Pokemon the First Movie - Mewtwo vs. Mew (1999)

14% of critics liked it
(79 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(64,527 ratings)

The internationally popular toy, comic book, and video game characters who stormed the big screen in the surprise hit Pokemon: The First Movie are back in this Japanese anime feature. Lawrence III, who collects the elusive creatures known as Pokemon, will become the greatest Pokemon trainer on Earth… More The internationally popular toy, comic book, and video game characters who stormed the big screen in the surprise hit Pokemon: The First Movie are back in this Japanese anime feature. Lawrence III, who collects the elusive creatures known as Pokemon, will become the greatest Pokemon trainer on Earth if he can capture and tame Lugia, a huge Pokemon of the sea. Lugia's powers are so great that they could destroy the world if they fell into the wrong hands, so lead trainer Ash and his friends must stop Lawrence's dangerous quest before it's too late. Pokemon the Movie: 2000 was originally released in Japan in 1999 under the title Poketto monsutaa: Maboroshi no Pokemon X: Lugia Bakudan, which translates as "Pocket Monsters The Movie: The Phantom Pokemon: Lugia's Explosive Birth." The U.S. release of Pokemon the Movie: 2000 was paired with a short subject, Pikachu's Rescue Adventure. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Kunihiko Yuyama, Kunohiko Yuyama
Written By: Michael Haigney, Norman J. Grossfeld, John Touhey, Takeshi Shudo
Genres: Action & Adventure, Animation, Anime & Manga, Art House & International, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Nov 6, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Mar 21, 2000
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
The repetitive plot is essentially a string of excuses for fantastical combat sequences, but somehow several characters' insistence that violence is bad doesn't come off as hypocritical.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The wisdom of putting bad experiences behind us never rang more true than after viewing this movie. Avoiding it though, may be impossible, so be prepared.
Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune
A shameless plug for Pokemon merchandise? You betcha.
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Adults may cringe at the preachy heavy-handedness and the extremely limited motion animation that sets the art form back a couple of generations.
Betsy Sherman, Boston Globe
The Japanese animation is beautiful, and the script adaptation for the English-speaking audience is well-paced, clever, and absorbing enough to keep parents from squirming.
Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With intentionally stilted animation, uninspired music and lame jokes, Pokemon is basically an ultralong version of the phenomenon's own boring TV 'toon.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Excruciating to endure.
Wally Hammond, Time Out
The story is a humourless retread of a Bond-style world domination yarn with a Frankenstein theme.
, Empire Magazine
It would be nice to think that 'the kids' would take on board the heavy-handed moral messages, but more likely they'll be looking out for new Pokémon to collect, therefore fulfilling Nintendo's merchandising dream.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
If you're over 10 years old I have four words for you: See Princess Mononoke instead.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
For Pokemon fans? Give it a shot.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
In the tradition of such drivel as 'The Care Bears Movie' and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' it's essentially a commercial disguised as a feature film.
Laura Reiley, Palo Alto Weekly
Abysmally bad.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
The kids in the audience at my showing were certainly enthralled, and I only fell asleep twice.
Ken Hollings, Sight and Sound
The movie may have been designed to shift Pokémon product but it also comes down hard on the side of friendship, mutual respect and resourcefulness.
Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Unfortunately, dear grown-ups, no end to the Pokémon invasion seems imminent.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
With its undertones of slavery and cockfighting, Pokémon" may have the most unsavory premise ever for children's entertainment.
Ellen Kim, Hollywood.com
The film is baffling, amateur and somewhat contradictory about violence.
Annlee Ellingson, Boxoffice Magazine
Probably too verbose to significantly influence the target audience.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Would it have been too much to ask for just a tiny bit of interest for the grown-ups?

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Christopher H

Unless you are a fan of the show or a child, this movie is not going to do anything to broaden your horizons about the Pokemon TV show. The plot is essentially an extended episode with bland characters, cheesy dialogue (complete with cringe-worthy humor), and an ending that… More
Unless you are a fan of the show or a child, this movie is not going to do anything to broaden your horizons about the Pokemon TV show. The plot is essentially an extended episode with bland characters, cheesy dialogue (complete with cringe-worthy humor), and an ending that essentially turns the whole affair into a shaggy dog story. Even as a kid I forgot about this movie in a matter of two weeks, the only aspect of the film that stuck with me was the villain Mewtwo, and that is only because he looks cool. In the U.S. release of the film, the distributors try to instill a"fighting is wrong" message that is almost hilariously squeezed into the film's climax. The message is ironic coming from a show in which humans force monsters fight each other in every episode. Not only that, but the movie essentially hits the reset button in the end, erasing the characters recollection of the film's events. The Japanese version of the movie is no better, except they develop Mewtwo's character more in a prologue that was deleted in U.S. theatrical release. The prologue traces Mewtwo's origins, and it is actually a pretty interesting film-within-a-film that only exemplifies Mewtwo's wasted potential. Overall, an incredibly bland animated feature that only existed to sell products.
Directors C

I had big expectations for the batlle between these two characters as im a fan of the games. But the film is terrible. It suffers from bad animation, bad dialogue, little tension and no heart. This im sure would be the reaction to fans of the games and filmgoers in general.
Alexander D

Based on the anime series of the same primary title, POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE (wow, that's a really boring title) really is not any good at all. Watching it at the time when I loved the entire POKEMON franchise, from the trading cards to the TV series, this film was amazing and… More
Based on the anime series of the same primary title, POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE (wow, that's a really boring title) really is not any good at all. Watching it at the time when I loved the entire POKEMON franchise, from the trading cards to the TV series, this film was amazing and crazy fun for my eyes. But looking at it nowadays, it's stupid, boring, and not well-explained. In other words, one would have to watch a few seasons worth of POKEMON to understand the superficial parlance and humor used throughout this film. Die-hard fans only.
KJ P

I may be a sucker into the pokemon universe, but being a fan of the original series, I have come to love this film just as much as the show, not even caring about how many flaws they forgot about. I would watch this film over and over again. It pulls me in and has me feeling the… More
I may be a sucker into the pokemon universe, but being a fan of the original series, I have come to love this film just as much as the show, not even caring about how many flaws they forgot about. I would watch this film over and over again. It pulls me in and has me feeling the emotions of the pokemon, it sounds ridiculous, but it is very true. The war between pokemon is under way, and as I watch it, I feel like anything is possible. The lessons are amazing and the story is believable. This highly underrated film has me on the edge of my seat every time I watch it. I love POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE!
Brad W

What is this crap. I grew up loving this movie, now I hate it.
Michael E

i dont get what some people dont like about this movie i mean if you arent fans of pokemon why did you see it i understand if you have kids but that doesnt mean you have to give a crap i mean just enjoy what you see its one of my favorite movies i enjoy the different characters the… More
i dont get what some people dont like about this movie i mean if you arent fans of pokemon why did you see it i understand if you have kids but that doesnt mean you have to give a crap i mean just enjoy what you see its one of my favorite movies i enjoy the different characters the animation is top notch the comedy is spot on and it contains one of my favorite villains mewtwo
Luke B

You have to love Pokemon to love this, and boy do I love Pokemon. After 70-odd epidsodes this was the battle everyone was waiting for. It begins well, really well, with Mewtwo blowing the shit out of his own creators. He is soon questioning life and existence in some rather heavy… More
You have to love Pokemon to love this, and boy do I love Pokemon. After 70-odd epidsodes this was the battle everyone was waiting for. It begins well, really well, with Mewtwo blowing the shit out of his own creators. He is soon questioning life and existence in some rather heavy handed dialogue. Pokemon is made pretty darn fast, and the animation doesn't improve greatly from the TV show. Luckily, Mewtwo and Mew are great characters and Team Rocket's bumbling is kept to a minimum. At least it tries to explore some themes and characters as well as being an advertisement for all the merchandise.
Dean M

I remembered all about Pokémon since I last watched on TV animated series. The truth is I'm not such a Pokémon fanatic as well as I just wanted to see what it was like. Well, this was decent. There are some entertaining sequences, but it drags on a few parts. The climax was… More
I remembered all about Pokémon since I last watched on TV animated series. The truth is I'm not such a Pokémon fanatic as well as I just wanted to see what it was like. Well, this was decent. There are some entertaining sequences, but it drags on a few parts. The climax was good. I thought the animation was just like the anime which I enjoyed when I was little. I tell you, Japan has some big franchises.
Jason O

I haven't ever watched the Pokemon cartoon that much, but I didn't want to miss the chance to see the movies. While I was watching this movie, I thought for awhile that it was gonna just be a bunch of different cartoons because the first part of the movie is a cartoon called… More
I haven't ever watched the Pokemon cartoon that much, but I didn't want to miss the chance to see the movies. While I was watching this movie, I thought for awhile that it was gonna just be a bunch of different cartoons because the first part of the movie is a cartoon called "Pikachu's Vacation" that's only about 20 minutes long. Then the "Mewtwo Strikes Back" finally came on. In "Mewtwo Strikes Back," some scientists clone and create Mewtwo, which becomes the strongest Pokemon of all. What the scientists don't realize is that Mewtwo is psychic. Mewtwo gets real upset and wants to be ruler of all Pokemon and humans. Pikachu and the rest of the Pokemon crew must find a way to stop Mewtwo from becoming ruler of the world. "Pokemon The First Movie" is a good movie. It has good effects for a cartoon movie and once it gets to "Mewtwo Strikes Back," it will keep your interest. The only drawback I saw in the movie was that I didn't really see the point of including "Pikachu's Vacation" at the beginning of the movie. Not that it's bad, but I just didn't see the point in it. It would be better if it was just "Mewtwo Strikes Back." If you like watching a good cartoon movie every now and then, or if you're a fan of Pokemon, you should like this movie. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Pokemon...I was never much into it at all but had an OLDER brother that was one of its biggest fans in the world lol.
Lafe F

Fun movie for Pokemon! fans. The short "Pikachu's Vacation" is gold: there's cute interactions between the little creatures in their natural habitats which you don't often see on the TV show. The Feature: "Mewtwo vs. Mew" has a new lab-created… More
Fun movie for Pokemon! fans. The short "Pikachu's Vacation" is gold: there's cute interactions between the little creatures in their natural habitats which you don't often see on the TV show. The Feature: "Mewtwo vs. Mew" has a new lab-created Pokemon Mewtwo. It's a powerful thing indeed, with the ability to speak English; which is considered a mutation in the Pokemon universe. They treat this new creature as a threat. Mewtwo can destroy the planet. (Hmm... I wonder if this movie is where they got the Rise of the Silver Surfer plot from?) They then find a derived creature called "Mew" to battle "Mewtwo", hence the title of the movie. "Mew" is a cute little pink kitten-thing who can zap around very quickly. It's an epic battle in the sky. It's hard not to think of it as a very long Pokemon episode. The production values are slightly higher however, with full orchestral score, dynamic shading and "camera" movements. It's an afternoon treat for Pokemon fans, or a good way for those who don't speak the language to finally understand what Pokemon is all about. Hmm... I wonder if this movie is where they got the Rise of the Silver Surfer plot from? I hope they do a Pokemon-Drawn Together crossover featuring Ling-Ling.
Drew S

I hella saw this in theaters.
Sanjaya &

One of my favourite movie... It's a great story of friendship between a human and a pokemon.... They have a great soundtracks too...
Bradley W

What is this crap. I grew up loving this movie, now I hate it.
Dillon L

Too dark. ( I watched it when I was a kid - give me a break.)
DOCTOR P

"Pokemon's" first step in full-length films as well as it's first step to losing the fans of the anime. Based on the show that was based on the game (or games if you will) this movie truly shows that it is just that. Back when "Pokemon" was popular… More
"Pokemon's" first step in full-length films as well as it's first step to losing the fans of the anime. Based on the show that was based on the game (or games if you will) this movie truly shows that it is just that. Back when "Pokemon" was popular Nintendo needed to capitalize on it by making a show, for the most part while the show was bad it got enough rabid kid fans to ensure on a movie. The story is bad, the writing is bad, practically everything is bad. The only thing worth watching is the opening where it kind of sets up something that could have been interesting but apparently a movie about the clone Pokemon "Mewtwo" having a self realization journey was nothing that could have been expanded on. Overall this movie is bad and had an opening that had an idea that could have been more engaging then what they put out. Play the games their much better then this tripe.
Will T

Looking back, this movie is really bad, made to entertain people who are fucking 5. The music score is very good in this film, but the message, the action, and the plot take it down.
Steven V

Great movie. It is awsome when all of the pokemon and the clones fight each other. I love the Pokemon franchise.
a b

Really cool. Pokemon ruled for so long. It STILL rules.
Curt C

The movie gets 1 star, the animated short gets 5! :)
Janice :

Hahahahahaha XD Are you serious?