Gekijôban Poketto Monsutâ Besuto Uisshu: Bikutini to kuroki eiyû Zekuromu

Maybe I kept watching because Gen 5 is my favorite Pokémon generation. Like the Genesect movie, this one is REALLY pretty - gorgeous visuals, gorgeously-animated action scenes, gorgeous cinematic soundtrack. There are so many scenes in this movie that are breathtaking, especially the ones of the castle flying in the sky, and of the dragon's pulse. They also manage to fill the characters with real depth and emotion (which is something that's severely lacking in movies like the Diancie one). As an example, Victini is adorable and a cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs. As another example, the scenes of Ash regretting that he never got to show Victini the sea are really poignant and really well-done. That's how this movie will make you feel about the characters.

If only so much could be said about the story, which is simply not there. I was held on by the gorgeous visuals, but I didn't see a coherent story whatsoever. The whole thing with the dragon's pulse and the this-which-whatever place you're supposed to put the sword castle, was just too vague and confusing as a plot device. The exposition lasts an entire hour, and when things actually start kicking into high gear, it's forced - Dread made a big mistake because he was ignorant of one not-so-minor detail, but the movie forces him to look like this adamant villain who's okay with hurting Victini, and it's so unconvincing. And they didn't even bother to make the "truth and ideals" thing make sense.

It's another half-baked movie that they had to crank out in a year, but it's got those epic vibes going for it. The Best Wishes films seem actually decent despite their flaws, unlike what a lot of people say. Maybe the Keldeo movie is better than I remembered too...I'm not counting on that though.