Pokemon Movie - Lucario and The Mystery of Mew
by Darren Dunstan, Kunihiko Yuyama
List Price:
Our Price: $12.56
You Save: $7.41 (37%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Amy Birnbaum, Eric Stuart, Ikue Ootani, Rachael Lillis, Veronica TaylorDirector: Darren Dunstan, Kunihiko Yuyama
Brand: VIZ
Producer: Jim Malone
Producer: Kathy Borland
Writer: Kathy Borland
Producer: Katsuhito Yamauchi
Producer: Kenjiro Ito
Writer: Hideki Sonoda
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-09-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Viz Media
Movie Reviews of Pokemon Movie - Lucario and The Mystery of Mew
Movie Review: The magic doesn't shine until you watch it again...
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, this review is long. Deal with it, I've got a lot to say.
A note: this review is of the Japanese version of the movie. I haven't actually seen the English version yet. ^^; I'm hoping the dub will leave this masterpiece of a movie intact, though. That said, this movie is arguably the best of them. I used to reserve that spot for the third, with its subtle themes and gentle lessons of life, loss, and happiness, but this one tops that. When I first saw Mew and the Wave-Guiding Hero, I was a bit skeptical at first. Entertained yes, but the true magic of this movie comes upon multiple watchings. Please note that from this point there are extreme spoilers. If you think the only point to watching a movie is to see how it ends, then stop reading, but like I said, you need to know the story before you can truly appreciate it.
That said, the movie opens with an ancient war, and the efforts of a Pokemon named Lucario and his human master Aaron to prevent their castle from being destroyed. Right when the battle is about to begin, however, Aaron declares that he has abandoned the castle forever and tells Lucario to leave as well. When Lucario insists on following him, Aaron seals him within his staff, where Lucario remains for many centuries. The details behind the war's origin are not present, but in my opinion, they would only bog down the storyline more; Aaron himself later refers to it as a "pointless war," and therefore it was presumably over a power struggle. In the end, however, the energy released by a mysterious living mountain named the "Origin Tree" calms the spirits of the Pokémon used in the conflict, and they abandon their masters and armor and return to their homes. Because it was believed that Aaron was somehow behind the Tree's miracle, he was named the Wave-Guiding Hero.
The main storyline kicks off again when Ash prevails at a competition and is named the honorary Wave-Guiding Hero in an annual festival. The Legendary Pokémon Mew is also present at the festival, and disappears along with Ash's Pikachu when confronted. But when Lucario finally breaks out of the staff in which he was imprisoned, he is faced with the loss of everything he ever knew, and grudgingly agrees to lead Ash in a journey to the Origin Tree to find Mew and rescue Pikachu.
But if you think this movie is about nothing more than a boy on a quest to recover an electric mouse, you will be gravely mistaken. Ash and his friends become the victims of their own adventuring when they are incessantly pursued by both the Tree's ancient guardians and its internal protection, akin to an immune system. The story has enough action to satisfy the younger fans, yet the makers knew the value of silence and character depth. It's really much more dramatic and suspenseful than action packed. An example being that each time the Tree's guardians, the Regis, show up, is creepier than the last. As my ten year-old sister (who is not a Pokémon fan, mind you) once said: "The Regis are the only Pokémon that actually look scary."
The plotline isn't too complicated that it'll confuse the younger fans or older non-fans, but it still has a nice complexity behind it that just isn't seen in most kids' movies. What starts out as nothing but a journey to find Pikachu becomes much more. And then of course there is the animation, which is certainly a treat. The Pokémon team has improved tenfold over the years with painting backgrounds, and the 3-D effects blend in very nicely. Even the ordinary 2-D art is a cut above the usual Pokémon animation. The opening war scene is very drab and foggy, and actually made the art seem more real since overly bright colors are often what make the Pokémon animation seem so cartoony (the ballroom scene is an example of this.)
There are a lot of details such as the actual content of each scene that are often overlooked. My favorite example being that when a miracle of time shows a rampaging army charging through a valley, the flowers that exist in the present time continue to sway peacefully, completely unaffected by the horrific vision of the past. Lucario then collapses to his knees with grief at the memory of when his master abandoned him, and the flowers continue to sway around him, adding to the emotional beauty of the sequence. Additionally, the music score for this movie is something special indeed. The score suring the initial war scene is just so somber and dramatic, but at the sametime, the heavy beating of the drum reminds you of the stakes of the battle. The scenes in which Ash and co. are chased by the Regis has a vaguely techno-ish feel to it, adding the already creepy atmosphere. And the movie's main theme, what I've come to call the "Hero music" is very flexible--triumphant at some times, yet slow and saddening at others. I'm glad that all the recent Pokémon movies. has kept the Japanese music, since it would be a shame to lose such an awesome score.
It's a lot more than just the events or the animation or the music or the plotline though. This movie delves into a lot of the themes that the older ones addressed--friendship, loss, life, and whether or not Pokémon Training is truly based upon bonding rather than servitude. The gem is that unlike many of the others, the themes are there, but they don't get drilled into the viewers' heads. Lucario is very suspicious and mistrustful of humans, but he grows throughout the movie. We never really see Aaron beyond the initial war scene, but Lucario's flashbacks (which are very nicely placed and handled in my opinion) offer much insight into Aaron's character, and we see how Lucario is completely torn, unsure of what to believe. He feels betrayed, but he doesn't complain about it. You feel sorry for him, but he never throws a pity-party. He is one of the most complex characters ever created in the Pokémon series. And when he finally learns the truth behind Aaron's sacrifice to end the war, you can sense his pain. In the final scene, a miracle of time reveals Aaron's true intentions behind sealing Lucario, who doesn't undergo any sudden revelation as to the true nature of humans (Mewtwo, anyone?), because he has already matured beyond that. Rather, he learns the true meaning of sacrifice and loss, accepts the fact that he is out of place in the present time, and is able to let go of everything.
Additionally, although we can suspect all along that there was some reasoning beyond Aaron's sealing of Lucario, a very interesting aspect of human nature is discussed in that many people probably don't know what they would do if things truly came down to the wire in a life or death situation concerning themselves and their best friend. Lucario simply states that there is no way to tell what one would do--a very surprising and insightful statement.
One thing that I must comment on is that a critic of Pokémon 3 once stated that the movie failed because it had no evil character. I found this to be a rather outrageous and immature statement, as the gem of the Pokémon movies is that no one is ever truly evil, and the same holds to this one. The Regis--age-old guardians of the Origin Tree cannot be reasoned with or persuaded in any way, yet in the end, when Mew instructs the Tree to accept the presence of humans, they turn back, knowing that they have fulfilled their duty, but are no longer needed at that moment. And Mew himself is an interesting character--the irony is that his bringing Pikachu to the Origin Tree what was ultimately almost resulted in the Tree's, and his own, death. Upon realizing the true consequences of what he has done, he uses his power to bring back the human characters from the abyss of the Tree's immune system, yet despite the nobility of this action, the results are nearly catastrophic. Only Lucario's final sacrifice can save Mew, the Tree, the human characters, and the entire hidden ecosystem of ancient Pokémon that the Tree was sheltering.
Which brings up another point--this movie came dangerous close to falling into many, many clichés: the preserving of nature, the "humans are evil" syndrome, and several others. Each time, however, it made its point without falling in. It didn't become a movie about saving trees, it didn't rant on about the virtues of Pokémon friendship with a character who thought all humans were evil. Lucario was surprisingly acceptant about his own sacrifice, which shows that he had indeed accepted the loss of his master, and wished to die the same way. At the same time, there are moments when he questions his friendship with Aaron, but it is much less direct and more of an internal conflict. There was a large amount of care in the handling of the characters and the plotline, and I wish to bring attention to it. Even sideline characters, such as Brock, May and Max all have their moments, such as when Max offers Lucario some chocolate to calm him down after an argument. The pacing is admittedly a bit slow in the beginning because the storyline requires a large amount of exposition, but once the journey begins, it is improves, with explanations between scenes of chilling suspense. Even something as simple as the part in which the Pokémon play around in an old attic offers a nice break for a bit of whimsical fun--a scene in which fans will smiling in an "awwww..." sort of way, and non-fans will be gouging their eyes out.
Lastly, the plot itself ties up, but like many Pokémon movies, not everything is spelled out in black and white. There is a scene in the credits with Lucario and Aaron together, which suggests that although they both sacrificed themselves, their Wave energy that they were so adept at manipulating throughout the movie still lives on. As Lucario said: "I won't die--I'm returning to where Aaron is." This sacrifice is comparable to Latios's at the end of Pokémon 5, but unlike that movie, this time we truly feel for Lucario. If you were brought close to tears with Latios's death, you will be dragged beyond that with Lucario's. The part that really gets me is Aaron's statement about the meaning of life. (That may sound corny, but once you watch it, you'll see how beautiful his monologue really is.)
All in all, if you're a young fan, you'll love the new Pokémon and the battles. If you're an older fan, you'll love the characters and the lessons. If you're a tolerant non-fan, you'll respect its message and will be able to sit through it fairly easily. If you're a non-tolerant non-fan, you'll want to shoot yourself. I don't know why, but that's just the way things work.
(And as an added note, relating to the DVD and not the movie, it'll be really sice to see the re-dub of the Mirage Pokemon special. with more time to perfect their lines and get more in-character, I expect the new VA's will be better this time around.)
Summary of Pokemon Movie - Lucario and The Mystery of Mew
Synopsis:Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 09/19/06
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the eighth Pokémon movie, ranks as one of the best features in this popular franchise. Director Kunihiko Yuyama and writer Hideki Sonoda sensibly keep the adventures and threats to a scale that's appropriate for the characters. (The first movies put the world at risk, and while Ash Ketchum is a good kid, he's not someone who can credibly save the planet.) Ash, Brock, Max, and May journey to Cameron Palace for a tournament that celebrates the valor of Prince Aaron, who saved the realm from destruction 1,000 years ago. Ash and Pikachu win, but the mischievous Mew kidnaps Pikachu, whom he's befriended. Prince Aaron's Pokémon companion Lucario awakens from the victor's staff to lead Ash and the gang to the Tree of Beginning, a mountain that is also a living entity. Ash risks his life to rescue Pikachu, proving the depth of their friendship to Lucario. The film includes lots of CG effects, most of which work well with the drawn animation: the earlier Pokémon films tended to look like two different movies spliced together.
The two-disc set also includes The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon: A 10th Anniversary Special. In this 40-minute adventure, Dr. Yung invites Misty and Ash to take part in a special tournament on his new battle system. Yung creates formidable Mirage Pokémon from raw data, culminating in a super-version of Mewtwo, the powerful psychic Pokémon from the first features. Once again, friendship and kindness triumph over greed and arrogance, although the special ends with the words, "To be continued..." (Unrated, suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
Similar DVD Movies
Pokemon the First Movie - Mewtwo vs. MewWarner Brothers; Release date: 2000-03-21; DVD
Best price: $46.84
Pokemon - Destiny DeoxysPokemon; Release date: 2005-02-15; DVD
Best price: $8.86
Price in other shops:
Pokemon 3 - The MovieWarner Brothers; Release date: 2001-08-21; DVD
Best price: $23.89
Pokemon Heroes: The MoviePokemon; Release date: 2004-01-20; DVD
Best price: $6.01
Price in other shops:
Pokemon Movie - Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the SeaWarner Brothers; Release date: 2007-04-03; DVD
Best price: $12.39
Price in other shops:
Artist Not Provided - Pokemon: Arceus & The Jewel of LifeVIZ; Release date: 2011-02-01; DVD
Best price: $11.54
Price in other shops:
Pokemon Movie - The Rise of DarkraiWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-05-27; DVD
Best price: $11.66
Price in other shops:
Pokemon: Giratina & The Sky WarriorUniversal Studios; Release date: 2009-03-31; DVD
Best price: $5.05
Price in other shops:
Pokemon Collector's Set: Pokemon Heroes / Pokemon 4Ever / Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys / Pokemon Jirachi: Wish MakerRelease date: 2011-06-07; DVD
Best price: $7.03
Price in other shops:
Artist Not Provided - Pokemon - Zoroark: Master of IllusionsWarner Brothers; Release date: 2011-09-20; DVD
Best price: $11.87
Price in other shops: