Pokemon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998)

I have to admit that this was my first viewing of this movie in a very, very, very long time. 15 years or so, I think. I had completely forgotten how much I loved it. There's not really a lot to dislike about this theatrical debut of the long running franchise, it's delight from beginning to end. It boasts a score that is embedded in my mind and instantly recognizable and a totally rad soundtrack with songs by some of the hottest artists of the era. If you can track down the CD's for both the score and soundtrack for a good price, get them. You won't be disappointed. 

Before I get into the review, one last note for those wondering how this fits into the timeline, according to Bulbapedia it's roughly set around Episode 067 of the Indigo League 'The Pi-Kahuna'. I watched it after completing the Indigo League episodes and would probably recommend that order to anyone who asks me. Now onto the review!

USA Poster

The movie begins with a sequence showing us Weapon X's... err  sorry, Mewtwo's awakening from a dream and finding himself in a nightmare where he's at the mercy of scientists who were trying to make the ultimate Pokémon. Mewtwo of course is a mutated clone of Mew. Weapon Mew goes berserk and destroys the facility where he was created. Leaving nothing alive. 

Giovanni, who of course funded the project, arrives and promises to help Mewtwo reach his full potential, which Mewtwo agrees to do. However Mewtwo learns he's been betrayed and lied to, leading to one of my favorite quotes of all time.

Humans may have created me, but they will never enslave me! This cannot be my destiny! 

Mewtwo in his Weapon X cosplay.

He decides all humans are evil and their Pokémon weak and inferior. He's gonna purge the earth of all Humans. Thus we have now crossed over from Weapon X into sentient AI Skynet territory. Man made sentient being decides to kill all humans, it's like a Weapon X, Terminator amalgam. 

Then we get to our heroes, the quintet of Ash, Brock, Misty, and their bumbling guardians, Jesse & James. Who for the longest time, I was convinced were sent by Ash's father to keep an eye on him from a distance.. and I thought Giovanni was Ash's father as well for a while.... but that is a theory for another day, or review.  Anyway we get to see a Pokemon battle between Ash and another trainer set to an electrifying cover of "Gotta Catch 'Em All" performed by Billy Crawford

This battle is witnessed by Mewtwo who sends Ash an invitation to his island via Dragonite. 

Give him a mop of hair and he could be Elliot from Pete's Dragon (1977)

Who very much reminds me of Elliot (Albeit with a different color pallet) from the original Pete's Dragon. IS NOTHING SACRED? I kid, I kid. 

Ash of course accepts and Dragonite is off to deliver the response, but not before Team Rocket finds out about the event. And decides to tag along. 

Mewtwo of course has sent invitations to many other trainers he has deemed worthy, who all converge at the docks to board a ferry. Mewtwo creates a nasty storm to make things a little more challenging and weed out those either unwilling or unable to make the journey on their own after the harbormaster shuts the docks down. 

A handful of trainers use their best Pokémon to brave the storm and make their way to the island. The Indigo trio of Ash, Brock, and Misty are left behind standing on the docks until Ash's loyal guardians, Jesse & James show up disguised as Vikings and offers to row them across the turbulent ocean to the island. Which leads to a fantast and vastly underappreciated bit of wordplay. 

Award worthy comedy writing.

   "I didn't know Vikings still existed" "They mostly live in Minnesota"

The entire series is filled with all kinds of examples of this type of humor and I love it dearly. It's what makes it one of my favorite anime's. Seriously, if you're looking for a gentle watch filled with silly humor and some pretty cool moments backed by a spectacular soundtrack, Pokémon is a must watch. 

Mew is awakened from his peaceful slumber by the chaos being wreaked by his royally and rightfully pissed off clone and he rises from the ocean in search of the source of the disturbance. On the island after we're introduced to the various Pokémon and their trainers at a banquet prepared for them, Mewtwo makes both his his presence and intentions known. Which leads to a rather ignorant trainer validating Mewtwo motives with a statement that is laced with prejudice.

This idiot only made things worse.

A Pokémon can't be a Pokémon master! No way!

Seriously, the other trainers only serve as a plot device to deliver Pokémon for genetic material so Mewtwo can create the original Mega Evolution Pokémon. They also help demonstrate how powerful the clones are when their pathetically weak Pokémon go down instantaneously. Only Ash's Pokémon last for more than a few seconds. After all it's Ash's world and everyone else is just plot devices in this movie. Once they get to the island Brock and Misty become useless except for when they're delivering some expositionary dialogue. 

Aside from sending their Pokémon into battle, the others contribute nothing to the overall plot, leaving Ash alone in being actively involved in the ongoing plot and his efforts to stop it. They make no attempt to save their Pokémon or even assist Ash in anyway whatsoever while he nearly kills himself in his efforts to save everyone and their Pokémon.

In fact the only one who actually helps Ash is Mew when he keeps Ash from being splattered against a wall. 

Everyone is so brain dead and useless that I'm almost certain Mewtwo was using a form of confusion on the humans. And either he underestimated Ash and didn't bother using confusion on him, or Ash is immune to Mewtwo's confusion. Perhaps a side effect of his adventure in The Tower of Terror? 

So Mewtwo steals everyone's Pokémon and creates his own Mega Evolution Pokémon clones with which he plans to take over the world and cleanse it of human and regular Pokémon alike until Mew argues with him and makes him decide to level the playing field and block all the Pokémon's powers and let them duel with brute strength alone to prove definitively which is better. This all leads to a battle of the Pokémon with "Brother, my brother"  performed by Blessid Union of Souls playing on the soundtrack. 

As the battle rages on, Mew and Mewtwo prepare to unleash a powerful attack on each other, with no regard for their surroundings, the Pokémon collapse in exhaustion while the useless plot devices wring their hands, gnash their teeth and bemoan how horrible it is to make Pokémon fight in this manner.

Mews go super-Saiyan and prepare for a double kamewhamewha wave

 

The battle comes to a stone cold stop when Ash gets caught in the crossfire trying to stop the battle before it kills everyone. Taking the full brunt of the double kamewhamewha wave he falls to the ground and turns into stone. 

Once again no one rushes to Ash's aid. Except for Pikachu. They all stand around looking stunned, except for Mew who probably was already  planning on restoring Ash. Mewtwo is stunned that a human would risk his life for others. The human plot devices just stand on the sidelines wringing their hands and bemoaning the situation... again. 

Now we get to the scene that gets me teary eyed every single time, Pikachu trying to wake up Ash and slowly realizing that Ash is dead*. This leads to tears being shed as "Tears of Life" cues up on the soundtrack and somehow restore Ash.

Personally, I think either Mew or Mewtwo had a hand in resurrecting Ash. 

Either way, Mewtwo realizes his error 

“The circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”

Mewtwo then flies off with his Mega Evolution Pokémon to find a place he can call his own and learn what Ash already knows so well. He also either rewinds time or simply erases everyone's memory and recreates the storm from before the trainers journeyed to his island. Either way he erased everyone's memories of the events of the movie.

The core message of the movie is a timely one that we could all learn from and could do with remembering.

  “We do have a lot in common. The same Earth, the same air, the same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of what's different... well, who knows.”

Despite how much I ragged on the movie in this review, I really do have a soft spot for it. It's a nice relaxing view that brings back pleasant memories. Honestly, I was surprised by how much I still remembered from the movie. 

5/5 Highly recommended. 

. *According to Takeshi Shudo's notes on the movie, Ash was petrified but not killed when Mewtwo and Mew's Psychic blasts collided with him, and the tears simply restored him.