Pokemon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back

JAPANESE TITLE : 'Gekijô-ban Poketto Monsutaa: Mewtwo No Gyakushu' ('Mewtwo's Counterattack')
ENGLISH TITLE : 'Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back'
DIRECTOR : Kunohiko Yuyama (English direction by Michael Haigney)
WRITER : Takeshi Shudo (English adaptation by Norman J. Grossfeld & Michael Haigney)
MINI-MOVIE : 'Pikachu's Vacation'
RELEASE DATE : JAPAN -  July 18, '98, USA - 10th November, '99, UK - 14th April, '99
CERTIFICATE : USA - G, UK - PG (contains violence)
RUNNING TIME : USA - 75 / UK - 74
COUNTRY : Japan / USA
COMPANY : Nintendo & Warner Bros., Shogakukan Inc. [Japan], 4 Kids Entertainment [U.S. adaption]
OFFICIAL JAPANESE WEBSITE : www.pokemon.co.jp/movie/lineup/1998.html
OFFICIAL AMERICAN WEBSITE : www.pokemonthemovie.warnerbros.com

Cast

Short Synopsis

FROM THE BACK OF THE VHS/DVD

You have been summoned to the Ultimate Pokémon Showdown!

The adventure explodes into action with the debut of Mewtwo, a bio-engineered Pokémon created from the DNA of Mew, the rarest of all Pokémon.  Determined to prove its superiority, Mewtwo lures Ash, Pikachu and the others into a Pokémon match like none before.  Mewtwo vs. Mew.  Super-clones vs. Pokémon.  It's the ultimate showdown...with the very future of the world at stake!

This is the main feature of the Pokémon double movie.  It is aimed mainly towards the older Pokémon fans, with it's complex mix of science, morality, mythology and comedy (a mix used in most of the best Animes).  The animation is much more detailed and better than the TV show, as they had more time to make the film than they would have had to make episodes that would have lasted as long.  The animation and story line are much darker and more gothic than they generally are in the Anime, with a more complicated story which can be quite disturbing at times.

Long Synopsis

Read the long synopsis for the first movie.

MOVIE INFO

The movie took in over $50 million in the first 5 days of release in the U.S.

Shortly after it's release in the West, it became the second largest money-grossing animated film ever, only topped by 'Toy Story 2', and the largest grossing Anime movie in the West (this is no longer true).

There has now been a made-for-video sequel to the movie made, called 'Mewtwo Returns', where Ash and friends have to help Mewtwo defeat Giovanni, who is trying to find the clones to help with his plans for world domination.

CUTS
The first few minutes of the Japanese version has been cut out of the English adaption, where we see Mewtwo as a baby.  This may have been done as it ties into the Japanese CD drama, 'The Birth of Mewtwo', which has never been translated into English.

However, on the DVD for 'Mewtwo Returns', this has been added as a feature.

THE DVD

DVD Extras
'Ash's Journey', Preview of Pokémon: The Second Movie, 'The Story of Mewtwo's Origin', Audio Commentary by M. Haigney & N. Grossfield, 'Don't Say You Love Me' Music Video by M2M.

DVD Content for your computer
Virtual Pokémon Trading Cards, Pokémon Nintendo Game Guides, Genre Essays (Upon Anime and Video Games), Original Theatrical Web Site.

Images

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