POKEMON MOVIE 16 GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED (PART OF THE SET POKEMON BLACK AND WHITE)

Pokemon Movie 16 Genesect and the Legend Awakened
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: All
Running Time: 70 Mins
Audio:  English
Due Out: Out Now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes 

As Pokemon Black and White is currently out, I thought it would be a good idea to put out a review of this movie as it stood out in my mind as one of my favourites in the 4 box set and Mewtwo is a cool understated character I liked seeing the first time around.

Mewtwo hears a distress call from the Genesect, a small group of pokemon who have been reformed and since abandoned by humans. They want to go home, and Mewtwo tries to communicate with one of them; the Water Genesect who seems to listen to reason and accepts his help, though the Red Genesect, who seems to be their leader, does not share his opinion and urges the Water Genesect to obey his orders of destroying Mewtwo.

As we know, Mewtwo isn't exactly what we would call a good guy, but  he has just cause to suspect humans for what they have done to him in the past and as similar has happened to the Genesect, he lets his good guy nature in to give them a hand, saving them from certain death. The Genesect live out their lives frightened of anyone they encounter, so you get to think what their human creators must have done to hurt them so much in the past.

While Mewtwo leaves them to it for a while, Ash and his friends discover one of the Genesect, Water Genesect hanging around Pokemon Hills discovering he is lost and as he said before, wants to go home. He makes friends with Ash and Pikachu without much resistance, though the return of his friends and the Red Genesect prove troublesome to deal with. Pikachu finds out the Genesect are a form of pokemon who have been extinct for 300 million years and since have been found and reformed by the humans who have also bolted weapons on their bodies, supposedly to use in warfare, but it doesn't expand on this in the story.

Eric the tour guide of Pokemon Hills probably wished he hadn't turned up that day as he finds himself embroiled in a very dangerous situation that could turn nasty if Red Genesect gets his way. What is interesting about this is that Pokemon Hills is an idyllic place where the pokemon can enjoy sanctuary away from humans and aliens who might want to do them harm. Here, they have been invaded by another type of pokemon, more metal than strange being and are in the same situation as they would have been with Mewtwo. The difference is, Mewtwo has changed his ways even if he does care more about the pokemon than their trainers.

While Ash wants to help the Genesect, naughty duo Jessie and James overhear what is going on, and think of how many times they have had to chase pokemon around, deciding to bag a few Genesect, appoint Mewtwo as the leader of them and have their own army. It's good to see them again as what would the story be like without a couple of baddies?

For the Pokemon franchise the movies added a new dimension to the series and the animators made sure to give the CGI a boost too with Pikachu's lightening bolts and electro balls which look more effective this time around.