Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution (2019)
There are certain properties that feel almost critic-proof by design, and Pokémon is probably chief among them. The franchise, born from Satoshi Tajiri's 1996 Game Boy games and the trading card craze that followed, became one of the most commercially successful media brands in history before most of its current fans were even born. The animated television series that launched in Japan in 1997 (and spread westward like wildfire shortly after) gave the world Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, and a particular brand of wide-eyed adventure storytelling aimed squarely at children but capable, at its best, of landing an emotional punch on adults too. The 1998 theatrical film, Pokémon: The First Movie, arrived at the absolute peak of that cultural moment, and for a generation of nineties kids it sits in the same untouchable mental shelf as their first bicycle or their first football kit. That context matters enormously when you sit down to watch this 2019 remake, because the film cannot escape the shadow of its predecessor for even a moment.
This version, released in Japan in July 2019, is a shot-for-shot reconstruction of that original film, replacing the hand-drawn cel animation with fully computer-generated imagery. It was produced by OLM (the studio that has handled the Pokémon anime since its earliest days), in partnership with The Pokémon Company, Shogakukan, TV Tokyo, and jeki, which gives you a reasonable sense of the institutional, committee-driven nature of the project. The two directors, Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonori Sakakibara, are not exactly outsiders here. Yuyama has directed more Pokémon films than most people have had hot dinners, having helmed the original 1998 picture along with a string of its sequels. His involvement gives the production an air of legitimacy, a sense that somebody who genuinely understands the material is at the helm. Whether that insider knowledge translates to creative energy is a different question entirely. The budget has not been made officially public, but the polished, if somewhat sterile, visual presentation suggests a production that was comfortable rather than adventurous with its resources.
The original voice cast from the Japanese series returns, with Rica Matsumoto reprising Ash, Ikue Otani as the perpetually charming Pikachu, Mayumi Izuka as Misty, Satomi Korogi as Togepi, and Yuji Ueda as Brock. On paper, that continuity ought to be a strength, a reassurance that the personalities audiences recognise are being handled by the same performers who shaped them. The Pokémon anime has always leaned on its voice performances to carry the emotional weight that the animation establishes, a dynamic well understood by anyone who has watched a few episodes of the television series. Familiarity with the material is practically a prerequisite for getting the most from any entry in this franchise, in much the same way that you would probably want a working knowledge of the source material before approaching something like Sonic the Hedgehog as a newcomer.
My kids are massively into Pokemon at the moment so I made the mistake of rewatching Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution (2019), directed by the veteran duo Motonori Sakakibara and Kunihiko Yuyama with them.
Going in, I knew exactly what to expect: a shot-for-shot, 3D animated remake of the beloved 1998 original. I have to give the directors fair play for their sheer ambition in tackling such a monumental piece of 90s nostalgia. Translating the vibrant, hand-drawn magic of the original into modern CGI is no small feat, and there is a certain novelty in seeing these iconic pocket monsters rendered in such high-definition, three-dimensional detail but the novelty soon wears off.
Seeing Mewtwo rendered with such realistic textures and imposing physical presence is undeniably cool and the film tries its best to honour the emotional beats of the original story, (by copying it like for like) and if you’re coming to this completely blind with zero knowledge of the 1998 classic, it’s a perfectly serviceable, if slightly melodramatic, fantasy adventure. The sheer scale of the action sequences, particularly the psychic battles, is visually impressive and shows a clear dedication to giving new fans something to enjoy.
However, the cracks in the foundation start to show the moment you actually look at the human characters. The animation, while technically proficient, often feels incredibly lifeless. The human cast lacks that expressive, bouncy charm that made the original so endearing, resulting in a slightly uncanny, dead-eyed effect during the heavier emotional scenes. Furthermore, the voice acting is a massive step down. The delivery often feels flat and devoid of the raw, emotional urgency that the original cast brought to the table. It just feels entirely unnecessary, like a corporate exercise rather than a genuine labour of love.
My biggest hurdle is that the original movie exists and is an absolute masterpiece of its era. If Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution had been released as a brand-new, standalone story without the heavy baggage of the 1998 film, I’d probably rate it a fair bit higher. It has enough visual polish and nostalgic heart to keep you mildly entertained for its runtime. But as a direct comparison to the classic we all grew up with, it simply doesn't stand up.
It’s a visually shiny but emotionally hollow remake that proves sometimes, you just can't recapture the lightning in a bottle.
Whether you come away from this one feeling warmly nostalgic, mildly baffled, or quietly frustrated will depend almost entirely on your personal history with the franchise. For younger viewers with no memory of the 1998 film it may well function as a perfectly serviceable family adventure, colourful and busy enough to hold attention for its ninety-eight minutes. For anyone else, it is difficult not to measure it against the original and find it wanting, in the way that a technically accurate reproduction of a painting can tell you everything about the brushstrokes and nothing about why the thing made you feel something in the first place. The Pokémon world has produced genuinely memorable work over the years, as anyone who has encountered the quieter, more considered end of Japanese animation (say, something like On-Gaku: Our Sound) will know is absolutely possible on modest terms. This, unfortunately, is not that. Sometimes a fresh coat of paint is just a fresh coat of paint.
Rating: ★★ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2026-07-07
Trailer
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
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Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
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Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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