciting feel languid. When the city is locked down in the beginning it feels like a third-act climax; when the real capper occurs it is disappointingly small-scaled. How ironic that Zoroark is a shape-shifter, because the film she inhabits is an amoebic product; a formless mass that keeps moving indistinctly until it stops. On an unbearably happy note, I might add.

This is the first film since the first film that feels like it was made by people without any knowledge on how to make a film or how to structure a story, even though that simply isn’t true. Kunihiko Yuyama and Hideki Sonoda have worked on virtually all of the films as director and screenwriter respectively. They have made many bad Pokémon films before this one, but never did it feel like they had given up trying. You better get used to it though, for this was the only the prelude to the Dark Age of Pokémon Films.

Status quo entry in the series, no harm no foul
Pokémon’s Diamond and Pearl generation may have started off uneven with fans but performed okay and has garnered a deserved following. The films revolving around the series though were just as spotty in their quality of storytelling. At least the last film for this particular generation sort of put itself back in place. Unlike the last three which added on legendary behemoths in each additional sequel, this film took the one off approach. This is actually good because the trilogy of films revolving around Palkia and Dialga were not that interesting to begin with. That’s not to say this movie is miles better, because it does have issues. In short it’s another standard film that fans would enjoy but nothing not seen before. Thankfully it ends the 4th generation of Pokémon decently enough.

Directed and written by the duo everyone should be expecting by now, Mr. Yuyama and Sonoda made a slightly better entry this time. Ash and company continue moseying onto their next destination when they encounter a new Pokémon by the name of Zorua (Eileen Stevens). As it turns out, the main cast learn of an evil business man who has the power to see into the future named Grings Kodai (Sean Schemmel). It’s this power that he uses in order to make gains solely for himself by secretly using Zorua’s protector Zoroark to deceive the public. Ash and company also meet Karl (Wayne Grayson), a journalist looking to uncover Kodai’s secrets as well. Again, at least the story is different and explanations are given for certain characters’ motivations. Then again, it also doesn’t in some places.

One good example of this is the purpose of Zorua being telepathic? This feels all too much like Pokémon Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008). When looking at the film, even if Zorua couldn’t communicate in English, the story would’ve went along just fine. Also the concept of Zorua and Zoroark being a shape shifter isn’t new either. Ditto was the original Pokémon who could do that. Despite that though, the supporting characters feel a bit more natural as opposed to the last bunch. There not some extraordinary group of individuals with hidden powers. They’re literally just regular people. What’s also gratifying to see is the acknowledgment of previous Pokémon that have appeared throughout the series run that take on the role of supporting characters too. Also don’t forget that Pikachu and Piplup have come a long way in partnership chemistry.

Acting from the recurring voice cast and other members were fine. As usual the team rocket characters continue to run parallel to the events that take place. Even for Zorua who is not the most necessary of characters is voiced well by Eileen Stevens for her first time joining the franchise. Erica Schroeder who first played a role in Pokémon Lucario and the Mystery of Mew is fine as the assistant to the main antagonist. Wayne Grayson as Karl does well. For those familiar with his voice, fans may recognize some of his lines and how he reads them. The same could be said for Sean Schemmel who everyone recognizes as the voice of Goku in dragonball z. It’s not always apparent, but when Kodai yells or makes certain statements, fans can pick up on that it’s him.

When looking at the presentation of the feature the animation is now fairly consistent from the last couple of films before it. The cinematography was again handled by Takaya Mizutani, as expected and the reason for it still isn’t there, which was also expected. Not like that’s it though when it comes to expectations. Reason being that Shinji Miyazaki composes the film score to this entry. Didn’t see that coming. What wasn’t seen coming was that for this entry, Miyazaki’s contribution is weirdly underwhelming here. Miyazaki really hasn’t had any times that didn’t work, but it can always happen. While the music isn’t bad, it’s just not memorable. The score does have different vocals in certain scenes but somehow doesn’t overcome the blandness. Oh well, can’t win them all.

Surprisingly music wasn’t as impactful as previous entries. Also the addition of another telepathic Pokémon feels very repetitive in nature with the series of films before it. The animation and voice acting is good though. It also helps that the story is independent from the last three films and changes up some of the more typical aspects of the shown prior.

Other Information:

Original Language ja
Runtime 1 hr 36 min (96 min), 1 hr 40 min (100 min) (Japan)
Budget 0
Revenue 0
Status Released
Rated Not Rated
Genre Animation, Action, Family
Director Kunihiko Yuyama
Writer Satoshi Tajiri, Hideki Sonoda
Actors Ikue Ôtani, Sarah Natochenny, Wayne Grayson
Country Japan
Awards 1 win
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio 1.78 : 1 (negative ratio), 1.85 : 1 (intended ratio)
Camera N/A
Laboratory N/A
Film Length N/A
Negative Format N/A
Cinematographic Process N/A
Printed Film Format N/A