Lured by a false invitation, Ash Ketchum and other elite trainers travel through a psychic storm to New Island. Mewtwo reveals a plan to purge the world of humans and "inferior" naturally born Pokémon, replacing them with powerful clones.
While Japanese critics praised its emotional impact, Western critics like Roger Ebert dismissed it as a "sound-and-light show" designed for marketing. Pokemon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back ...
The film follows the creation of , a bio-engineered Pokémon created from the DNA of the mythical Mew. After being manipulated and used as a weapon by Team Rocket leader Giovanni, Mewtwo begins to question the purpose of its existence. Lured by a false invitation, Ash Ketchum and
The original Japanese script focused heavily on Mewtwo's search for a right to exist. The character Amber (Ai), a clone of a scientist's deceased daughter featured in the film's prologue, was used to highlight the fragility of life and the concept of "self-existence". The film follows the creation of , a
It is the highest-grossing anime film in the United States and was the highest-grossing video game-based film until 2001.
The film's depth is often debated due to the narrative shifts made by for the Western release.