POKÉMON THE MOVIE: DIANCIE AND THE COCOON OF DESTRUCTION is the 17th movie in the Pokémon franchise. While it's not one of the better movies in the series, it has its moments of visual spectacle and excitement and should still delight the series' many fans. The big problem with this one is the sheer multiplicity of villainous factions, all trying to abduct the cute and diminutive Diancie, a jewel Pokémon princess from some underground kingdom. There are at least four factions after Diancie because of her budding ability to conjure diamonds out of thin air. The fact that her diamonds, initially at least, evaporate after a few minutes doesn't seem to deter any of them. Even Team Rocket gets into the act, making for the biggest parts they've had in a Pokémon movie—probably ever!--and one of the few times they've been active villains in one of the movies.
Ash Ketchum and his friends (Serena, Bonnie and Clemont) become Diancie's protectors after rescuing her from a multi-pronged abduction attempt in a remote European mountain town. The most enjoyable scenes come when they travel together and bond and have fun, including a trip on a cruise ship to a big city and a visit to a shopping mall where the girls (Serena and Bonnie) take Diancie to a clothing store and play dress-up. Soon after this, they enter Diancie's underground kingdom where they learn that the heart diamond that powers the place is losing power and only Diancie can restore it, but only after her powers are enhanced by the mystical deer god Xerneas in the forbidden All-Earth Forest nearby. (If Xerneas reminds you too much of the "shishigami" from PRINCESS MONONOKE, you're not alone.) However, lurking in the forest is a formidable Pokémon menace, Yveltal, a giant bird monster that is laying dormant in the "Cocoon of Destruction." Should it be awakened, all hell will break loose.
The action soon shifts to the forest and, as expected, the interventions of all the competing villains—Marilyn Flame, Ninja Riot, Argus Steel and Team Rocket—cause Yveltal to awaken and go berserk, shooting rays that turn everything they touch into stone. Only the intervention of Xerneas can save the day. It's all very spectacular, but doesn't make a lot of narrative sense. I wish there'd been more context provided and more proper build-up, as in last year's Pokémon movie, GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED, which set up the antagonists' backstory in a timely and concise fashion. The existence of this massive, unexplored forest and underground Pokémon kingdom so close to a large metropolis is never explained. Couldn't the writers have established its existence in a more remote locale first? It may seem like a minor point to the child audience, but in past Pokémon movies they always took great care to establish the more exotic settings in a more satisfying way. A lot happens in the final 15-to-20 minutes, but it was never terribly suspenseful. Which is too bad, because Diancie herself is a genuinely interesting new Pokémon protagonist and is one that can talk, albeit telepathically. Her scenes with Ash & company and her socialization process after being underground all her life are the best parts of the film and make one wish the action elements had been streamlined a bit. It all got overly complicated with the heart diamond, Yveltal, the All-Earth Forest and everything. I like it when there's one strong antagonist and a conflict that directly impacts our heroes, as in last year's GENESECT film (which I've also reviewed on this site).
This movie is a spin-off of the newest season, "Pokémon the Series: XY," which is now running on Cartoon Network and which introduced Ash's newest set of traveling companions, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. Serena is, to me, probably the most compatible female counterpart Ash has ever had. She admires and respects him and is always unfailingly supportive. She doesn't compete with him but has her own set of talents and specialties that she indulges in when the opportunities arise. He should keep her around. When they get older
who knows? Clemont is a young scientific genius and Bonnie is his gregarious little sister, not the first little kid the series has had, but certainly the most endearing. They make a great team and I hope they're all featured in the next movie as well.
