Recap: Pokémon- Genesect and the Legend Awakened

Hello everyone, and welcome to my look at Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened. I originally wanted to do movie when it first came out, but things got in the way for one reason or another. As the last film of the BW era, this film has proven to be highly polarizing for reasons I will get into in a moment. In terms of how they handled the film, it’s on the same level of controversy in my social circle as Greedo shooting first, making Sonic pal around with a human princess; and oh yes, casting Scarlett Johansson as the Major.

I know full well that what I’m about to say may be different from what many think, but at this point: I don’t care. So, let’s open this up and get started.

We open on some fairly good shots of the Unova region, where Mewtwo is racing some other flying Pokémon. Right off the bat, I will have to address this: Mewtwo is female in this movie, which divided many fans as a result. Personally, I think they blew this whole thing out of proportion. 

As we see a group of Genesect in the canyon, Mewtwo can apparently Mega Evolve at will. I actually like the design of what would be known as Mega Mewtwo Y; and the titular Genesect. While the red one has a voice that could easily pass for some versions of Megatron, the others, including one equipped with a Douse Drive, kind of sounds like a discount Cyberman.

I also have no objections toward Mewtwo being depicted as more noble than previous versions. While  others just weren’t happy with the liberties taken with the other movies; certain segments of the fandom just took this movie way too seriously for my tastes. If I didn’t address this right off, the recap would be over 300 pages long. I will mention it again when I have to, but I will try to take this movie on its own merit as well as an extension of the source material.

Mewtwo then offers to help the Genesect find their way back home, but the red Genesect attacks Mewtwo in response! 

I must say, the animation in this movie is actually quite impressive; and it overall represents a relatively nice film for the BW films to go out on. Despite this film’s infamy among fans, I actually didn’t find this as bad as others said. I will tell you why in a moment.

After the “world of Pokémon” segment, we see Ash, Iris, Cilan and Pikachu head towards a place called Pokémon Hills in New Tork City, furthering the parallels towards the real-life influence New York City and the surrounding areas had on the Unova region.

The credits roll to the “Adventures in Unova” theme as everyone frolics though the nature preserve. I’ve been wanting to do this movie for a long time, but this is another one I’ve had to rewrite my notes for after my first draft went AWOL.

Pokémon Hills is also home to a sort of flower garden, containing ones from around the world and a hedge maze! As Ash runs through he maze, he encounters Genesect by a lake and begins surfing on top it like one of the hoverboards from Back to the Future Part II. I actually rather like their exchange afterward. No comment on Ash’s line by the shore, though.

I also don’t have any real issue with Genesect being telepathic, since much like the games that inspired this picture; genetic engineering basically does whatever the writers and animators need it to.

However, Genesect looks mournfully at some lily pads, and says it wants to go home! The red Genesect then ambushes Ash, which leads to a battle between them and Pikachu! The red Genesect then overrides his cohort’s programming and has it attack them! At that moment, Mewtwo arrives and takes the attack!

Ash also apparently still knows about Mewtwo, and even though the movie does take some creative license with its backstory as well as Genesect; I submit that this isn’t the worst Pokémon movie I’ve seen, and far from the worst video game movie I’ve seen. It’s definitely better than the Super Mario Bros. movie or any given Uwe Boll film.

Of course, Team Rocket sees Mewtwo buzz by them, and they want to capture it and all the Gensesct so they can rule the world! OF COURSE!

As Pikachu and Axew are healed at the Pokémon center, Nurse Joy and a man named Eric talk more about what they saw, he tells about a rare lotus called a Panna flower.

The Genesect start setting their plan in motion, and in addition to some construction workers; we see a one girl dressed like she’s going to the beach, and a boy dressed like he’s going to play baseball! Reminds me of Eagleland from Earthbound.

Everyone then has a dinner of hot dogs, because that’s what we eat in America, right? I kid, I love it when works do this sometimes.

One of the Genesect attacks a Feraligatr, and Cilan helps tend to an injured Ralts that got caught in the crossfire! This leads into what’s actually a fairly nice action scene as Ash, Iris and Eric try to find another way into the nature preserve through the service entrance.

Eric leads Ash and Iris to the city’s power grid, and they determine that if it’s damaged, the whole city is going to go dark!

As we see a shot of Mewtwo standing on a bridge, we then see a flashback of Mewtwo being created by Team Plasma, as with Genesect! This element divided a lot of fans, and not just because of the casting. Personally, I don’t find this plot thread as bad as others said. I acknowledge that it borrows a lot from Mewtwo Strikes Back and Mewtwo Returns, but does it really matter? A lot of fiction in general borrows from what came before.

The Douse Drive Genesect finds more of the Panna flowers in a fountain, just as the power grid is damaged! Eric then determines if it’s not repaired, the whole city will be in danger! Eric goes to repair the damage, as Mewtwo and the Red Genesect clash! Ash and Iris then try to find their way out as they’re confronted by the other Genesect! While I’ve pointed out that I’m not the biggest fan of conspicuous CGI, I can appreciate how this film uses it similar to how a live-action film would. Also, many of Mewtwo’s words towards the red Genesect could definitely be words towards some of the fans who had more hostile reactions to this film.

As the battle continues, Cilan arrives with more Pokémon to help, and Feraligatr wants to fight as well! The other Genesect start acting like Ultron and his drones! Ash tries to tell the other Genesect that their cohort just wants to coexist with the others, but they will have none of it! Sounds like the broken base in a nutshell.

I must say, as this battle inside the reserve features many Pokémon they had up to that point, both old and new; the way the attacks are volleyed back and forth is very slick and colorful; even if it does get busy, as Sean Paul sometimes says.

The Douse Drive Genesect then takes an attack for Ash, and it loses power! As the rest of the Genesect go after the Pokémon in the preserve, I honestly disagree with a lot of the heat this movie gets. I will gladly watch it over the Jirachi movie any day.

Mewtwo comes back to fight the other Genesect, and the way the red Genesect says “you cannot defeat us” reminds me of that really weird and creepy Nintendo commercial from the 1980s. Even though Mewtwo Mega Evolving at will is a bit weird, I will excuse it as X and Y weren’t out yet at the time.

The Douse Drive Genesect awakens in the wake of the destruction, and I actually kind of like the symbolic “tears” as it rises from the pool of water.

The Genesect crash into the substation, leaving the whole park without power! The rest of the city is then plunged into darkness as the Genesect and Mewtwo continue their battle! Ash also sends out Oshawott to help contain the fire inside with Feraligtar!

Ash, Iris and Cilan even go out of their way to save Mewtwo! Wouldn’t be the first time, especially not in Ash’s case.

The other Genesect then call for an end to their leader’s fight, but the red Genesect won’t do it! Mewtwo then even tells it “you stubbornly refuse to understand!” Basically how I feel about some fans’ more hostile reactions.

Mewtwo then decides to take Genesect to the highest possible altitude, until they’re almost in space! As they’re above the Earth’s surface, they see the sunrise over the horizon and have an epiphany about their fight! I’m reminded of one of the lines from the full version of Mewtwo’s origin: “Life is beautiful, but… why?”

As Mewtwo and the red Genesect fall back to earth, the rest of the Genesect realize they need to slow them down; along with Ash’s Charizard and Iris’ Dragonite! Reminds me of how they slowed down Tony after the final battle in The Avengers. The other Pokémon even make a big ball of water to break their fall!

So, Mewtwo and all the Genesect make peace with each other; and they decide to take up residence in Pokémon Hills! Mewtwo and the Douse Drive Genesect thank Ash and the others for their help as they fly off into the skyline of New Tork City!

The credits also feature cameos from other characters in the BW series, and I will briefly give my thoughts on them as they roll to the song “We’re Coming Home.”  Stephan: a very active, but friendly guy as long as you get his name right. Georgia: Much like my family’s poodle, a bit temperamental and very fussy. Burgundy: I always found her more amusing than Miette, given her rivalry with Cilan is only exceeded by her own hubris. Bianca: a bit of a goofball, very different from the character in Pokémon Heroes; but I like her fine. Trip: not quite as big a jerk as Paul, but a close second. Cameron: isn’t that cute? It thinks it’s people.

So, that’s Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened. I know a lot of people didn’t like the movie for what it did to the characters; but I always thought that their reactions were overblown. I know there may be many elements taken from previous stories that involved Mewtwo, but in many ways, film often uses what came before it as an influence. The Dark Knight, my favorite film; is definitely one that arguably wouldn’t exist without the 1989 Batman. Many newer film versions of Superman definitely owe a lot to the 1978 film. Heck, I don’t even mind how these new Star Wars movies are influenced so much by the original trilogy. The Force Awakens being so similar to A New Hope is no different from how the saga itself was heavily influenced by Flash Gordon serials and “jidai geki” films such as “The Hidden Fortress.” The animation is also quite impressive, and to this day, I still find the ideas implemented in Generation V unique. I don’t share the feelings of fans who put Mewtwo’s voice actress in this movie on the defensive, and I certainly don’t share the idea of denigrating Black and White because it’s “in” right now. So, forget the haters: I like this movie. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters to me.

With the release of Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You in the US, keep an eye out for my look at the XY series films, starting with my look at Pokémon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction! See you, space cowboy!