'Mewtwo Strikes Back' review: This Netflix offering is meant only for die-hard Pokemon fans

Rating: 1.5/5

The eagerly-awaited Netflix offering Mewtwo Strikes Back, which hit the online circuit a few days ago, is a mediocre attempt at storytelling that fails to deliver the goods. The film, a remake/reboot of Pokemon The First Movie, revolves around the exploits of the "man-made Pokemon" and highlights his attempts at punishing the human race. The basic plot is quite simple and had the ingredients to be a paisa vasool affair. Sadly, it never reaches its potential due to the underwhelming writing. The writers fail to add depth to the main characters and this results in an unsatisfactory viewing experience.

The opening sequences, which focus on the background of the titular character, are slow and self-indulgent, to say the least. The action luckily picks up a bit once Ash and his gang enter the scene. The sequences involving the "villains" Team Rocket too are likely to click with die-hard fans of the franchise even though they don't offer anything fresh.

The film shifts gears once Mewtwo abducts several trainers and challenges them to prove their might. The Pokemon duels, not surprisingly, prove to be the main attraction of Mewtwo Strikes Back and work because of the nostalgia factor. Similarly, the sequences involving Ash and his Pikachu too work reasonably well even though they haven't been fleshed out too well.

Mewtwo Strikes Back, however, goes completely off track towards the end as several sequences feel preachy. Moreover, "the war of the clones" segment fails to make an impact due to numerous logical loopholes.

Most of the voice actors have done a fair job. However, the animation and visual effects are not as good as expected.

Similarly, some of the scenes drag a bit and this proves that the editing is not up to the mark. The reworked version of the iconic theme song also fails to connect with the target audience, emerging as one of the big drawbacks of Mewtwo Strikes Back. The other technical aspects are up to the mark.

All in all, Mewtwo Strikes Back relies too heavily on the nostalgia associated with the Pokemon series and fails to take the franchise to the next level. It might click with the old faithful but is unlikely to find wide patronage.