The CGI remake of the first Pokémon movie has been localized into English and will be released exclusively on Netflix next month.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution is a CGI remake of Pokémon: The First Movie. The movie tells the story of the creation of Mewtwo from a scrap of Mew's DNA, his rebellion against Giovanni, the creation of his clone army, and his encounter with Ash Ketchum. The story of the film is the same as the original and it still has Takeshi Shudo listed as its writer, even though he passed away in 2010.
The fans who want to see Pikachu cure Ash's petrification with his CGI tears will soon have a chance, as Netflix has announced that Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution will be added to the streaming platform on February 27, which will coincide with Pokémon Day.
This isn't the first Japanese video game movie that Netflix grabbed lately, as Dragon Quest: Your Story is also coming to the platform in February. It makes a lot of sense for Netflix to snap up these movies, as Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution would only have received a limited theatrical run and home release, while Dragon Quest: Your Story probably wouldn't have been localized at all.
Pokémon: The First Movie is fondly remembered by many of the fans who were kids during the original Pokémania boom and the resurgence of interest in the franchise following the release of Pokémon Go must have made it an easy decision to remake the original film. Pokémon: The First Movie isn't exactly a work of cinematic art and there were probably parents around the globe who sat baffled in the theater at the movie playing in front of them, but it's still awesome to see the original trio from the anime go on another adventure, especially as it has far more impressive visuals than the first version of the film.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution will be added to Netflix on February 27, 2020.
Source: Netflix/YouTube