Product Details

• Actors: Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Madeleine Blaustein, Ikue Ootani
• Directors: Jim Malone, Kunihiko Yuyama
• Writers: Hideki Sonoda
• Producers: Alfred Kahn, Choji Yoshikawa, Kathryn A. Borland, Masakazu Kubo, Norman J. Grossfeld
• Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Miramax
• VHS Release Date: March 18, 2003
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00007KK1F
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,107 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The fourth Pokémon feature follows the pattern set by the previous three--and falls into the same traps. The TV series depicts the modest adventures of Pokémon trainer Ash Ketcham and his friends Brock and Misty as they roam an imaginary world, fighting matches and making friends. The features add elaborate CG effects that don't mesh with the flat, drawn characters, and over-scaled threats that feel beyond Ash's abilities to resolve. Forty years ago, Sam, a young trainer, meets the 251st Pokémon Celebi (it looks like Tinkerbell with a goldfish for a head). To escape a mean hunter, Celebi brings Sam to the present day, where they meet Ash & Company. They also meet the evil Iron Mask Marauder who's supposed to be a member of Team Rocket, but who's much nastier than the comically inept Jessie, James, and Meowth. The Marauder corrupts Celebi with a "dark ball" and forces it to create a monster out of trees, branches, etc., that is blatantly copied from the Night Walker in Princess Mononoke. Ash and his friends eventually save the day, the Pokémon, and the forest--but it all feels like we've been there/done that. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, January 22, 2003

By 

Corey Partin (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

Far from liking this movie, I've seen it three times, which I think makes it obvious that no, I didn't like it, I LOVED IT! The animation is wonderful, just as good, if not better than the 3rd installment, The Spell of the Unown. There are new characters, new Pokemon and new twists and turns. You even learn a little bit about Professor Samuel Oak! The only let down to the movie is the immense use of computer animation, maybe even too much of it and it's not blended with the animation as well as it could have been, but's that's perfectly easy to ignore when you look at the movie in it's entirety. The animation, like I said, was wonderful. All the original characters return, Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu who are joined by a little boy named Sam. Team Rocket returns though we meet a new member whose downright evil compared to the last bad guys we've been introduced to in the past films and TV series, he's even worse than Mewtwo was in the 1st movie. So if you liked movies 1-3 along with Mewtwo Returns you'll rave about this one! Take note that the mini movie isn't played in theaters, it's only on the DVD, but it's pretty cute all the same and VERY funny. So there you have it, one of the best Pokemon creations yet, and with a 5th and even 6th movie on the way, who knows what could happen!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe not 4ever..., March 18, 2003

By 

J. Nickerson (Pallet Town, Kanto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pokemon 4Ever: Movie (DVD)

After a short, limited release in theaters last year, Pokemon 4Ever is finally coming to video courtesy of Miramax. And while it's not the vast improvement to the previous Warner Bros DVD releases we were hoping for, it is still a decent offering.
The story, basically, is that Ash and company come across a boy named Sam and a Celebi, who have traveled 40 years from the past. But before Celebi can bring Sam back to his own time, it is captured by the Iron Mask Marauder, who captures Celebi using a Dark Ball, and transforms it into a destructive monster. While the Marauder and Celebi destroy the forest, Ash and Sam must try and save Celebi. There are some surprisingly emotional scenes in the movie, especially towards the end as we find out the fate of Celebi and Sam's relationship with Ash.
The DVD offers trailers for this movie and the Japanese trailer for the fifth movie, as well as previews for other Miramax titles. Fans will be pleased to know that the Pikachu short has been restored for the DVD, and as usually, it's pretty funny and features plenty of cute Pokemon. It also a multi-angle animation progression feature, but the footage shown is very brief; each of the four segments clock in at barely under a few seconds, if that. One major complaint about this DVD is that despite the fact that this is the fourth Pokemon feature, it is still only presented on DVD in FULLSCREEN. There are many instances in the movie where a character is speaking, but you can't see him or her, since they are cropped off the screen. I'd hoped this unfortunate tradition was left behind with Warner Bros, but the curse follows the series to Miramax. Listen up, Miramax, we don't mind the black bars on the screen, we really don't. This problem is even worse when compared with the Warner releases, because the picture seems to be zoomed in a bit more and after repeated viewings, you actually begin to notice that the screen is constantly wobbling. A very poor transfer.
Another complaint, though not as major, is the commentary featuring the producers and the cast. While it's fun to finally hear what the actors really sound like, they don't really react to anything on-screen; it's more like a Q&A session. While it does answer some interesting questions, it would have been better off to leave it as a separate feature and keep a regular commentary with just the producers. The commentary track also only runs under an hour, so it cuts off with about 20 minutes of the movie left to go. Hopefully they won't do this with movie 5, since the commentaries are my favorites part of the Pokemon movies.
Otherwise, it's a solid film, and fans will be pleased that the movie sticks very close to the original Japanese script. It won't convert any Pokemon haters, but then again, nothing probably would.
Just please, Miramax, when you release movie 5 on DVD, please do so in widescreen.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Movie!!!, October 20, 2002

By 

Nicole "Nicole" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

I have already seen this movie twice at the theaters. I was amazed on how well the movie was made. Lets face it, usually after an original movie comes out, everything after it usually isnt all that great. Pokemon is definitly the exeption. The story line of coming 40years into the future (into ashes time) with a time traveling pokemon was difinitly different, but thats what makes it so good. At least everything is an original with
pokemon. well it starts out in past with a young boy named sammy who ends up helping celebi get away from a pokemon hunter. well when sammy was running to get celebi as far away as he could, celebi used the last of his energy to time travel to ashes time. without getting to detailed, ash & friends come in contact with sammy & build a strong friendship, at the same time of restoring celebi's strengh, but then someone even worse than a pokemon hunter comes into play. he is the new member of team rocket. he catches celebi in a "dark ball" which turns pokemon evil. Now it is upto ash,sammy,suicune,& friends to help celebi & save the forrest, but can they do it... for the dramatic,heart stopping, yet inspirational ending, you need to go see it for yourself. I dont want to ruin it for you as it makes the movie worth seeing over & over again.