THN’s PokéMovie Marathon Day 3.2: Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns

“If we see the moon as they do, why can we not see the Earth as they do? Yes. Why?”

In 5 days the world will go mad in unison for the latest Pokémon games, Pokémon X & Y.The English language dub of the latest film is also set to premiere one week after that. Over the next 2 weeks join THN as we take a look back over the entire series of Pokémon films.

Director: Masamitsu Hidaka

Cast: Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Madeleine Blaustein, Ikue Ootani, Ted Lewis, Dan Green, Kerry Williams, Amy Birnbaum, Scottie Ray, Megumi Hayashibara

Plot:  Mewtwo may have wiped the memory of the events of POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE –MEWTWO STRIKES BACK from those involved, but the man who funded his creation, Team Rocket leader Giovanni, certainly hasn’t forgotten him. Giovanni discovers Mewtwo hiding atop the largest mountain in the Johto region and sets about reclaiming him.

There were 2 years between theatrical releases POKEMON 3: THE MOVIE – SPELL OF THE UNKNOWN and POKEMON 4EVER: CELEBI – VOICE OF THE FOREST. Those were known as the dark times, and after riots erupted around the globe it was a mistake that was never to be made again. I don’t know why everyone reacted so poorly though, as we had a made-for-TV movie to fill the void which saw the return of everyone’s favourite clone (after Boba Fett of course) Mewtwo, in POKEMON: MEWTWO RETURNS.

The film is a direct follow up to POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE – MEWTWO STRIKES BACK. We find Mewtwo living a fairly peaceful life atop a mountain with all of his clone buddies. Mewtwo still suffers from low self-esteem, and has chosen to hide from his problems rather than pursue a place in the world. Despite Ash’s sacrifice in the first film Mewtwo still distrusts humanity and he is right to do so as his old master Giovanni has never given up the search for him. As Mewtwo wonders about his place on this Earth, he takes council from the Meowth clone and Pikatwo; a name that should be considered offensive in the clone world, so luckily it is never said on film. These two encourage Mewtwo to have some trust, or at least explore the world beyond their borders. Easy for them to see, they look no different to their naturally born counterparts.

Meanwhile Ash, Misty, and Brock are travelling the Johto region, doing what they do best. Remember our heroes have no recollection of the events from the first film as Mewtwo wiped their memories clean. A convenient act that made sure to reduce any continuity errors in the series. The trio come across a bus service that runs to the top of the mountain, where unknownst to them Mewtwo resides. Unfortunately they miss the bus and are forced to stay at a cabin where they learn about the mystical properties of the healing water in the area.

A researcher called Cullen Calix shows up wanting to research the water and spread its healings properties around the world. This disturbs fellow researcher Luna Carson, who actually hopes the water doesn’t have healing properties as this will bring tourists who will no doubt destroy the one thing they are looking for. It’s quite a mature point for a kids’ cartoon to make without exploring it as a major theme. It’s just kind of an off-the-cuff comment, and one that would usually take a character some time to surmise. This demonstrates Carson’s understanding of human nature and her logical thinking.

Joining Calix is a young student named Domino. A name that gives Brock some of his best chat-up lines to date, but Brock has lost almost all respect by this point in the film due to the forced and infamous pun “I know, I’ll use my frying pan…as a drying pan.” I admit I found it funny, but at what cost? Well needless to say Brock doesn’t find true love this time, but as an extra kick in the teeth it turns out Domino is an undercover Team Rocket operative known as 009 The Black Tulip. Oh that’s right, Pokémon is going into James Bond espionage territory. Domino is everything that Jesse and James fail to be, clever, athletic, strong, and an actual master of disguise. I know Jesse and James have often fooled Ash, Misty, and Brock in the series, but I’m putting that down to their stupidity rather than Jesse and James’ talents.

It isn’t long before Domino discovers Mewtwo’s location and Giovanni and Team Rocket attack using a number of high tech blimps and aircraft. The most interesting aspect comes in the division of the clones. Mewtwo believes they should run and try and find peace elsewhere, always living under the cover of darkness. Pikatwo on the other hand, says they should prepare for war and have every right to share in the land and sunlight of those born naturally. It’s this division that captures the interest but is never really played out to its full extent. It just sort of flounders in the final moments as some Pokémon are captured and everyone forgets what it is they are doing.

Jesse and James once again gravitate towards the good side, which is confusing in this context. I know they’ve never really been that evil, but they are opportunists who I think would have sided with their actual team the second they show up. Instead they get involved with the clones and Meowth becomes their interpreter. The film also suffers from a distinct lack of battling. Perhaps this was to capitalise on Mewtwo’s newfound beliefs that have developed from the first film, but it also means that we only given a series of one-sided attacks. A bunch of robots are released and Mewtwo is kidnapped, Mewtwo breaks free later and Team Rocket fails to put up a fight etc.

POKEMON: MEWTWO RETURNS is a fun adventure film that will particularly appeal to fans of Gen 1 who didn’t keep up with the expanding species of Pokémon. It can be seen as a direct sequel to the first film and mostly builds on the themes and morals laid out then. The animation is on par with the series, but doesn’t push itself as far as the cinematic efforts. This is a nice companion piece that completes Mewtwo’s tale of acceptance.

Best Performance By A Pokémon:  Pikatwo runs away with it in this film as he shows himself to be rather an engaging leader in his own right. When Pikachu first shows up at the top of the mountain, Pikatwo is not pleased to see him at all. Pikatwo feels resentment at being a clone, but unlike Mewtwo, he doesn’t wish to simply hide away. The hatred and anger he feels are clearly present. After the arrival of Team Rocket, Pikatwo makes a stand against Mewtwo’s philosophy and declares that the Pokéclones should prepare for war. He’s certainly a character that could have taken centre stage.

Best Battle: Unfortunately the battles are lacking here, to a point where it seems like their absence is entirely on purpose. When Jesse and James show up they just use an electricity absorbing whip, and never once unleash their Pokémon. Pikatwo is prevented from attacking Pikachu due to Mewtwo’s intervention. When Team Rocket arrive, they have a number of machines specifically made for capturing Mewtwo, and so on.

PokéRating:

Come back tomorrow for our next PokéMovie Marathon article. Gotta read ‘em all here.

Pokémon X & Y are released for the Nintendo 3DS on 12th October 2013. POKEMON: THE MOVIE: GENESECT AND THE LEGEND AWAKENED will premiere on CITV’s Movie Club at 9:25 am on 19th October in the UK, and on Cartoon Network in the US.