Pokémon Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution ironically clones the original to create an inferior remake. “Where am I? What am I? Who am I?”. Existential conundrums that plague Mewtwo’s, the most powerful Pokémon in existence (at that time...), telepathic mind. Facing an identity crisis as he produces copies of beloved Pokémon in an attempt to create a superior race unbounded by the restraints of human training. No Pokéball prison. A cruel irony that was beset upon Yuyama, the director of the original and, on a personal note, beloved anime feature of the franchise. His return to this similar shot-for-shot CGI remake begs the fundamental question. Why?
The criticism that Favreau’s last year’s identical remake of ‘The Lion King’ received can instantly be applied here. Emotionless 3D character models unable to express visible emotive responses, relinquishing all personality that emanated from the hand-drawn animation. Ash, in particular, resembled an empty shell, resulting in the infamous final tear-jerking scene to be nothing more than vacuous void. Due to the personal attachment for the original, Yuyama and his team were constantly at battle with my nostalgia. Slight differences in the script and character actions consequently inserted a yearning to watch the original instead. Team Rocket’s English dub? No! That is not James! Not my James. My ears were bleeding! The dialogue was surprisingly more basic, feeding every plot detail with excessive explanations that the visual commentary already provided. Having said that, the upgraded animation style levelled up the smaller details. Pokémon models looked exceptional, especially Vulpix, with appropriate scaling and textures. Effects such as weathering and raging waters were some of the best examples within animation.
Objectively speaking, it was beautiful. But why? The argument that this remake will introduce the original story to a new audience is futile, considering the anime style has rarely aged. If anything, it’s manipulating nostalgia for some easy yen. Doesn’t work for me. Mewtwo should’ve asked himself “why am I doing this again?”...press B to cancel!
