Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Blu-ray Movie Review

A lifeless CG remake of Pokemon: The First Movie.

Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution is a CGI remake of Pokemon: The First Movie – the original feature-film that started the Pokemon cinematic universe. Featuring characters created by Satoshi Tajiri, the remake is based on the original script by Takeshi Shudo. Executive produced by Tsunekazu Ishihara (Pokemon), the Netflix original film now arrives on Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Does the remake live up to the original?

A group of scientists set out to create a clone of the rare Pokemon, Mew. Utilizing advanced scientific research, a clone is born: Mewtwo. Grown in a science lab, Mewtwo is filled with rage at his makers and decides to take revenge on humanity by assembling an army of clone Pokemon. Bringing together a group of human beings and Pokemon to a secret island, Mewtwo plots his revenge. Can the world be saved by Ash Ketchum (Sarah Natochenny), Misty (Michele Knotz), Brock (Bill Rogers), Pikachu, and the rest?

The CG animation seems to be the entire point of this altogether pointless remake. The entire film is a nearly shot-for-shot remake of the original with only minor changes made here-and-there. The film is lacking a distinctive visual approach that completely distinguishes it from the original. Yet the CG is unbearably bad at times. The animation appears super low budget and is a far cry from the beautiful cell-based hand-drawn animation used for the original film. The characters and Pokemon now appear like lifeless dolls. Art director Tatsuro Maruyama (Kong: King of the Apes, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures) can't seem to string together more than a few seconds of decent footage without making things appear devoid of creativity.

One has to wonder what the purpose of the CG remake was and why the film even received a green-light in the first place. While a big-budget CG remake might have yielded different results (especially with animation at the level of Pixar Animation Studios), the garden-variety CG used on this production is a much different subject. The entire production seems to be about nostalgia and is perhaps aimed at original generation Pokemon fans. Yet the end result is decidedly underwhelming and doesn't feel like something made with true fans in mind. Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution is nothing more than a total cash grab.

"Pika. Pika. Pikachu! Pika. Pika. PIKACHU!"

One of the biggest issues with the animation in this remake is the movement of the characters. For every step taken during the film, the movement consistently feels unnatural and jarring. It's like a prototype version of CG produced for a video-game. The art doesn't feel finished... rather, it often manages to feel like a rough draft. The facial expressions are similarly awful: barely moving, cold, lifeless, and weird. The warmth and heart of the original animation has been replaced by algorithms.

There are a few elements of the animation which suffice but these moments are few and far between. Mew is decent looking in CG and is one of the highlights of the film. Yet Pikachu and some of the other more beloved favorites from the Pokemon universe appear strange and unnatural in the low-budget CG. Everything just seems... off. There is nothing naturalistic on display in the animation.

One of the elements which does work (on some level) is the original music score by Shinji Miyazaki (Pokemon: The First Movie, Pokemon Heroes). The composer for the anime and the feature-film series, Miyazaki is talented as an artist and brings a decent score to the table. Yet the film also seems to retread too much on old ground and the score never helps change that feeling of deja-vu.

The screenplay by Aya Takaha (Pokemon: The Movie – The Power of Us, Psycho-Pass) and Eiji Umehara (Silent Rain, Chaos; Child) is uninspired and uninteresting. Remaking Pokemon: The First Movie as a CG feature-film was a bad enough idea. Attempting to closely mirror the original scene-to-scene was an even worse one. The entire exercise feels pointless. Not only that, the few elements that were toned down were the backbone of the original – the heart of the story seems to have been pushed aside.

Directed by Motonori Sakakibara (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Kong: King of the Apes), Tetsuo Yajima (Pokemon: The Movie – The Power of Us, Pokemon: The Movie – Secrets of the Jungle), and Kunihiko Yuyama (Pokemon: The First Movie, Pokemon the Movie 2000), Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution is one of the worst remakes to be made in recent years. The film is a cash-in and nothing about it seems inspired. (Which is saying something – Hollywood can't stop remaking films every two-seconds.)

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Warner Bros., Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This CGI love-fest looks impressive (on a technical level) with its high-definition presentation. Colors are bright and vivid. The cinematography shines on the release. The encode is top-notch and doesn't suffer from any egregious compression issues. Having said that, a top-notch video presentation can't save the film.

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The audio-quality is superb and the fun surround sound track delivers a more engaging experience. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand throughout the presentation. The music score is similarly well reproduced and easy on the ears. The surrounds are actively engaged but mostly to open up the music score and for the occasional sound effects. The film is no LFE showstopper but it is reasonably impressive. There are no issues to report with regards to hiss, crackle, warps, clicks, and other audio anomalies.

Please Note: Optional English subtitles are provided.

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The releases comes packaged with an o-card slipcover. The only extra included on-disc is the trailer (HD, 1:43) for Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution.

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution is one of the worst remakes of all time. Fans of the original who cherish the traditional hand-drawn animation style will find the remake to be nothing more than a cringe-worthy cash-grab that is as uninspired as it is lifeless. The only "good" thing about this release is the fact that Netflix is continuing to license out more product to home media distributors, as the company should. The Blu-ray video-audio presentation is exceptional and much better than what one would find on the streaming service.