Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007) Poster

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7/10
the film can go two ways
eva_luke20039 November 2008
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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7/10
Good But Quite Overrated
carologletree17 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
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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5/10
Predictable
destoroyah9888615 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The usual, two powerful Pokémon show up, and start to fight because of some kind of prophecy that the main characters undoubtedly figure out or already know, then you get a glimpse of the title Pokémon once or twice. and of course, there's the scene where everything falls apart, and Ash is always there to save the day, then the big "shocker" one of the main Pokémon dies, and the battle continues, somehow peace is made, and the more powerful Pokémon disappears, leaving the other one to put up with Ash's blubbering about how everything was destroyed. so, the damage is reversed, and everything is back to normal, then comes the mourning for the Pokémon that was killed in battle, as they walk away, pikachu sees a shadow, behold, the Pokémon is alive, then the credits start, the end. A closing statement: When Ash started to yell, I wanted Palkia to vaporize him and leave the rest of the people in space! I mean come on, logically, you can't just tell a super powered monster what to do and have the monster obey, see what I mean? it's so predictable!
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8/10
One Of The Best Pokemon Movies I Have Ever Seen!
Palkia175 September 2010
I'm still a Pokemon fan & I always will be! Because I grew up with Pokemon when I was little. When I first saw this movie I was like WOAH! This is one of the best Pokemon movies I've ever seen so far. & I had this feeling that I must buy this movie. The best thing I really like about this movie is that the movie followed up on the plot perfectly. The song "Oracion" turned out to be a beautiful inspiration to me. The special effects in 3D turned out great. & best of all it had such a sad but cute happy ending to it. I totally disagree on how the star rating turned out to be. I think this movie deserves something better. I would give this movie an 8.5 star rating. From all the Pokemon movies that I've seen they have been starting to improve quite a bit. Great job! Keep up the good work!
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1/10
Somebody kill the Yellow Rat already
freakfire-11 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I hate to admit it, but I have watched all of the Pokémon movies. although I have yet to pay $ .01 to see any of them and that will remain so for the rest of time, even after I am dead. And frankly I am glad of that feat. How many parents of children who like this show can say that?

Anyway, another adventure. But this time its 2 Pokémon, Dialga & Palkia, who are battling and destroying the universe. Never fear, Darkrai is here to save the day. Darkrai tries to stop them from battling, but they always keep fighting. With the Yellow Rat and Ash helping, however, things get solved. Again.

I found it rather pointless that, somehow, this battle was causing all of reality to disappear. And, somehow, the Pokémon fighting the disappearing universe slows it down.

I am amazed that Ash hasn't grown up yet. And I am amazed that he has been kissed more than once when you look at all the films. But yet, he doesn't do anything about it.

As they say in Israel "Next Year in Jerusalem!". I will watch the next one, just because I can.

Overall this was bad. Typical Pokémon. "F"
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9/10
A Great Addition to the Pokemon Movies
Jangobadass10 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
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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4/10
Better performances from the new cast, premise is weak
The Pokémon films all have on average performed with acceptable storytelling so far. Only some were truly just lousy in their execution. Some depending on weak villain motivation or backstories. When audiences can see through that, is when it feels very disappointing. It's even more disheartening though when there is no villain and viewers are left to seeing events happen due to nonsensical reasons. As the first feature film with the new US voice cast after getting through the rough time that was The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon (2006), fans would be expecting an improvement. After viewing, it's slightly better...but still has issues but for different reasons. Really, it comes down to the how the story is set up more than anything else and this is unfortunately where it gets difficult to sit through.

Worked on by the same Yuyama Sonoda duo, the story is about the city of Alamos which has two musical towers built at the center of it all. The two towers represent space and time which is also related to the legendary Pokémon Palkia and Dialga respectively. Unfortunately, when these two creatures cross paths their dimensions' warp causing catastrophic damage. The only one who seems to be aware of this is Darkrai (Scott Williams), a Pokémon that causes nightmares and is shunned from the city of Alamos. And of course, Ash and company are headed straight towards that event that is bound to happen. There they also meet Alice (Khristine Hvam) and Tonio (Rich McNanna) who are close childhood friends. The concept sounds initially okay...but upon further analysis, things don't really add up or seem rather pointless.

The biggest issue is the conflict between characters...in this case the Pokémon. Palkia and Dialga are this entry's "big baddie" Pokémon. But the thing is, they aren't villains and that's okay. The problem is their purpose. The whole plot is due to them crossing paths and deciding to fight about it. For what? What's the reason? Does one want the other's job? Or did just one Pokémon wake up that morning in a rotten mood? And being that their Pokémon and answer in English is like expecting to win the lottery; the chances are beyond low. Prior to the main story, the film refers to all past movies and shows how Pokémon live among each other...including the legendary ones. So why can't Palkia and Dialga? Aren't they aware of each other's presence? If these two hard heads didn't get mad each other, then this whole issue could have been avoided.

Not to mention wasn't Celebi from the 4th movie the Pokémon that controlled time? Topping it off are the other side characters. Of the new characters Alice is the only one who has stake in the game. The script probably could have found a way to just make it about her and the two new legendries mitigated Tonio and Darkrai altogether. The problem is, the characters just aren't that interesting. Darkrai just plays elusive the whole time despite that it's a Pokémon that can speak English like Team Rocket's Meowth. Speaking of which, Jessie, James and Meowth have more of a part to play in this feature. Why does it have to be when the story isn't as good though, is hard to tell. And although the side characters are not that interesting, the voice acting is better than The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon (2006).

Emily Bauer as Dawn joins Sarah Natochenny in Ash's company after doing Season 10 of the show and she performs just fine. Rich McNanna as Tonio also voice Jack Walker in Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006). Khristine Hvam as Alice was her first voice acting credit and managed fine too. As for Scott Williams as Darkrai, he actually managed to sound like Dan Green sometimes. How Darkrai became a liked character is a mystery. Cinematography was again taken care of by Takaya Mizutani but again not sure what that was. If anything the animation and music composed by Shinji Miyazaki was nice to hear. Although not many tracks were distinguishable and no domestic album release is available, the main song Orácion is quite nice to hear coming from an organ.

The actors all perform well along with some different sounding music. Regrettably, this does not make up for the premise this particular entry is based on. The reason for the whole plot feels baseless and the majority of supporting characters feel like they weren't exactly needed to resolve it either.
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9/10
Best Pokemon movie so far
dill-5177315 February 2017
This has to be best the Pokemon movie I have seen so far the story was great and it has everything you want in a Pokemon movie action and adventure at it's best.

For lots of fun and a adventure you will remember for a while you should definitely check this out.

I am surprised at it's rating should be 8 minim in my option as for any Pokemon fan this is a must watch
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10/10
the best pokemon movie ever
mohanraj14814 August 2014
"the best" Pokemon movie ........watch it :):D .... with out fail

When I first saw this movie I was like superb! This is one of the best Pokemon movies I've ever seen so far. & I had this feeling that I must buy this movie. The best thing I really like about this movie is that the movie followed up on the plot perfectly.The special effects in 3 D turned out great. & best of all it had such a sad but cute happy ending to it. I totally disagree on how the star rating turned out to be. I think this movie deserves something better. I would give this movie an 8.5 star rating. From all the Pokemon movies that I've seen they have been starting to improve quite a bit. Great job! Keep up the good work!
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10/10
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tatisantosheverton1 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
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10/10
The best Pokémon Movie?
dogsox11 May 2019
Yes this is the best Pokémon movie. Now Pokémon movies are not the best movies and have very interesting and bland stories. This story is different. The characters are very relatable and the music ohhh the music. The music in this movie the simply the best and you will get hit right in the feels during this movie. Highly recommend seeing this movie if you are a fan of Pokémon.
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8/10
The best Pokémon movie from the first ten movies!
hayashimegumi16 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The Rise of Darkrai (2007) is the beginning of the deity Pokémon mythology in the anime films. A new series and a much improved animated feature in all aspects, it is the start of a great Pokémon trilogy and I absolutely loved this one!

Why, you ask. Well, it has beautiful visual, architecture and music. The song Oración itself is already magical (I would love to play the song if only I have my own piano) but who would have expected that the grand Time-Space Tower in Alamos Town is also the largest instrument in the Pokémon world?!

Aside from the usual casts from the television anime series and endearing Pokémon, this animated feature also features the legendary Pokémon Darkrai who is said to have ability to cause nightmare, Palkia who represents space and Dialga who represents time!

Unfortunately, not much is known about Palkia and Dialga in this one, you'll have to watch the later films but the misunderstood Darkrai is truly sweet and selfless. Still, weird thing about Darkrai is that it seems to not know that time has passed and it has long legs sometimes.

In the end, what's more amazing about The Rise of Darkrai (2007) is that this time, Ash did not save the day in unforgivable exaggerated ways and most notably, he saved the day together with Dawn, his travelling companion! Therefore, if I have to choose the best Pokémon film from the first ten, it would certainly be this one, the 10th theatrically released film!
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10/10
Most Epic Pokemon Movie!
Raja7922 March 2022
Out of all the Pokemon Movies, this is the most epic one, because it has the best action and adventure within it, especially the final battle between Dialga, Palkia and Darkrai, that was the best.

This movie deserves a higher rating!
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8/10
The best Pokemon movie but
ThunderKing61 September 2019
Why does every Pokemon movie have to have a depressing moment? Can they not have an adventure without feeling depressed over something?

Overall good movie even though they emasculated Darkrai.
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10/10
This is such an awesome movie
celinpaz10 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I love this movie and I often watch it from time to time, the introduction to Palkia and Dialga was so cool! Especially Darkrai, the friendship between him and the little girl Alicia was so sweet but so sad after later finding out that Alice was not Alicia. I wish I could have seen more of their friendship. I love the trope where a kid befriends a creature who is depicted as a monster when they are actually very sweet. I don't regret watching this movie. Darkrai will always hold a dear place in my heart. If you love Pokemon, please watch this movie! You will not regret it! This movie is epikkk.
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Awesome
Isshikiotsutsuki16 December 2017
This is one of the best pokemon movies ever! Darkrai is a very cool character.
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My favorite Pokemon movie
anh-9301014 January 2022
Some people don't like Pokemon movies, but for me it's all pretty good.

For me, this is the most attractive Pokemon movie.

Watch it when you want to see the big scenes.
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