Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
LunaLacrum
Ive considered this my favorite movie for most of my life. And I really feel as though it still stands the test of time. It is simultaneously so meaningful, and while a bit on the nose at points, can be very profound. I actually appreciate it's easy-to-absorb messages because it means kids can grow up internalizing these morals and these ideas, even at a young age. It's why it was my favorite movie as a 7 year old and why it's my favorite movie as a 27 year old. No other movie gives me such visceral emotional pain while simultaneously cringing at all the physical pain the characters go through. This movie is a work of art and I wish it wasn't as discredited as much as it is by those in the film industry.
Read at the source_Bubassotto_
The first Pokémon animation I ever saw... and one of the most memorable to this day.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back was my introduction to the animated world of Pokémon. Before that, my experience with the franchise was limited to the video games, so this movie served as my gateway to the anime. I watched it on DVD about fifteen years ago as a child, and revisiting the film today was an experience that was as nostalgic as it was surprising.
Much of the movie's renown stems from nostalgia, but I believe it possesses merits of its own that explain why it remains memorable today. Although it is a feature film aimed at children, the narrative tackles themes that are deeper than they might appear at first glance. Mewtwo’s conflict revolves not merely around Pokémon battles, but primarily around…
Read at the sourceSonicfan__
This is an old review I wrote for this film back in 2023 on my Letterboxd. I'm just cross posting it here because it's a good review.
First of all, I'm not the biggest fan of Pokémon, I've played some of the games and have some trading cards, but I just never got into it, but I really enjoyed this movie.
I watched it subbed and there are a few things that are interesting about it. I find the theme of questioning your existence is a very powering theme for a kids film and makes the film somewhat interesting with its more serious theme. I can see why they changed it when it came to America, I'm assuming that it might have been too complex for children, but this shows that animation is a genre and not something for kids because animated films can have more serious themes and stuff.
Mewtw…
Read at the sourceEvolvez_yt
This Pokemon movie is very much the definition of nostalgic, but not a good one. Many people have stated that this was one of the best Pokemon films, although a good film it definitely doesn’t hold that statement. This of course is a movie for kids at the end of the day, but a lot of story beats seemed either rushed or didn’t really work. Unlike the main series, this felt like it was more aimed at kids than a wider audience, which might explain the movies that came after it. It’s still pokemon at the end of the day, and I’d watch this compared to other lower movies in a heartbeat, just don't expect me to watch it again.
Read at the sourceauspiciousgoblin
This review is heavily influenced by nostalgia & a love of the franchise. I do not necessarily think an adult without the same childhood adoration of Pokemon will watch this movie and appreciate it.
HOWEVER; as an adult, looking back at one of my childhood faves, I cannot help but appreciate a few things:
The themes here are strong and cohesive. By strong, I mean they are complex; the writers did not assume that kids would be "too young" for a storyline that questions purpose, identity, and humanity. While the main plot spurs Ash, our MC, to an island under the pretense of battling a "strong trainer," the movie heightens this simplicity with its preface and Mewtwo's reckoning with creation, being manipulated by humans, and ultimately choosing isolation.
I also appreciate that kids' mo…
Read at the sourceStarfleeting
I've decided to make the dumb decision to attempt to watch every Pokemon movie in release order -- because I remember caring only up until the third one and then peaced out for several years.
The nostalgia with this one in particular is strong because I was one of the many kids that went to see it in theaters when it came out (man, talk about H y p e because yeah I watched the show, collected the cards, tried to collect the toys, I was Into It, man). Even then, I didn't think it was the best movie but I still loved getting to finally see Mew. We only ever knew of the original 150 at that point, getting to see the ultra rare 151st was a Big Thing back then.
And now, coming back as an adult, there are still enjoyable moments (the new version of the Opening Theme is still A+ and Mewtwo st…
Read at the sourceImRingo
This review is just a blurt of thoughts as it is part of a Pokemon watch series I am doing with some friends. I apologize for the short format.
Just re-watched this film with some friends; it's still a meh film. It is mostly enjoyable due to nostalgia reasons. However as a film, it shows its cracks in many places. The narrative seems pointless, the side characters are not fleshed out what so ever, and in a lot of spots the animation and artwork look pretty bad even for a late 90's animated film.
However, this film is still quite watchable. It isn't bad but it isn't good.
Enjoyment: 4.5/10
Overall: 4/10
Read at the sourceNNaX-Man
Man, this is a classic. Reaching this in my pokemon marathon even I remembered it was quite entertaining, and entertain me it did. These film takes on this ideal of are you really a being of the Earth if you were cloned into existence and while rather simple it's enough to make me think and understand what the clones mean, even if it's kinda dumb. having a big team of pokemon fight really amps up the stakes, along with everything being paced almost a little too fast.
Overall a good little flick, 7/10, very surprised they got to a show a glass of liquor in a kids film.
Read at the sourceNullRay_85
As the name suggests, Pokémon: The First Movie was the first big-picture outing for the juggernaut franchise. Released back in 1998, it's was a big deal for fans of the anime and games alike. I'm fairly well-versed into the Pokémon world, having played some of the games and currently watching the original series, so I was very excited to finally watch the first movie. How did it fare? Let's find out!
Story - The film follows Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum, along with his Pikachu and friends as they find themselves being challenged by Mewtwo, a powerful Pokémon hellbent on wiping out humanity as revenge for enslaving him. Things won't be easy for Ash and company as Mewtwo is nothing like anything they've seemed before. The story was good as I found it to be enjoyable, with some heavy emotiona…
Read at the sourceAnimeBW
I have not watched much of the Pokemon TV show. I watched all of Diamond and Pearl while it was airing, but that was it. I didn’t watch the original series, nor Advanced Generation, and I fell off the entire franchise just a few episodes into Best Wishes. However, before that point, while I wasn’t keeping up with the TV show, I was absolutely keeping up with the movies. I saw every Pokemon movie up through Arceus and the Jewel of Life, and that was how I stayed up to date on what the current Pokemon status quo was. I don’t remember every detail from all those movies- it’s a lot of movies, after all- but I have fond memories of all of them. They were consistently my favorite part of Pokemon, moreso than the TV show, even moreso than the games. The Pokemon movies WERE Pokemon to me, and my m…
Read at the sourcePokeFan2112
The first Pokemon movie is also the best, at least for me.
Lots of things jump out and ensure this movie gets such a high grade.
Mewtwo was an incredible villain, from his chilling voice (actor did a great job) to his dialogue, which often gets much more profound than you'd expect from a Pokemon movie. ("where am I, why am I, who am I", "I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are")
The story was compelling and surprisingly dark for Pokemon. Mewtwo's main beliefs are that humanity is worthless and everyone should be killed. Geez. Not to mention that when he was awakened he succeeded in killing several scientists.
There was lots of nice comedy throughout the movie, which helped lighten the surprisingl…
Read at the sourcektulu007
If you’re part of my generation, or younger, chances are Pokemon was part of your childhood. I’ve reviewed one anime based off of it, the relatively short Pokemon the Origin but there have been a bunch of series for it, many of them going well over a hundred episodes. Today, we’re looking at Pokemon: Mewtwo no Gyakushuu, a film based off of the main anime line. Now, the general consensus among older fans of the Pokemon franchise is that the games are still fun and various improvements like reusable TMs, more trainer customization & the elimination of HMs in favour of ride Pokemon are touted as proof that they’re getting better. The opposite is true for the main anime. Most older fans say it was fine when they were kids but totally doesn’t hold up, often citing the overly repetitive formula…
Read at the sourcesureitriedit
This is what got me into Pokemon. This was the start of the rabbit hole for me.
I somehow acquired this movie on video when I was two years old, and I loved every second of it. From the heart-warming interactions between Trainers and Pokemon to the darkness behind Mewtwo and its actions, This movie captured my toddler-sized heart, and it hasn't let me go since.
As a movie in itself, it's not great. To properly understand it, you kind of have to have some knowledge of the Pokemon franchise and how it works (unless you're a tiny child and have basically no concept of anything) but for Pokemon fans it's astounding. The animation isn't great but it was made in 1998 so we'll allow for that. The music was dramatic when necessary but also fun and light when it needed to be. The story in itself…
Read at the sourceFear_the_Reefer
Hello there! Welcome to the world of adaptations! My name is Naru! This world is inhabited by creatures called pokemon, who live in harmony with the humans who capture and train them! For some people, pokemon are pets. Others use them for fights. For others, pokemon are used for scientific testing, stored in suspended animation in large glass tubes while individuals far less ethically inclined than myself attempt to use them to perfect the art of cloning. This may not include you, an innocent and unassuming ten year old of indeterminate gender... Seriously, what are you, a boy or a girl? Anyway, one particular scientist wanted nothing more than to use cloning to bring back his deceased daughter... Because it worked so well for Shou Tucker... So they went on an expedition, found a fossil of…
Read at the sourcePahatar
Oh my Me, this is going to hurt!
You know the saying, that if you liked tomething as a child, you shouldn't like it as an adult? No? Just me? Okay. So, anyway... I love pokemon. Or... at least I used to, before they became sutch a sellouts, that it almoust hurst to admit, that I used to own my life at some point to this... this! I watched the anime, I played the games - all me, my sister, and my... mom - and we collected as many of the cards as possible... without ever understanding the rules of the card game itself! I was still a wee lass, when I first saw this movie, and let me tell you, although I still love pokemon, and this movie is one of my dearest treasures from my childhood... this isn't really good! At all! Compared to the third movie, spell of unknown, this movie is crap, and l…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
It is time I take a short reprieve from reviewing actually acclaimed anime and go back to my little niche on this site, reviewing old CRAP!
Background:
The first Pokemon movie brings to the big screen what was easily the most interesting sub-plot of the 1st generation of pokemon games, the creation of Mewtwo. The game and anime adaptation leave many hints and clues that foreshadow events in the movie and built up anticipation. In the original games on Cinnebar Island, there is a building that is filled with documents about attempts to clone Mew and create an all powerful Pokemon for Team Rocket. Throughout the game, you run into Team Rocket committing various crimes that only make sense when you consider that their goal was controlling Mewtwo. The reason that Team Rocket invad…
Read at the sourceGokensLetsPlays
Pokemon the First Movie is about Ash and Co. going to an island they were invited to. While on there, they encounter a Pokemon by the name of Mewtwo, a Pokemon genetically altered to become a clone of the legendary, elusive Pokemon, Mew.
Art:
Every character looks like their game models, including the Pokemon. These are all accurate to what they look like, and I can't say more.
Sound:
Most people weren't fans of the English VA's, but I loved them. In speaking of the English Dub, the opening is as awesome as ever, and the soundtrack is still excellent.
Character:
The characters don't change much from their anime counterparts. It's still the same, Ash is still eager to always battle, etc. Mewtwo wants revenge on Mankind for creating him genetically, along with other Pokemon. All Mew…
Read at the sourceRyanmiller70
Keep in mind that I view these movies completely unbiased and that I only watched the dub, not the sub. While I am a fan of the show and did watch it and loved it as a kid, that in no way affects how I view the movie now.
Story: This movie's story does seem to try a bit too hard to keep itself canon to the series, which causes a lot of BS moments towards the end, including the extremely confusing moment where something terrible happens to Ash (no spoilers for anyone that wants to watch the movie). I do believe that the movie would have been better had it not try to connect to the main series. They can use the main characters and their Pokemon, but just don't try to make it canon. This would have made not only for greater suspense at the beginning of the movie, but would have made the endi…
Read at the sourceanimehost
I watched the Japanses version of this movie and I have to say I absolutely loved it, if you watched the original series when you were a child (like I had) then this will bring so much nostalgia it hurts. Don't worry its the good kind of hurt, though.
The plot for this story is surprisingly very good, it's directed for kids/young teenagers, but I think it will be engaging for an older audience as well. There are some serious themes which run through the movie, however, also having watched the English version I must say these themes are cut out of the English dialogue.
The real reason I gave this film a score of 8 was the ending, the relationship between Ash and Pikachu was beautiful to watch and even made me cry. I won't say anymore, only that I would definitely recommend this if you wer…
Read at the sourceShura-shurato
Talking about a freaking CHILDHOOD anime movie from the intense populair pokemon t.v serie´s and pokecards , back then i was around 12,13 years old, and i NEVER FORGET this movie in the cinema it was such a total blast, and children´s dream came true, the 1st pokemon movie! Storywise i was soo into it, much darker background unlike the serie`s and more revealing about the true purpose of team rocket, wich was interestign as well. Animation was soo well done, mostly handdrawn BEFORE DIGITAL .ANIMATION CAME TO PASS, and all the pokemon`s in their entire glory as for the main chara. had a way cooler role. Pikachu became the forefront and pokemon`s face that cuddly yellow rat. Everyone i knew enjoyed it majorly in the cinema!
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