'

Pokémon: The First Movie

Play trailer

Pokémon: The First Movie

G

Released Nov 10, 1999

1h 35m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Anime

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

16%

Tomatometer

91 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."

Critics Consensus

Audiences other than children will find very little to entertain them.

Read Critics Reviews

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

This film is humourless, boring, impenetrable and with animation of such staggeringly low quality that it constitutes an insult to cinemagoers of all ages.

Jan 15, 2019

Full Review

Paul Tatara

CNN.com

"Pokémon: The First Movie" is a dose of extremely low-budget "Japanimation" that -- were it only more proficiently executed -- would rival "Scooby Doo" as the most astounding work of art in the 20th century.

Jan 15, 2019

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

A fun little movie with cute characters and animation

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

D.J. Rogers

Black Nerd Problems

It's simple, and that's not really bad, but doesn't add much for an adult viewer, either. Without the retrospect on it hard, I think this movie is a solid 7.9/10. I wouldn't mind watching it again, especially with my little one.

Feb 11, 2021

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

We know that the makers of this film are capable of something slightly more grand-scale than "video game commercial". They're just not interested in actually doing it.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jun 1, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

The ending was a bit underwhelming and I would have liked to see more backstory for Mew. He just kinda shows up without any explanation as to why he's even there. A better battle between Mew and Mewtwo would have been cool too. And why did Ash turn to stone when he died??

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Stephen L

A thoughtful movie about friendship, finding meaning, and finding common ground with your common man.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/25

Full Review

Kevin P

Nostalgia overload that clearly made parents lost in confusions, but young fans excited. I can't say it all holds up (Ash literally comes back to life from magic Pokémon tears), but the art direction of the animation and intimidating presence of MewTwo is genuinely great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

Full Review

Stephen C

All ages admitted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Stan C

HOW IS THIS RATED SO LOW, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES, loved it as a kid, still love it now!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

Full Review

Indigo O

A true classic. Loved it then and love it now! I remember when legendary pokemon were truly legendary-- when I was a kid, the first appearance of Mewtwo was terrifying! In contrast, I absolutely loved Mew!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/16/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Michael Haigney

Director

Kunihiko Yuyama

Director

Kathleen McInerney

Ash Ketchum

Jay Goede

Narrator

Rachael Lillis

Misty

Eric Stuart

Brock

Celebrating RT25 with our Favorite Movies of 1998

Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution Is Classic Pokémon on CGI Steroids

View more photos

Synopsis

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."

Director: Michael Haigney, Kunihiko Yuyama
Producer: Norman J. Grossfeld, Tomoyuki Igarashi, Takemoto Mori, Choji Yoshikawa
Screenwriter: Takeshi Shudo
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: 4 Kids Entertainment, Shogakukan, Pikachu Project '99, Nintendo Co. Ltd.
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 10, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $85.7M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS, SDDS, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now