Pokémon

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Pokémon

G

1999

1h 35m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Fantasy

Action

Anime

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

17%

Tomatometer

90 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."

Critics Consensus

Audiences other than children will find very little to entertain them.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

01/15/2019

This film is humourless, boring, impenetrable and with animation of such staggeringly low quality that it constitutes an insult to cinemagoers of all ages.

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

01/15/2019

"Pokémon: The First Movie" is a dose of extremely low-budget "Japanimation" that -- were it only more proficiently executed -- would rival "Scooby Doo" as the most astounding work of art in the 20th century.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/27/2010

1/5

Excruciating to endure.

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

03/29/2021

A fun little movie with cute characters and animation

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D.J. Rogers

Black Nerd Problems

02/11/2021

It's simple, and that's not really bad, but doesn't add much for an adult viewer, either. Without the retrospect on it hard, I think this movie is a solid 7.9/10. I wouldn't mind watching it again, especially with my little one.

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

06/01/2019

2.5/5

We know that the makers of this film are capable of something slightly more grand-scale than "video game commercial". They're just not interested in actually doing it.

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 11

I think Ash forgot that Fighting-type moves don't work against Psychic types.

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Joe L

@Hoagie1013 Apr 10

Critics were clearly blindfolded and wearing ear plugs when watching this movie.

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Michael W

@RT90844389 Mar 12

Critics are soulless shells of human beings incapable of enjoyment and the simple pleasures of life and childhood memories. This movie can be far from perfect when scored from an objective point of view, but in my eyes this movie is beautiful, it conveys a strong message personally to each individual who watches it, wether a kid in this modern day, or an adult who watched as a kid when it first released. It conveys compassion born from humanities atrocities and selfishness and shows that no matter what, love and compassion can surpass any amount of hate and disdain. This movie holds a special place in my heart as well as other Pokemon fans new or old across the world, and to criticize it in a modern view is disrespectful to what it stands for. It’s an amazing movie for Pokemon fans and reaches a depth of meaning critics could never understand. - Mike W.

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Enrique R

@NostalgicNerd Jan 19

Pokémon: The First Movie, what a nostalgic experience. I love this film. Mewtwo is a great villain. And, his iconic motivational quotes were so well written. Overall, I give this film a 9/10 or a 4.5/10.

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Milo G

@RT36980390 Jan 10

One of the best Pokemon movies, especially of the first movies in this franchise. Good plot and good backstory in the anime. Wish Gary had a larger part in this film

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John K

@WQCMI Dec 26

I can understand why its hated by critics and why its loved by many. This is a fantastic film, feels like the Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island of the franchise. The story is genius, the characters are wonderful and the idea of Mewtwo being this villain is a great idea. However, the runtime is too short and there are some unanswered questions to some things, that I won't spoil.

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Kunihiko Yuyama

Director

Kathleen McInerney

Ash Ketchum

Jay Goede

Narrator

Rachael Lillis

Misty

Eric Stuart

Brock

Maddie Blaustein

Meowth

Celebrating RT25 with our Favorite Movies of 1998

Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution Is Classic Pokémon on CGI Steroids

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Synopsis

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."

Director: Kunihiko Yuyama
Producer: Norman J. Grossfeld, Tomoyuki Igarashi, Takemoto Mori, Choji Yoshikawa
Screenwriter: Takeshi Shudo
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: OLM, Inc., JR Kikaku, 4 Kids Entertainment, East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc, Tomy, Pikachu Project, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Shogakukan Production, TV Tokyo, Media Factory, GAME FREAK, Creatures
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 10, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $85.7M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround

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