Pokemon Heroes

A dying franchise refuses to take its final breath, leaving viewers to endure this unnecessary fifth installment featuring mutated lint balls with supernatural powers and robotically poised teens. This time, the 80-minute sequel takes place in a flat Japanimated water world where the squealing yellow marshmallow, Pikachu, and his Pokemon trainer, Ash, help sibling birds protect the sacred jewel from two power-hungry thieves that are cleverly named Annie and Oakley. This banal quest for world domination is complicated further by an inconvenient flood that is about as compelling as the status of Michael Bolton’s career. Given the trite plot, annoying characters and unimpressive animation, it’s clear the game is over.