Pokémon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram (2011)

Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram & White—Victini and Zekrom (2011) are quite special as they are the two versions of the fourteenth films, just like the two versions of the game, Pokémon Black & White. Each version has different set of Pokémon that are exclusive to its respective titles and there are indeed some differences in several aspects. Unfortunately, even if it's two against any one film, they are not as captivating as most of the other Pokémon films in entirety.Firstly, the concept of Victini is quite interesting and it is adorable but that is not enough to make this a good one as the whole backstory and plot is just not compelling. Then, while the designs of Reshiram and Zekrom are quite unique; the concept of Heroes of Truth and Ideals associated with them are awfully laughable. There is just nothing to it because everything here is extremely vague. Talk about philosophy!There is also nothing much to the flying castle, except that it look grand on the outside, can be moved around by abusing Pokémon's powers and if it lands on the right spot, it can magically stop a powerful energy known as the dragon force. Honestly, nothing much stands out here except the pop up history book scene which is creative and nicely done and probably Ash Ketchum's selfless and reckless actions. So, if you hate him, it is most likely that you won't like this because the creators of this animated feature decided to make it Ash-centric again with these films by making him, an unknown person to the kingdom as the chosen one. I am neutral towards Ash Ketchum but it is still illogical. What made it worst is that the villain is also one of the worst there is. He seems to be a good guy but he is not. He is supposed to be a bad guy, but he is not really one too. There is just so many contradiction about this character Damon but I guess in the end he is just a confused guy.Which one is the better version, is all up to your own liking. There are only slightly different scenes with different side of story and characters but as a whole, the differences are almost unnoticeable except during the People of the Vale scenes and the appearance of Damon's Pokémon as the script and the editing is largely the same. For me, these makes a bad recycling example. Sure, it is certainly something new but can't deny that it is a very lazy work. I just hope this won't happen again because anyone could do the same to their films by just changing or recreating some stuffs and release it as two versions. Or, worst, even more than that. So, it is quite sad to conclude that these films are another letdown as it has one of the worst backstory.

This movie is...okay. I'd probably consider it one of the better Pokemon movies. But for whatever reason, I found it easier to buy that Reshiram would be the ally dragon than Zekrom. Perhaps it was because I watched the show and saw Zekrom was the first legendary and he acted antagonistic at first. Whatever. I did see both cuts side by side, and aside from a few recolors and some lines here and there, they are almost identical. White is slightly longer, though. I guess if you want the almost full story, watch White, but if you want the biggest plot hole erased, go with Black (this one). 6/10. Decent story, but one change saves it.