by Blake Chapman Disclaimer: This is a review of the english-dubbed version of “Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution” The 1990s were a chaotic, albeit exciting, time in entertainment history. Television was ablaze with new shows like Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Simpsons. Similarly, new spectacles for the silver screen came in excess, such as Titanic, Jurassic Park, and even the arrival of the Disney Renaissance. Finally, the advancement of 3D graphics, thanks to the release of the N64 and PlayStation, meant games like Final Fantasy VII and Ocarina of Time would set a standard for years to come. However, there was one series that began at the tail end of this impressive decade that would stretch its influence across all three of these dominant mediums: Pokémon. It did not take long for the widely acclaimed Nintendo series to land in North America following the release of Pocket Monsters: Red and Green in Japan during the spring of 1997. Within the span of only two years, Pokémon became a worldwide sensation that included a syndicated anime, a global release of the first generation of games, and even a trading card game. In November of 1999, Pokémania would hit cinemas as Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back would be the first theatrical release in North America after the film premiered in Japan a year earlier. Such recognition amongst American audiences for a Japanese animated film was previously unheard of. While it was critically panned for its impersonality and terrible pacing, fans of the series still hold it in high regard for its animation and the creation of current series staple Mewtwo. After 20 years, a remake of the landmark film has been released on Netflix after premiering in Japan last summer. Though the effects of this computer-generated iteration are impressive, the spirit of the original is lost in every facet.

Story that loses soul

A story involving the circumstances of birth and morality is unexpected when it comes to children’s programming, but the intricacies of this narrative are at the core of the original Mewtwo Strikes Back . The remake refuses to depart from the time-honored plot but this time around decides to exclude some necessary character development. While Mewtwo’s introduction at the start of the film was needlessly complex in the original, Evolution forces his development forward without rhyme or reason. What was formerly a 20-minute preface to the antagonist’s moral crisis has now been reduced to a quick evolution from innocent laboratory experiment to psychotic killer. There are no traumatizing events involving Ambertwo and the other clone pokemon; therefore, Mewtwo is simply born and then immediately begins his training with Giovanni without the audience having enough time to understand his motivation. Also, a stereotypical message about why conflict worsens us all and how we are all more similar than different may have seemed interesting two decades ago, but it has become completely overblown by today’s standards. Bringing these ideas surrounding the differences that define us down to a children’s understanding is excellent, but you should focus on exchanging an equal amount of respect in that relationship, something that Evolution heavily shys away from. Kids have definitely gotten more perceptive when it comes to underlying messages since 1999, so instead of making each character’s motives blatantly obvious, it would have been better to deliver the core message of their actions with more room for interpretation. Furthermore, the plot is predictable and lazy which is not entirely surprising for a Pokémon production, but it is definitely the one aspect of this story that has worsened the most with age. 

Writing and acting as stiff as Metapod

Nostalgia pandering in terms of story is not the only thing this new iteration suffers from. In an effort to make this version stand out from the former, the writing has been adjusted to give the dialogue more variety. However, any changes between the original are made in trivial ways. Unsurprisingly, this causes the philosophical discussion to come off as even more simplified from the former iteration that was already laughably obvious to begin with. If there is any bright spot present within Evolution , it is the title character’s voice acting. Dan Green does a wonderful job of portraying Mewtwo, and even as a telepathic Pokémon, he brings genuine emotion that resides beneath overwhelming anger. While Mewtwo’s hatred for humanity is encapsulated in every word, Green remains sophisticated and calculated in his performance. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast does not bring that same level of satisfaction to the table. They sound like they are using the same amount of fluctuation and inflection as in any generic episode of the anime, and it is utterly disappointing–even Pikachu gives a heartier performance.

Experimental animation without originality

The one aspect of this film that enticed casual fans and veterans alike from the first teaser was the advanced 3D animation. Instead of the hand drawn style of the original, Evolution has replaced every shot with impressive special effects that are a first for this franchise. Overall, this new style improves the physicality of battles along with the Pokémon’s expression in a feast fit for the eyes. However, there are many problems that come with the leap to 3D that were seemingly not addressed or minimally looked at. For example, Pokémon look more like their trading card counterparts rather than unique, individual drawings. With this lack of artistic flair, the personality of these creatures is lost and instead replaced by the cheap models of an old Super Smash Bros. trailer. Along with that, the humans have gotten worse in terms of design, and while the particle effects of Pokémon attacks have gotten more spectacular, the frame rate slows down to disgusting levels in some of the more intense action sequences. To top it all off, the dubbing coincides terribly with the facial expressions of the main trio (Ash, Misty, and Brock) and the mismatched dialogue takes the viewer out of the experience anytime a character is speaking directly to the camera.

---

IMDb IMDb