Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back

Pokemon Movie 1: Mewtwo no Gyakushuu-S1E1

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source: Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back

source: Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back

Ugh. If there's anything good about this movie, it's that it's a wonderful marketing machine. Most likely every single Pokemon fan have already bought their copy of this wretched movie. No matter. I'm going to rant anyway. This movie is just plain pathetic. It shows no creative thought whatsoever, and it sometimes gets offensive. The jokes are dead on arrival, the animation is nonexistent, and the story is a bomb. The characters are a snooze, and the movie jackhammers its message into your poor, battered brain. And then it contradicts itself. Finally, the battle scene is completely disturbing. This is the worst movie to show to kids ever. It has no moral or entertainment value whatsoever. Keep this away from the children. It should come with a warning label.

When a group of scientists are offered funding into genetic research if they agree to try and clone the greatest ever pokèmon, Mew, the end result is success and Mewtwo is born. However Mew is bitter about his purpose in life and kills his masters. In order to become the greatest he throws open a challenge to the world to battle him and his pokèmon. Ash and his friends are one of the few groups of trainers who pass the first test and prepare for battle. However they soon find out about further cloning and Mew 2's ultimate plan for the earth. Of course I assumed I was going to hate it! That's why I felt it was only fair to make my own decision based on actually seeing it myself. I have never really given the show much time but I don't feel like this was a barrier to the film, apart from not knowing all the names of the pokèmon. The film starts surprisingly well, with a very dark tone and some deep issues from the point of view of Mewtwo. However once the films moves to Ash and Pikachu the tone changes and, although it has moments, it never gets the original dark tone of the opening. The result is a very mixed film which has far too many light touches or cute moments which overshadow the darker issues around Mewtwo's creation and inner rage. The violence within him was interesting but sadly whatever spark of adult subtext might have been present is snuffed out by the kiddie feel good moments and comic touches. Some of the film is actually quite good but only the darker stuff. The film's climax could have actually been a little moving IF the actual message (`fighting is bad') wasn't so contrary to the concept of these `pocket monsters'. I quite liked the animation, it has the feel of anime without actually having the quality and imagination of what we have come to expect from that genre. The biggest weakness next to the uneven tone is the lack of characters. Mew 2 was genuinely complex and was the most interesting part of the film, however the main and supporting characters are really paper thin. Whether it be `heroic boy' or `clowning baddies' or `cute monsters' or `tough monsters' none of them are ever taken beyond the tagline point. I had hoped that the film would recognise this but instead it has everyone just doing the basic stuff and none of the characters actually grew as a result of having a movie to expand into. Of course I'm reading too much into it and most kids will be happy with this, but I expect a kids film to at least recognise that most kids will be taken to see the film by adults and therefore it would be a good idea to expand it where possible. Overall I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time watching this as it had a few good moments and the character of Mewtwo was interesting enough to keep me watching. Sadly it is of uneven tone and is defeated by silly moments and a total lack of character - either in the humans, who aren't portrayed as `people' and the pokèmon, who just make noises and come across as marketing materials rather than characters that I should have any involvement with. Not as bad as everyone says but more frustrating as it occasionally shows potential before blowing it.

Pokemon has never been my cup of tea, but one thing it has never been is un-original. True all the children's elements are here, which is good, but this film is not for thrill seeking movie goers and especially parents. But at least the film has some redeeming value (unlike the show, which is usually just worthless garble). The movie is entertaining in some points and it teaches kids a few points. Which is good because the anime in this movie is probably the worst of it's kind (and I'm an anime lover) and not for people who are looking for in depth character studies. But if your looking for a over-rated match between 2 human like creatures with weird animals fighting in the process (with a message at the end that fighting is wrong) this film is for you.

Like many others, I have watched this when it first came out in theaters. I was in elementary school at the time when Pokemon was really popular. To understand this movie (and the others,) people have to watch the series to understand it. But it also have many messages to bring to those who haven't watch the series. While it is thought of as a child's film, one cannot help but notice that it has many messages in the movie. It isn't just about good and bad, it was about everything else. How Ash cares so deeply for his Pokemon (especially Pikachu.) How Pokemon shouldn't be fighting to this extent(enter Brother my Brother by Blessid Union of Souls.) How the impossible can be possible. How people and Pokemon can get along and how one person's wrongdoing doesn't mean all should suffer because of it. Many of these concepts brought up in the movie can be brought up in real life. The love an owner gives to his dog is just one example, while getting along with another person is another. The show may seem straight-forward. But when you think of what kind of messages it sends to its viewers, that is when a good film becomes a great film.

The opening uber-kiddie cartoon was horribly painful, but in a sort of masochistic way it was fun. I imagine that a horrific torture might be watching the uber-kiddie cartoon over and over without stop. The rest of the movie wasn't quite totally and completely horrid. It felt like someone had an OK plot, but was forced to graft it onto a crappy Pokemon format. Pokemon is just a slight step up from Teletubbies. I'm not anti-Anime, just opposed to crappy anime. The movie works best in the parts where it feels least like an episode of Pokemon. This might have been a decent movie if the author could have sold the idea to someone other than Pokemon.