Pokemon Heroes

A few things can be said in favor of this fifth installment in the rapidly collapsing Pokemon children's franchise from Japan: 1) Pokemon Heroes opens with brief background history on the concept behind the series--making what follows less incomprehensible than usual, 2) the background animation is better than in previous entries, and 3) the Pokemon creatures play second fiddle to the humans, which helps since the “pocket monsters” are a dull, uncommunicative lot confined to painful squeals and nonsense syllables. A straightforward action adventure about foiling a plot to take over the world, set in a Venice-like city, the film--at 71 minutes--is also mercifully brief. Unfortunately, it's not particularly good: kids who still collect the cards and other paraphernalia associated with them will want to see it, of course, but youngsters who consider the phenomenon passJ won't find much to interest them here, and neither will their parents or older siblings. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the two-minute narration-less montage “Location Scouting in Venice,” six brief “Animation Stages” progression sequences using the angle function, six character galleries with text descriptions and stats, a trivia game question and evaluation, the 22-minute short “Camp Pikachu,” and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a very so-so children's film.] (F. Swietek)