Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution is a 1:1 remake of the first Pokemon movie from way back in 1998. It’s loosely connected to a side-plot in Pokemon Red and Blue, where Team Rocket, Giovanni in particular, experiments with Pokemon genetics to recreate the mythical Mew.
Instead, they get a substandard clone dubbed Mewtwo who, while not quite up to snuff with its bubblegum-pink counterpart, can still use its psychic powers to cause a good deal of trouble.
Despite being a direct remake, it seems there’s some effort to emphasize one of the film’s key themes — all life is worthy of love and respect — through the film’s main song. That song is Rita Ora’s “Let You Love Me,” which is basically asking why the singer is apparently unworthy of love; it doesn’t take much to connect that to the unloved psychic monster Mewtwo.
Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution caused a bit of a stir with its drastic departure from the original’s hand-drawn style. It’s naturally not something many fans associate with the franchise, but the trailer shows it’s used to good and dramatic effect nonetheless. It’s also the second big change-up for Pokemon we’ve seen this year, not long after the live-action Detective Pikachu’s grittier, more realistic style.
Fans pining for a Pokemon film in the usual style won’t have too long to wait, though. As CPokemon reports, a special screening of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution shown during Anime Expo 2019 teased a new Pokemon film for 2020 done in a hand-drawn style. Not much else is known about this film, other than Pikachu slides down vines at some point.
Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution is set for a November 17 release date in the US.
