Shawn Watson The enormous Pokemon franchise got off to a pretty mediocre start with this first movie (proudly naming itself as such too), at least in English territories. Despite being one of the biggest cash cows on Earth for nearly two decades there has never been a definitive edition of this movie in English. Arriving in theatres here in the UK almost 2 full years after its debut in Japan the translation completely changes the plot to something that goes against the very nature of the Pokemon concept.Unless you were a hardcore fan of the TV show there was simply no way you could have understood what was going on and I can only imagine that there were scores of frustrated parents sitting in theatres, scratching their heads, wondering what sort of culture their sprogs were going to unleash on the world when they came of age.Evil scientists have produced a clone of Mew, dubbed MewTwo, who revolts against his creators and attempts to take over the world with his superpowers. Coincidentally, the first Mew to be born in many hundreds of years, suddenly rises out of the water and begins exploring the strange, new world he finds himself in (this is merely guesswork as absolutely none of this is explicitly explained). Ash, Misty, and Brock are lured by MewTwo to a secret island lair where he attempts to steal all of their Pokemon. By sheer luck, or bad writing, Mew is also on the island and prevents MewTwo from his global domination.The English version tries, and horribly fails, to make it hip and fashionable (by 1999 tastes) but the supervising producers obviously did not understand the franchise that they were messing with and totally flubbed it.I am sure that the Japanese dub is a better movie. The series improved after this, but it truly is a bad start.

Sagar Bhatt There are two facts I'll never understand: 1. This movie grossed more than 163 million dollars. 2. This movie has a 5.7 rating.DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. It'll be the most wasteful 1h 15m you ever spend, even if you procrastinate on a regular basis. Even if you love Pokemon, you're probably better off watching a few episodes than watching this. If you're older than 2 years of age, don't waste your time.Let me reveal the AWFUL plot of this movie. So there's Mew, the greatest Pokemon ever. Then somebody makes a clone of Mew, Mewtwo. Mewtwo tries taking over the world with the help of clones of other Pokemons. He invites "Pokemon Masters" like 10-year old Ash (owner of Pikachu) to take over the pokemons and make clones of them. He has the clones fight with the originals but Pikachu refuses to fight and inspires Ash to stop the fight between Mew and Mewtwo. Ash stops the fight and turns to stone, then all the Pokemons and their clones start crying and the tears somehow come over to Ash and revive him (goodness knows how). A TWO YEAR OLD COULD'VE THOUGHT SOMETHING BETTER.I still can't believe this movie grossed 163 million dollars. As for the exaggerated 5.7 rating, that's because of (1) die-hard fans who can't rate it below 10 because it's Pokemon and (2) those who give it a 7 or 8 rating thinking "it was horrible, but it must be great for kids".This movie is for kids, so if you're beyond the age of about 9 I advice you stay away from it. That's not to say that I recommend it for those below 9 -- there are much better kids movies than this.

toddie-bk This move was the thing that every kid wanted to see. Anybody I knew wanted to see this movie when I was around 3-4 year old. This movie kind of "learn" you that friendship is never ending etc. Now I'm 18 and I have watched every single movie so far, even the black and white. (same movie, just 2 different 'legends') This deserves a 10/10, some of the others deserve maybe slightly less like minimum 7 :u So that's why my rating is 10/10 its super good <3 So I hope that some future reviewers will look at this and maybe think for a second, Kids friendly / Adult friendly = Good movie (I still have the feeling from when I was a little kid, when Ash got turned into stone... So sad, and for a good cause though)

hayashimegumi Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) is Pokémon's first animated feature. Ever since the first time I saw it in Cantonese or Japanese dub as a child, I have been watching and anticipating the movies every year and I believe I would still do so for many years to come!I still remember some of the scenes from this animated feature by memory but I have long forgotten the story of Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998). Watching this animated feature again but a decade later and in English dub, surprisingly, it is still entertaining to watch due to its everlasting charm; the charm that has captured the hearts of millions of fans around the world.In terms of cinematography, it is okay I guess but there are several minor yet highly avoidable errors in color correction and script that I have noticed, at least in the older English dubbed version which I have recently rewatched. Those errors shouldn't have been there, it affects the overall experience of the animated feature as well as potentially reducing its maximum appeal. The unique characters (or creatures) and the bond between the endearing characters are what stands out most in this animated feature, which is impressive. Unfortunately, it may be confusing for those who have zero clue about Pokémon as the script is quite dull in some parts.Just a shorter version of my review, Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) is about selfishness, loneliness, innocence, friendship and its adorable Pokémon even if watched without the short prologue, Pikachu short or any clue at all. I loved the first half of the animated feature but I won't hide that I do get annoyed at some points towards the end. But all the adorable Pokémon expressions melted me so meh, I forgive the annoyance inflicted on me.Should you give this animated feature a chance? Yes. It's the beginning of Pokémon anime movies and it is its appeal that makes it successful. Sure, it does have its own imperfections but it certainly is a breakthrough for the Pokémon Universe. Give it a chance if you have the time. It won't disappoint especially if you loved everything about Pokémon and want to know more about Pokémon. Watch the original Japanese version, okay?