Pokémon 3

While there may be more computer-rendered effects animation here and a more coherent plot (centered around supernatural goings on generated by a little girl's out-of-control imagination) than in the last two Pokémon flicks, fleecing parents of their money is still the singular purpose of this automated, assembly-line sequel. In their usual half-drawn animation style, Ash, Pikachu, et al. battle "the Unown" (that's right, "unown," not "unknown"), an undefeatable Pokémon spawn from the lonely girl's dreams. Like the first two efforts, reviewing this one is to some extent pointless since what a critic thinks will have no bearing on whether or not you add Pokémon movies to your collection. But I will say this: unlike the first two films, at least Pokémon 3 isn't painful to endure. Popular collections will want to pick up, especially at the sell-through price. (R. Blackwelder)