I'll pull what Unown did, and list my reasons why.
1. Pokemon 4Ever: Besides the fact it features my favorite Legendary (Celebi) and a Team Rocket villain, I enjoy this most as it was the movies' initial attempt at a comprehensive plot. All the prior movies had
massive plotholes/mismatched pacing that jarred/unraveled them, and I feared this one as well. Apparently, they decided to finally get serious, and I can't, in good conscience, ignore the great effort Sonoda made. With Pokemon, it's all about the effort, and a lot of people ignore this, here, when you compare to the prior and recent fodder.
And I'll skip the dub's insertion scenes. And yeah, Unown, I concur about the pacing/stick monster to a degree.
2. Jirachi Wish-Maker: Good characterization/banter/motivation made this film. I enjoyed Max/Jirachi, Butler/Diane, but mostly, I really enjoyed Butler's motivation. Using a Groudon to destroy Team Magma is
great irony, and he has a good sense of turmoil, whilst Diane steals the movie in her itty-bitty shorts.
As for the dub, shameful, but what can you do? I would have liked to see the dub OP converted to a film version, but considering the movie's opening scene (setting up a carnival) seems inappropriate. On the other hand, it had the super-awesome "Gotta Dance", so it earns a special honor to me, anyway.
3. The First Movie: For the first film, a great shift to darkness, and a fitting theme for Mewtwo (a bio-weapon for Team Rocket -- what
else it could be for?). It shows a wonderful continuity to the series, and in light of the recent fare, that should be further appreciated. Still, I wish they filmed on the CD drama instead, as that had more plot than the movie!
I enjoyed it for the behind-the-scenes of the Team Rocket org, if nothing else. The dub, well..., I didn't think it sucked as much. Hides.
4. Pokemon Heroes: Definite change of pace with the concepts of death and a sense of spirituality. Outside of the first movie for God, and the third one for loss, this unites both in a more fitting model. And Lyon/Zanna I would like to see again. And the Bianca/Ash kiss created a most interesting concept: bestiality10101010100001.
Hee. I kid, of course. Man, the dub was funky. And for shame for no secondary "I Believe" lyrics. Really.
5. Pokemon 3: After the American craze subsided, this was lost in the shuffle (and Kids WB wimping out in the ads). It's a real shame as it deserves a better close-up -- it was an legit attempt to tell a story of loss and illusion. Molly is the best human movie character so far, and even later with the latter films.
It's my favorite one dub-wise, since they got it right: scripts and songs.
6. Movie 2000:
Great animation, and I enjoyed the Rockets showing their
true form as heroes. Beyond that, it was all too formulaic, and Lugia should have had a better intro. Yes, G/S was on the horizon at that point, but still. Ironically, it would get that on the TV series. Heh.
7. Destiny Deoxys: I did liked the setting, which isn't something that hadn't entranced me for a while. And I savored the fact Deoxys didn't turn out into a Mewtwo-style character, like I dreaded. Unfortunately, when you compare Rayquaza to the movie's pacing and its eventual role in the franchise, the quality dips.
Actually, I liked the manga version better as we needed a proper villain (Lund's power-hungry male assistant). You can read on it in the link below.
http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/movies/deoxys/deoxys_manga.html
8-9. Haven't seen both in depth, so no comment for now. But I loved Lucario for returning to the Dub OP movie version, if nothing else.
How's that?
