Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai
G | 24 February 2008 (USA)
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai Trailers

Ash and friends (this time accompanied by newcomer Dawn) arrive at an idyllic village on their way to their next Pokemon contest, where chaos will soon erupt with the prophecy of two Pokemon Gods (Dialga and Palkia) and the arrival of a mysterious, seemingly deadly Pokemon named Darkrai, which has the power to distort space and time.

Reviews
anilparthasarathi

This is one of the best pokemon movies ever! Darkrai is a very cool character.

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Owen Ogletree

A lot of people seem to really like this one. Some even rank it up there with "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew." I thought it was good, but for me, there are some flaws that keep it from achieving greatness.The story is pretty good, but it is weighed down by several clichés, such as the perceived bad guy actually being the one who saved the girl years ago. There are some concepts that are rather interesting, and the mythology of Dialga and Palkia is pretty cool.I liked Alice as a character, but some of the other supporting characters are less appealing. There were a lot of stupid moments with Antonio, and Baron Alberto is a total cliché (not to mention that the scenes where he became Lickilicki were occasionally painful to watch.)I liked Darkrai a lot. He has quite a presence and is a compelling character. However, it was pretty disappointing that he ended up being alive at the end, because it kind of undid the impact of his heroic sacrifice. The real emotional sacrifices at the end of "Latios and Latias" and "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew" were part of what made them so great.Things got really good in the climax, though. The battle between Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai while Ash and Dawn trying to make it up the tower to tune the bells provided some real excitement and really elevated the film. By far one of the best climaxes in a Pokémon movie.In my opinion, this is the most overrated Pokémon movie. It didn't do it for me the way 2, 3, 5, and 8 did. I would have probably considered it one of the best if a few things were fixed. It's still a good film, though, and it's certainly better than most of the later Pokémon movies. Well worth checking out for fans of the series.RATING: B

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eva_luke2003

I have been a Pokemon Fan from the start but I was slightly disappointed with this film.Many pokemon fan know that 4Kids entertainment had the rights to all pokemon anime/movies how ever it was then taken over by "Pokemon.inc" so the leading roll of Ash ketchum would no longer be played by Veronica Taylor but by Sarah Natochenny (A sound alike vice actor) no offense to Sarah but Veronica was the Voice many people had come to know as Ash's voice. How ever the sound alike sounds NOTHING like Ash, and this movie is the best example of bad dubbing, all the original voices have been changed for the worst except for Jessie (the red headed member of team rocket) who for some reason sounds the same. But aside from the voices, the story line and plot of this movie, kept me watching till the end. a nice choice of music for the battling moments, The story is set around the time of the Diamond and pearl animes time line, as two pokemon are engaged in a battle caught between space and time, in the mean time ash and his buddies arrive in a new town, where Darkrai ( a pokemon that is cause of your bad dreams ) is bringing chaos to the town and its people. could this be the end of the pokemon world as we know it ?

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Jangobadass

With each new entry, the "Pokemon" movie series seems to get a little better. While the first movie was just awful, all of its sequels keep topping each other somehow. So Movie 10, "The Rise of Darkrai", may be the best one yet.After the introduction, the movie literally starts out with a bang as the dragon-like legendary Pokemon Palkia and Dialga battle in some strange, otherworldly dimension. After the scene ends (but the battle doesn't), the story goes over to Ash, Brock, and their new companion Dawn. They're on their way to Alamos Town to take part in a Pokemon tournament and see the sights, in particular the Space-Time Tower and the town's gardens. But strange things are happening and the mysterious, ghostly Darkrai is being blamed. A local scientist says otherwise, but a posse is formed to capture or destroy it. But before our heroes can resolve that crisis, the battle between Dialga and Palkia spills into Alamos Town, threatening to destroy it completely.The animation, not surprisingly, is very good and the best yet: movements are quick and fluid while the CGI and regular animation are blend together pretty good. The plot moves along at a good pace, keeping the action coming while slowing down at many of the right places.What I really like is that this time almost everyone helps out. Not only do the one shot characters and almost every Pokemon shown make themselves fairly useful, it's a treat seeing Ash and Co.'s "sidekick" Pokemon play a decent role, something that doesn't happen as often as it should. And it's rather refreshing seeing Dawn play the hero alongside Ash, as I do tire of him saving the day in many of the movies, even when other characters are given a lot of focus (see Movie 9, "Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea", for a prime example).The downside? For starters, if you've seen all the other movies in the series, you'll have some deja vu. "Pokemon The Movie 2000" (Movie 2) and and "Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys" (Movie 7), quickly come to mind. And Dialga and Palkia's fighting will cause flashbacks of many Godzilla films. Also, some might not like the new voice cast. While the cast from TAJ Productions ended up being something of an improvement over 4Kids, the voice actors of DuArt are a slight step back.But despite its flaws, which don't bother me too much, this is the best Pokemon Movie yet. Can't wait to see what Movie 11 brings to the table.

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