Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)

I came into this one ready to hate it, considering that the "Pokémon" films from the X&Y saga hadn't been exactly stellar. "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction" was mediocre and "Hoopa and the Clash of Ages" was the worst "Pokémon" film yet. However, this film really surprised me. Not only is it the best X&Y film, I would even say that it is the best "Pokémon" film in around a decade.

Volcanion was one of the better legendary Pokémon in a while. While I was a bit annoyed at him at first with how he had the typical "disdain for humanity" personality, he got to be a much more likeable and engaging character as the movie progressed. His relationship with Magearna surprisingly was quite interesting and felt very real.

Similar to the "Victini" movies, this film doesn't really break any new ground but somehow manages to make things feel fresh. It has interesting new variations on themes used before in the series that managed to keep my attention.

The action scenes are an absolute blast and probably some of the most exciting the "Pokémon" films have had in a while. The film is also complimented nicely by impressive animation and CGI and a great musical score.

There are just a few negatives. There were some pretty stupid scenes in the film here and there, though thankfully they are mostly confined to the first half. Also, the main villain wasn't really all that memorable.

Aside from "The Rise of Darkrai", "Victini and Zekrom/Reshiram", and "Genesect and the Legend Awakened", all the post-Hoenn entries in the series have been a chore for me. This film, however, proved that there is still some steam left in this franchise. A highly satisfying "Pokémon" film that is definitely worth checking out.

RATING: B+