Pokemon Movie 17: Hakai no Mayu to Diancie

Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction is the first Pokemon film in a while that features some fresh ideas and creative moments. In the vein of the last few, it's also an unambitious work stuck in a rut.

Near the end of the film, there's a great scene with Ash and five antagonists awaking Yveltal. The ensuing attempts to kidnap Diancie and run away from the harbinger of death are joyously written. These scenes make only a tiny portion of the film overall, but they stand out from the cookie-cutter writing we're usually treated with in these films.

The good thing about this one is that ... Diancie is a likeable character and her interactions with Ash & co are fun to watch. Of course, the dialogue isn't going to win any awards, but I feel it's done its part. Adequate to keep us entertained, not enough to uplift the work.

Diancie's lack of a distinguishing character arc is disapointing. Her mini adventures aren't enough to keep us entertained for over two thirds of the film, either. It's for this reason that wacky sequences not fittingt the film are utilized to shake things up a bit. A good example of this is the infinite ladder at the mall.

Just like Shaymin's film, this one suffers from a sudden focus shift from characters to the plot, where characters aren't developed enough for a character focused film and the plot is too weak to make itself worth it.

The last fifth of the film with Yveltal petrifying the waking world is, again, a joy to watch. However, Yveltal & Xerneas don't feel like world shattering legendaries because the plot had no time to build up them or the legend around them. Unlike, say, legendary birds from the second film, these feel like pseudo-legendaries which only the local town folk are aware of as a curiosity.

The film made a few big mistakes in its conceptual stage which paved the way to an unfulfilling plot and somewhat stale middle of the film, but from the execution it's obvious that they treated this one with some care, unlike the last two. Nothing groundbreaking for the most part, but at least it gives hope for further installments. It's been 16 films. After a draught, finally one I can recommend to general Pokemon fans. It's okay.

Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction is by no means the worst Pokemon movie I've seen, but considering how long it's been since I've seen a new one it's definitely not the best.

The story isn't bad, but to me it just feels too similar to past movies, Pokemon 4Ever in particular. Diancie can't create a new crystal that can save her home, so she goes off in search of Xerneas to help her obtain that power. It starts off on a high note, but then it starts falling flat. There's a whole chunk of the movie that feels like filler with Diancie traveling with Ash ... and friends, and then the climax feels forced and not that high stakes.

The characters are mixed. Diancie is a very good character, pulling off the sheltered princess character well and making her insecurities feel real. The Carbink team that accompany her are also a decent bunch, any of these characters could be humans and it'd still work well. The human characters themselves though, not so much. The villains of this movie don't have much motivation beyond capturing Diancie so she'll make diamonds. They aren't established much beyond this fact. It doesn't help that the movie tries to set two of them up as a couple, but it doesn't work since there's no build-up for it. They also don't provide much conflict beyond catching Diancie. Once the real villain shows up they pretty much fall short and are taken out swiftly. It's just a shame.

Overall, I'd say this movie isn't bad, but stereotypical. Elements from previous movies show up and it just feels like a forgettable Pokemon movie. It doesn't particularly excite or disappoint, it's just there for you to watch. It's not a movie I'd personally watch again, but it wasn't bad like the movie that comes after it. If nothing else, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction is a decent way to kill an hour, and I wouldn't turn it away.