The newest Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, hit Netflix this past week, but failed to learn from Detective Pikachu. While Detective Pikachu was able to update another Pokémon story in fresh ways, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is a major missed opportunity.
Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is a retelling of Pokémon: The First Movie, the original Mewtwo Strikes Back story. The movie follows the creation of Mewtwo, a powerful Psychic Pokémon, and a clone of Mew. Angry at the world that created him, Mewtwo vows to conquer the world with an army of powerful clone Pokémon. The original movie came out in 1998, with the same 2D animation as the anime series. Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution originally released in 2019, but came to North America last week via Netflix.
If you liked Pokémon: The First Movie, then odds are you’ll enjoy Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution to some degree. But the disappointing thing about this remake is that it could’ve done so much more. Last year, The Pokémon Company also came out with the CGI/live-action movie Detective Pikachu. This movie was a new story in the Pokémon world, only loosely based on the Detective Pikachu videogame. Detective Pikachu is a great example of how the company can make new and exciting stories with its pre-established characters. But the film also illustrates the fatal flaw of Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution - the choice to rehash an old story instead of innovating.
Mewtwo Strikes Back Is Just A Remake
Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is almost a shot-for-shot remake of Pokémon: The First Movie. There are a couple of changes to the original Pokémon movie, but they don’t have any real bearing on the story. It’s virtually the exact same as Pokémon: The First Movie. Now, a remake doesn’t undo the original, and this Netflix version gives fans easy access to an updated version of the classic, but what’s the artistic purpose or value? The CGI animation style can be awkward and lacks the delightful nature of the original animation.
It’s similar to Disney’s remake of The Lion King. In 2019, Disney rebooted the classic 2D movies, replacing the animation style with more realistic-looking animals. The movie was a box office success but it was not a hit with critics. While the nearly photorealistic animals were impressive, there was nothing else innovative or unique about the film.
In this same way, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution feels like a missed opportunity. There was so much potential to build on top of Pokémon: The First Movie for a fresh new take on the story. Unfortunately, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution didn’t capitalize on this, choosing instead to churn out the same old story.
Detective Pikachu Made A New Story Instead
While Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is purely a remake, Detective Pikachu is a unique new story for the movie universe. The film is an adaptation of the Detective Pikachu video game, but, while the movie has the same basic framework of the game, it made several big changes. The main antagonist was different, Mewtwo is more prevalent, and Pikachu’s amnesia (and identity reveal) is unique to the movie. Detective Pikachu could’ve simply copied the same story and banked on the live-action setting to carry the movie, but it didn’t. Detective Pikachu managed to update its source material in a way that allowed all audiences to experience something new.
This is what sets Detective Pikachu apart from Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution. While both movies are adaptations of previous movies or video games, Detective Pikachu innovated. It crafted an entirely different narrative out of the video game’s framework, rather than changing a few unimportant details. The movie made the most of its big-screen opportunity, leading to Detective Pikachu becoming a box office success, whereas Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, ironically, didn’t evolve at all. There’s a way to pay tribute to beloved stories without settling for a bland retelling, as Detective Pikachu proved. The fact Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution didn’t take away that lesson from Detective Pikachu, and instead went The Lion King route, is a let-down.
Detective Pikachu Did Mewtwo Better
Perhaps the biggest disappointment when comparing these two movies is the role of Mewtwo. Both movies have Mewtwo as a central villain, albeit in very different capacities, such that Mewtwo’s roles in each also mirrors the overall differences between the movies. In Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution, Mewtwo is the exact same character with the exact same plot as Pokémon: The First Movie. Detective Pikachu uses Mewtwo in an all-new way. Mewtwo is continuously used as a weapon by Howard Clifford, first with the “R” drug manufacturing, then with the neural-link helmet. Even when the movie revealed Mewtwo was a villain in the trailer, there was still a deeper twist they never gave away.
It’s a similar principle to the problems X-Men movies face when trying to adapt the Dark Phoenix saga. Even the most casual of X-Men fans know about Jean Grey’s death. When audiences see Jean Grey in X-Men movies, they are expecting her to turn evil and eventually die. This often means Jean’s death has little to no impact on fans in movies. Both big-screen versions of her death - X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix have rough ratings because of this (and, to be fair, many other X-Men movie problems).
This surprise factor is what sets Detective Pikachu above Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution. Even though fans knew Mewtwo was in the movie, and Detective Pikachu game fans would know his connection to the “R” drug, the Howard-Mewtwo mind link was a brand new development. This surprise factor makes the role of Mewtwo more impactful than the copy-paste plot from Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution. Detective Pikachu made the most out of Mewtwo, creating a more surprising and impactful depiction of the powerful Pokémon.
How Pokemon Has Responded To Nostalgia vs Innovation
The Pokémon Company has always worked to balance out nostalgia and innovation with its projects, often utilizing classic characters, while also adding new elements Pokémon fans can look forward to. The Pokémon anime has always focused on Ash and Pikachu but features the duo traveling all across the world, not just Kanto. Pokémon GO became a global sensation because it was a new way for fans to interact with the original Pokémon in real life. Even the Pokémon, Let’s Go! line of games, which were, ironically, remakes of Pokémon Yellow, utilized new graphics, gameplay mechanics, and ways to play with your Pokémon. Pokémon has always found success when striking a balance between paying tribute to their history and building their future.
That’s what makes Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution so perplexing. While Detective Pikachu stays true to Pokémon’s balance focus, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is purely a nostalgia play. This reboot doesn’t erase the movie it’s based on, but the updated animation alone isn’t enough to justify its existence. Whereas the majority of Pokémon reboots give their fans something new to look forward to, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution seems unconcerned with its fan base.
Next: Pokémon’s Movie Future After Detective Pikachu Explained
