I was expecting it to be better, but it was still worth watching. MAJOR Spoilers ahead, but what can you expect?
9.0
"Superb"
Keep in mind that this review is almost a year late, but I knew that I eventually had to write a review for the final episode of one of my favorite shows I'd ever watched before.
Okay, so this episode is all about the biggest challenge that Danny has faced, for it is on a world wide, everyone-is-going-to-die-if-I-don't-stop-this scale. And of course, Vlad is trying to use this to his advantage. Unfortunately, Danny gave up his powers, a seemingly classic superhero thing. It took soooooo long just to get to what I just described in the movie. The first half was already gone by this time. The beginning of the movie was pretty cool, with funny banter between Danny and Vlad, and the Maddie hologram. It made me eager for the rest of the movie, but then it slowed down. They seemed to want to focus on how Danny felt about being normal again, and how it really made things unnatural/hard for him, after all, he had been a hero for quite a long time already, though we don't know how long truly, because of the break in continuity in previous episodes. I liked this angle on the story, but I don't really like how it was done. Danny seemed very immature, and Sam kept nagging and nagging Danny about it, as if she could control him. It actually made me see what the other fans disliked about Sam for so long, and it made me think like Danny hadn't grown up at all since he first got his powers.
Luckily, it improved towards the second half, if I can remember correctly. Good old Jack gets put on the mission to destroy the asteroid hudling towards Earth, and Vlad screws him up. Soon after that, I think, Vlad says that he will stop the thing, if he gains power over the world (little too much classic villain there), and totally gets screwed up when he can't do it. He can never return to earth now. Slightly anti-climatic I must say. I was hoping for a showdown between him and Danny, where Danny finally proves himself the craftier and stronger one, finally winning the game of chess, instead of Vlad messing himself up. Or at least Vlad could have tried to exact his revenge by trying to waste the world, I don't know.
Stuff happens, Danny gets powers back, and gets aid of enemies to help him turn world intangible. This was a nice touch because I love when enemies unify for one good cause, though its kind of been done before in this show. It was nice that Danny and Sam got together, cool that Danny made the biggest move, the kiss on the lips, and of course it added epicness to the scene, and the other events latter, even though you knew it would all turn out fine in the end, it was still cute, except for maybe those Danny/Valerie fans, but by then, that possibility was far gone. Three things about the end bothered me quite a bit though. Why did Danny reveal his identity to everyone. It was awesome to see his parent's reactions, but it should have stayed between them. What's a super hero with out a secret identity? Come on, writers! Why did Valerie seem so at peace, as well? She should have at least looked slightly horrified, then looked calm. That seems out of character. Why is Tucker the mayor? He's only 14 years old! Lots of improbable things happen in super hero shows, but that's pushing it in another way that really shouldn'y be pushed. Still, the ending wasn't too bad, everything turned out alright for Danny, his fears of his parents and the world not excepting him were ended by finally revealing the truth, he got the girl, and the bad guy is forever banished.
For Vlad's fate, it seems fitting. I love how Jack turned on him in the end; he's not as stupid as he seems. Vlad had ran out of all of his options, when he thought that he would certainly win, he didn't consider all that he was putting on the line. His pride, greed, and wrath got in the way, and he finally lost it all, getting pretty much something close to what he deserved. Still, one might feel sad for his loneliness. In my opinion, this movie should have had more Danny and Vlad stuff, so that Vlad's demise and the end would have been more satifying, for after all they went through, it just didn't end in an epic way, like it should have. It should have involved more "chess" play between them for a truely fitting end.
In short, this ending to the show was a bit disapppointing, for it wasn't very epic, and the main villain wasn't really the main villain the whole time. It was interesting to see Danny without powers, but he just seemed so out of character at that place and time. The pacing was off tremendously.
Even so, I generally like the concept, and emotion in the most important parts. The feeling of the world unifying in a time of crisis conveys an important message to us, as does the demise of Vlad, so this wasn't a horrible ending to this show. The mood was right in the second half, though the first half was mostly wacky. The second half helped make up for some of it. I was hoping for something like "The Ultimate Enemy" or "Reign Storm," but this one didn't get all that close to those two. The mood of those two were really good the whole way through, and were very epic. They were generally more consistant. I'm sad that we never got to see the return of Dark Dan. I always thought that the series should've ended with Vlad, but the episode before should have been Dark Danny. We did get foreshadowing, didn't we. That was definatley one of the most disappointing things with the end. Definately a must see for any Danny Phantom fan of any range of fandom, but it is the ending, after all. It was cool being a big fan of this show for so long, even if it wasn't consistant. Could have been better, but it surely wasn't horrible, or even bad, just not as good as I was expecting, or more so, hoping for.