Pokemon: The First Movie

The cute, cuddly creatures from the Nintendo game (the craze that spawned a TV series and a merchandising empire) get the big-screen treatment as kid trio Ash, Misty, and Brock are invited to a mysterious island to partake in a Pokémon-trainer contest. (The Pokémons -- each a different aberration of animal with special powers, some cute and benign, others hideous concoctions -- are stored in small orbs and released by their trainers during Pokémon jousts). The island is controlled by a maniacal über-Poke -- cloned and genetically enhanced from a telepathic cat -- who wants to take over the world and destroy mankind in the process.

The Pokémon movie is loosely Enter the Dragon with sweet-and-low mutants. The animation is crisp, and the plot moves along at a Saturday-morning pace, ideal for children. The main feature is preceded by the less engaging Pokémon Vacation, a series of googly vignettes laced with insipid Pokémon banter and trippy imagery. Oh, and Warner Bros. and Nintendo shamelessly commandeer the programming seams for some hardcore ad placement. At the Harbour Mall, Showcase, Starcase, and Woonsocket cinemas.
-- Tom Meek