Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Determined to prove its superiority, a bio-engineered Pokémon called Mewtwo lures Ash, Pikachu and others into a Pokemon match like none before.
Pokémon: The First Movie carries genuine emotional weight for its generation and Mewtwo's existential crisis is a surprisingly philosophical premise for a children's film. However, the plot is thin and heavily padded with a short prequel segment and repetitive battle sequences. The dubbed acting is serviceable at best, with flat line readings common throughout. Visually, the film offers competent anime cinematography with some striking setpieces (the storm, Mewtwo's island), though nothing groundbreaking technically. Novelty earns a modest bump for being the first major theatrical Pokémon release and for tackling themes of identity and the ethics of creation within a mainstream kids' franchise. The ending, however, is widely criticized for its memory-erasure resolution, which undercuts the emotional stakes built throughout and feels like a narrative cop-out rather than a satisfying payoff.