Pokémon: The First Movie Rankings And Opinions

If you were a kid in the late ’90s, Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back wasn’t
just another animated film it was an entire cultural event. You picked up your special promo
card at the theater, argued with friends about whether Mewtwo was evil or misunderstood, and
probably cried during that scene with Ash and Pikachu. Decades later, the movie still
sparks heated rankings and strong opinions among fans and critics alike.

Today we’re revisiting Pokémon: The First Movie with a fresh, analytical look:
where it ranks among the Pokémon films, why critics were harsh while fans were devoted, and
whether it still holds up in 2025. Think of this as a hybrid: part nostalgia trip, part film
analysis, and part fan debate condensed into one long read.

A Quick Refresher on Pokémon: The First Movie

Originally released in Japan in 1998 and in U.S. theaters in November 1999,
Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back was the franchise’s big-screen debut.
The story follows Mewtwo, a powerful psychic Pokémon cloned from the mythical Mew. Created in a
lab by human scientists and exploited by Giovanni of Team Rocket, Mewtwo turns against humanity,
inviting elite trainers including Ash, Misty, and Brock to his island for a high-stakes
showdown.

Financially, the film was a hit. With a relatively modest production budget and a worldwide box
office of around $170+ million, it proved that Pokémon wasn’t just a fad; it was a global
juggernaut that could fill theaters as easily as school playgrounds. Box office data and
contemporaneous reports consistently place it among the highest-grossing anime films released
outside Japan at the time.

Critically, however, it was another story. Review aggregators show a low critic score in the
mid-teens on Rotten Tomatoes and mid-30s on Metacritic contrasted with much higher audience
scores in the 70–80% range and a strong “A−” CinemaScore from moviegoers. In other words:
critics groaned, kids cheered.

Where Does Pokémon: The First Movie Rank Among Pokémon Films?

Since that 1999 release, more than 20 Pokémon feature films have followed, plus remakes like
Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution. Ranking them has become something of a cottage industry:
film and pop-culture sites, anime blogs, and fan forums have published lists that run from
“worst to best” to “most nostalgic to most technically impressive.”

When you look across multiple U.S.-based rankings, a pattern emerges:

• Mid-to-high tier overall: Many lists put The First Movie in the top
  half, sometimes even in the top 5, largely because of its emotional impact and iconic status.
• Not always #1: Later films like Lucario and the Mystery of Mew,
  The Rise of Darkrai, or Detective Pikachu sometimes outrank it for stronger
  storytelling, smoother pacing, or more modern animation.
• Nostalgia multiplier: Writers frequently admit that their ranking is heavily
  influenced by childhood memories “atomic-grade nostalgia,” as one retrospective put it
  even while acknowledging the movie’s flaws.

In many ranking lists from film blogs and fan communities, Pokémon: The First Movie
usually lands somewhere between “flawed but essential” and “classic, if you were there.” It
might not be the most polished Pokémon movie ever made, but it is often treated as the most
important one.

Story and Themes: More Existential Than You Remember

Mewtwo’s Identity Crisis

One of the biggest reasons the movie still gets discussed is its surprisingly heavy theme:
identity and purpose. Mewtwo is introduced not as a simple villain, but as a sentient being
grappling with questions that wouldn’t be out of place in a philosophy class:

• “Who am I if I was artificially created?”
• “Do I have a purpose beyond what my creators intended?”
• “If humans used me, why should I trust them at all?”

Essays and think pieces revisiting the movie point out that Mewtwo’s struggle with free will,
exploitation, and self-worth is unusually intense for a kids’ film. The cloning subplot and the
ethical questions around genetic engineering echo themes found in more “serious” sci-fi, but
filtered through bright colors, psychic battles, and a lot of Poké Balls.

Cloning, “Realness,” and the Value of Life

The central conflict Mewtwo’s cloned Pokémon versus the original Pokémon raises a big idea:
does how you were created determine your worth? Mewtwo initially believes that clones are
superior, designed to be stronger than their originals. The climactic battle, where Pokémon and
their clones fight brutally, is intentionally uncomfortable. It’s one of the first times the
franchise shows violence that feels tragic rather than exciting.

The film ultimately argues that a being’s value comes from its experiences and choices, not its
origin. That message lands hard in the finale, especially for young viewers who may be
encountering questions about identity, prejudice, and equality for the first time through a
cartoon about electric mice and psychic cats.

Humanity: The Real Problem?

Another recurring theme is the danger of human arrogance. Scientists create Mewtwo, exploit him,
and then act surprised when he rebels. Giovanni sees Mewtwo only as a weapon. Fan and academic
analyses have pointed out that this lines up with Pokémon’s broader pattern: humans who treat
Pokémon as partners fare better than those who see them as tools or trophies.

In that sense, Mewtwo is less a “villain” and more a mirror held up to humanity angry, hurt,
and reacting to a world that told him his only value was his power.

Visuals, Atmosphere, and Music

By modern standards, the movie’s animation isn’t jaw-dropping, but it still has style. The
stormy ocean shots leading to New Island, Mewtwo’s fortress, and the psychic energy effects
around Mew and Mewtwo all give the film a distinct visual identity. Hand-drawn animation with
touches of late-’90s CGI gives it a nostalgic texture that many fans now treasure.

The soundtrack leans into emotional cues: dramatic orchestral swells during the battles,
softer themes during reflective moments, and upbeat tracks typical of late-’90s kid movies.
Even if the pop songs chosen for the English release sometimes feel on-the-nose, they helped
cement the film as a time capsule of that era.

Why Critics Were Harsh While Fans Were Enthralled

Looking at critics’ reviews from the time, several common complaints appear:

• Thin character development for human characters like Ash, Misty, and Brock.
• A script that can feel choppy, especially with the edited English version.
• Heavy-handed moral messaging that some reviewers thought was too obvious.
• An assumption that viewers already understood the Pokémon world and rules.

For adults walking in cold, the film could feel confusing and emotionally manipulative. For
kids, though, this was peak cinema: their favorite characters on the big screen, high-stakes
battles, and a surprisingly heartbreaking climax. Audience scores, later retrospectives, and
nostalgic essays all point to the same things fans loved:

• The emotional punch of the final confrontation.
• Mewtwo’s complex, almost sympathetic arc.
• The thrill of seeing dozens of Pokémon fighting side by side.
• The experience of going to a packed theater full of other Pokémon-obsessed kids.

Over time, a lot of writers revisiting the movie have softened their stance. They still see the
flaws, but they also recognize its cultural impact and the seriousness with which it treated
its young audience.

Ranking Key Elements of Pokémon: The First Movie

Within the Original Trilogy (Movies 1–3)

If we zoom in on the first three movies The First Movie, Pokémon the Movie 2000:
The Power of One, and Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown rankings often
look something like this:

1. Pokémon: The First Movie – Best emotional climax and most iconic villain.
2. Pokémon the Movie 2000 – Strong worldbuilding and “legendary” spectacle, but
   slightly less personal.
3. Pokémon 3: The Movie – Interesting concept and visuals, but less widely
   remembered by casual fans.

Not everyone agrees, of course, but when critics and fans talk specifically about impact and
recognizability, the first movie usually stays on top.

By Category: How the Movie Scores

• Emotional Impact: 9/10. The central sacrifice scene still hits hard, even
  for adults rewatching it years later.
• Villain/Antagonist Complexity: 9/10. Mewtwo is one of the most layered
  antagonists in the franchise, and later appearances in games and movies build on this film.
• Story & Pacing: 6/10. The ideas are big, but the English edit cuts some
  context and the plot can feel rushed.
• Animation & Visual Style: 7/10. Solid late-’90s anime with some memorable
  imagery, though later films and modern remakes are technically sharper.
• Cultural Impact: 10/10. It helped cement anime in the mainstream and proved
  that a video game adaptation could dominate the box office.

Is Pokémon: The First Movie Still Worth Watching?

Short answer: yes especially if you’re interested in Pokémon, anime history, or how kids’
movies tackle surprisingly heavy ideas.

As pure cinema, it’s uneven. The narrative shortcuts are obvious, the dialogue can be clunky,
and viewers unfamiliar with the franchise may feel dropped into the deep end. But as a
combination of emotional storytelling, franchise-defining lore, and nostalgic charm,
Pokémon: The First Movie still has a unique place in pop culture.

For younger audiences discovering it now, it serves as a strangely intense introduction to
themes like cloning, prejudice, and empathy. For adults who grew up with it, it’s a reminder of
a time when a movie ticket, a holographic card, and a telepathic clone having an existential
crisis were all part of the same unforgettable afternoon.

Extra: Experiences, Memories, and Modern Opinions

To really understand why Pokémon: The First Movie ranks so highly in fan hearts, you
have to look beyond scores and critics and pay attention to lived experiences the way people
talk about where they were, who they were with, and how the movie made them feel.

Theatrical Hype and the “Event” Feeling

For many fans, this wasn’t just a trip to the movies; it was a full-blown event. Kids lined up
in theater lobbies comparing trading cards, wearing Pikachu hats, and clutching Game Boy
cartridges. The promise of exclusive promo cards in the U.S. release made the experience feel
even more special. You weren’t just watching a movie you were participating in something big
and shared, a global Pokémon celebration.

That “event” energy is one reason the movie’s reputation remains strong. Even people who now
admit that the film is messy or melodramatic will talk about how it felt like the biggest day
of their childhood. Nostalgia doesn’t erase flaws, but it absolutely influences rankings and
opinions.

Rewatching as an Adult: Mixed but Meaningful

Fast-forward to today. When long-time fans rewatch the movie as adults, their reactions tend to
fall into a few familiar categories:

• “It’s not great, but I still love it.” Many viewers admit the movie
  doesn’t fully hold up from a structural perspective, but the emotional core and iconic
  moments are irresistible.
• “The themes are deeper than I realized.” Adults now see layers they missed
  as kids: Mewtwo’s trauma, questions about exploitation, and the ethics of cloning.
• “I respect it more than I enjoy it.” Some viewers rank it as historically
  important, even if they personally prefer later, smoother entries in the series.

Online discussions often feature people saying they cried again at the same scenes they cried
at as children and that the questions Mewtwo wrestles with feel more relevant now in a world
where conversations about lab-grown life, AI, and bioethics are part of everyday news.

How Rankings Reflect Different Priorities

When fans rank Pokémon movies, they’re rarely using the same criteria. Some emphasize
storytelling craft; others prioritize the number of favorite Pokémon that appear, or the
soundtrack, or how much the movie expands the game lore. That’s why you can see
Pokémon: The First Movie ranked:

• Near the top by people who value emotional impact, iconic villains, and nostalgia.
• Somewhere in the middle by viewers focused on pacing, worldbuilding, or technical polish.
• Higher or lower depending on how they feel about the English edit and its changes.

The divide between critics and fans shows up here too. Professional rankings tend to lean on
film-school metrics: structure, dialogue, character arcs, and clarity. Fan rankings are more
likely to ask: “Did this movie change how I felt about Pokémon?” or “Did it define a moment in
my childhood?” By that standard, the first movie is almost impossible to beat.

Watching It for the First Time in 2025

Suppose you’re a newer Pokémon fan, or even someone who came in with Detective Pikachu
or the modern Switch games, and you watch The First Movie for the first time today.
How might you feel?

You’d probably notice the dated visuals and occasionally awkward dialogue. But you might also
be surprised by how earnest the movie is. There’s no ironic distance, no winking jokes aimed at
adults in the audience. It sincerely asks kids to think about whether clones deserve rights,
whether violence solves anything, and whether we are defined by our origins or our choices.

That sincerity is a big part of why, even in 2025, the movie continues to rank highly for so
many people. It’s messy, heartfelt, and absolutely of its time and that combination turns it
from “just another franchise film” into something fans are still debating, defending, and
revisiting decades later.

Conclusion: A Flawed Classic That Still Matters

Pokémon: The First Movie is not a perfect film, and even many fans are honest
about that. The pacing is rushed, the script is uneven, and the English edit trims away some of
the nuance from Mewtwo’s backstory. But it is also a landmark: a movie that treated its young
audience seriously, introduced big philosophical questions through a beloved franchise, and
defined what a “Pokémon movie” could be.

When modern viewers and critics revisit the film, their rankings and opinions tend to converge
on a compromise: it may not be the best-crafted Pokémon movie ever made, but it is one of the
most important and emotionally memorable. For many, that’s enough to keep it in the upper tier
of any Pokémon movie ranking and permanently lodged in their personal “top 10 childhood
memories.”