Assembling all of the Pokémon movies set during the Best Wishes iteration of the show, Black and White is four films that while not being terrible are nothing special either.
The 14th Pokémon movie was the first (and to date, only) entry in the franchise to have two versions in a way that is akin to the way that each game in the franchise’s parent series has at least two versions. There is very little difference between the two versions. They provide something that’s a little different here and there but are certainly not different enough to genuinely separate movies.
The major element that distinguishes this movie from the others is that although it has an antagonist misusing an adorable Pokémon for his own ends, said antagonist has a good reason and is therefore misguided rather than simplistically evil.
Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice starts is different because it has its central Pokémon (Keldeo) be the one to go through the character arc; Ash and his friends don’t even show up until the plot of the film is established and well underway. Keldeo’s character arc is effective, and Kyurem makes for an imposing threat for the heroes to face. Out of all the films included in this collection, this one is the best.
Genesect and the Legend Awakened has not previously been available on DVD in the U.K. before (though it has long been available on at least one streaming service), so this could be the first chance that many viewers will get to see it. It (like Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice) is one of the Pokémon movies that doesn’t have a human antagonist, with all the danger come from Pokémon foes (in this case, a group of Genesect). Mewtwo makes an appearance but either it is a different interpretation from the original or the backstory has been forgotten because the first movie is never mentioned and Mewtwo is voiced by a different actor than the one who played the character in the original movie.
As is typical for a Pokémon release, there are no special features here, so there is nothing to make it stand out for anyone who might already have access to these movies via other mediums.
Pokémon Movie 14-16 Collection: Black & White offers more of what had been long been established in the franchise by the time they were made, but most of them at least try to do something a little different with the material. As a whole, this collection is good but not great, and long-time fans of THE SERIES MIGHT HAVE FUN WITH IT.
POKÉMON MOVIE 14-16 COLLECTION: BLACK AND WHITE / CERT: PG / DIRECTORS: KUNIHIKO YUYAMA / SCREENWRITERS: HIDEKI SONODA / STARRING: SARAH NATOCHENNY, JASON GRIFFITH, EILEEN STEVENS, IKUE OOTANI, J. MICHAEL TATUM, VIC MIGNOGNA, MIRIAM PULTRO, KEN GATES/ RELEASE DATE: JULY 9TH
