April 22, 2026

If you saw the original movie a long time ago, you'll probably watch this and think, "Huh, it wasn't as good as I remembered." But then if you go watch the original, you'll realize this remake suffers in comparison because they sanitized a lot and changed more than you think.

The biggest shift from the original is cutting Mewtwo's backstory. Originally, the scientist who cloned Mewtwo had a deceased daughter, Amber. He preserved her consciousn… read the rest.

If you saw the original movie a long time ago, you'll probably watch this and think, "Huh, it wasn't as good as I remembered." But then if you go watch the original, you'll realize this remake suffers in comparison because they sanitized a lot and changed more than you think.

The biggest shift from the original is cutting Mewtwo's backstory. Originally, the scientist who cloned Mewtwo had a deceased daughter, Amber. He preserved her consciousness after some accident and was trying to clone a new body for her. Pretty dark. It makes sense why they took that part out, even if I disagree with that choice. However, the main problem is that those scenes provided two critical plot elements.

First, Amber gave Mewtwo a positive first look at humanity; a little time for innocent development and hope. That is suddenly taken away and Mewtwo loses his first friends. That throws him into despair as the story transitions him into Giovanni's subjugation. That's where he sees the worst of humanity and develops his hardened hatred for them. The remake jumps straight into the awful part with no foundation for the bitterness that drives Mewtwo's actions for the rest of the film. He springs forth from the cloning tube hating humans. That makes him a really one-dimensional character, with dialog that previously referenced his past replaced with repetitive slogans that give no depth to his character.

Second, Amber mentioned that Pokémon tears can grant wishes. It's a brief line, but _BOY_ does the resolution to the conflict not make sense without it! "They just... cried and he got better? ...What?" That little piece of dialog adds lore to the world and preps the audience for the suspension of disbelief. It's not a lot, but something is infinitely more than nothing.

Neither of these plot elements are replaced in the remake, they're just absent. My guess is that they couldn't add alternative scenes without detracting from what was otherwise supposed to be a very faithful remake. I'd highly recommend the original over this one. It's got more heart to it and the dialog is way less flat (as in the script, not the voice acting).

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