Pokémon: Mewtwo Contra-Ataca: Evolução

It's basically a word for word, and shot for shot remake of the 20 Year Old movie, but the difference is that the animation is very astounding.

While I think this movie was executed fairly well, that thought doesn't help me clear the cloud of nitpicks I had with this movie. For the majority of movie I was unable to focus on the story because of the bizarre choice to make every single shot linger for seconds too long. I felt like no editing was done between angle transitions, because it felt like so much of a buffer would happen before the next sentence was said. Otherwise, the animation was near flawless (except for the bizarre Onix at the beginning) and I enjoyed watching a great movie from my childhood remastered. I felt the same charm and emotion as I had watching the original film for the first time, and I'd still widely recommend this film to any Pokemon fans!

This was a very random movie to see pop up onto Netflix, but it gives me hope that other projects can be made with the partnership of Netflix and Pokemon.

For a "Netflix Original", it sure lacks originality!!

I would have to re-watch the original, but this seems to be an exact copy in plot and content (some Giovanni scenes might differ, from what I remember).

Still, it is visually impressive!! The lightning, effects, camera work.. Even the CGI presentation of the Pokémon is very good! Specifically their textures. Their movement and expressions are also very good. This is the way the Detective Pikachu movie should have looked (instead of those hideous creatures some people actually like). I'm glad it exists for that reason alone. It's a good way to re-live nostalgia (specially when it's FREE on Netflix and not a cash grab in cinemas).

Not much to say.. If you like the original, you will definitely like this alternate movie with a fresh coat of paint.

Was this or the original a particularly good movie? Mediocre at best. But it is pure nostalgia.

The writing can be pretty awful at times and the pacing is so off. That being said, the animation in this, and even the original, is absolutely stunning and shows off what a Pokemon battle could and should look like. Being a remake, there is also that one particular moment that hits just as hard as an adult; if not harder. If you don't cry, I'm not sure you have a heart.

I remember renting this from my local video store, as a kid, for weeks on end and loving every second of the action but not fully understanding Mewtwo's anger. As an adult, I fully comprehend it but am left wondering if it could've been more fleshed out. Still, the actions scenes are stunning, the pocket monsters themselves are as lovable as ever, and it's pure nostalgia for nostalgia's sake.

Growing up watching the original seasons of Pokemon, now known as the Indigo League, and quite enjoying films like Pokemon: The First Movie and Pokemon The Movie 2000, even though not great in retrospect, I've always had a respect for this universe. While the films themselves do not age very well in comparison with the show itself, I always figured a cool new idea could be done for an original premise or live-action adaptation. When Detective Pikachu recently hit theatres, it wasn't even close to what I would've expected them to do for a first live-action feature, but it was enjoyable. This brings me to the newest feature film in the Pokemon world, but it's not all that new, at all really. Here's why the newest film, Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution is not worth your time, even if you're a big fan.

The premise is simple. An organization clones Mew, the most powerful Pokemon on the planet, forming what they refer to as Mewtwo. Hellbent on destroying everything in its path, Mewtwo decides to clone every Pokemon he can find, making them even stronger. Ash Ketchum and his friends Misty and Brock, the central characters for years, track Mewtwo down and attempt to stop his plan. Does this sound familiar? That's because it's the identical premise of the first feature Pokemon film back in 1998. Nearly shot by shot, that film has been recreated, but the animated has been updated to 3D. Being the exact same run time and only making a few minor tweaks to improve on the original, I watched this film wondering what the point of it truly was.

If you're not very well-versed in the Pokemon world, I'm sure you've seen that this review probably isn't for you, but that's also the problem with this movie. It can't have been made for fans, because it's exactly the same thing they've already gotten in the past. It also can't really be for newcomers, because it's completely different than the new Pokemon series' that children have been watching nowadays. This was a very strange idea through and through. Maybe if they chose to make a live-action trilogy and started with a story that was similar to the 1998 version it could've worked, but this movie just had me scratching my head.

On a more positive note, I have to admit that in remaking this film, they did change a couple elements that would've made the original better. There are some very odd song choices that randomly pop up and overdo certain moments in the original movie and those are completely taken out here, replaced with a new, very subtle score. The song choices and scoring cues are what stood out to me here, which in turn felt pointless because it was for a movie that was the same as a film that was only average to begin with back in 1998. Still, it was some nice music and a fresh change, so I commend them for that.

In the end, I only found the original film to be okay and since this is exactly the same, with all the same shots and story beats, I'm finding it hard to give it any kind of praise. Yes, the animation is well-done and feels fresh for Pokemon, but again, it should've just been an original story. The voice talent has completely changed, but I will say that the new cast sounds very similar and does some great work. To reiterate, I'm honestly not sure who this film was made for or why it was even greenlit in the first place. For these reasons, I'm not really positive or negative about it. It is what it is and if you want to see the same film in a new light, then it's now streaming as a Netflix original.

Long story short, this is a CGI remake of the first Pokemon movie from late 90's (January 2000 here in Brazil). There is no improvement, in my opinion. The CGI does not impress.

Same old, same old. I'd rather stick to the fond memories the first movie brought me when I first saw it at the movies 20 years ago.