POKÉMON: THE FIRST MOVIE
MEWTWO STRIKES BACK & PIKACHU'S VACATION

Directed by Michael Haigney (US version) & Kunohiko Yuyama
rating 2 for Pikachu's vacation and 6 for Pokémon:The First Movie

Pokémon: The First Movie seriously weirded me out, and I'm a fan of the TV show. "Pika-pika-pi, Pi-pi... pikachu pi, kachu, pi pika chu Pikachu!" Imagine this for 30 minutes along with Balbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard and other crudely drawn cartoons speaking in a similarly primitive languages based solely on the syllables in their names.

Pikachu's Vacation, the short before the feature, is absolutely bizarre and tailor-made for the ADD generation. Many Pokémon (Pokémen!?) frolic in a lush, natural environment, bump into each other, engage in bizarre conversations, and compete in idle physical challenges like swimming races. It is barely comprehensible and every two minutes or so a crazy psychedelic interlude diverts your attention and you are bombarded with Grateful Dead style imagery.

It's pretty trippy. The whole teletubby-style romp ends in a good old Polk-A-Dot Door fashion Christian moralizing tale. Charizard gets his head stuck in between a mountain and all the Pokémon pool their resources to help free him. It's sickeningly sweet.

Mewtwo Strikes Back is a welcome relief as English becomes the dominant language and the movie's beginning signals a radical shift in tone. Mewtwo, an enhanced Pokémon, genetically engineered from the DNA of the supposedly extinct Pokémon 151 begins to wreak havoc on his creators. This is a typical foundation for most anime movies but considering the comedic heart of the Pokémon TV show, it is very unexpected.

Mewtwo is a tragic anti-hero, a Frankenstein's creature of sorts, who while struggling to determine the meaning of his existence conceives a plan for world domination. Mewtwo diabolically lures the best Pokémon trainers in the world to a deserted island, discloses his plans in the tradition of all short-sighted Bond villains and then they get down to some serious Pokémon fighting.

Ash Ketchum, the young effeminate Pokémon trainer is thrust into the spotlight in the movie and his pals Misty of the short shorts, and Brock of the skater-styles stand in the background and cheer him on. Ash is also the main character on the TV show, but strangely he is the least liked member of the Pokémon crew and so the movie would have done better to utilize the other kids more.

Ash does make for an intriguing leading man, he is definitely not your typical Hollywood hero. Ash is emasculated by his maternal instincts toward Pikachu and so all of his acts of bravery and courage stem from his love for the adorable yellow cutie instead of the more pertinent matter of saving the world. However, he does bring new meaning to the chorus of Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping", as the persistent little bugger just refuses to quit after Mewtwo continually thwarts him with his awesome telekinetic powers.

To the detriment of the film, Jessie and James-Ash's usual foes-are relegated to minor roles and so the comedic relief offered by their rhythmic wordplay is sadly lacking. They don't even get to complete one of their trademark raps which is arguably the most entertaining part of the television show.

Pikachu is the scene stealer of the movie. That adorable yellow rodent with the electrically charged tail is just so damn cute. There is one particularly endearing scene where Pikachu, a pacifist at heart, refuses to fight and tears stream down his face as he receives blow after blow from his vicious mutant clone. It was so sad that I had to look away (I don't want to cry at a Pokémon movie!).

Then there is an equally captivating scene where Pikachu is fleeing from Mewtwo's Pokémon catching balls and he begins to lose his energy. At first he easily fends off the sinister grey spheres with blasts of electricity but soon poor Pikachu runs out of steam.

"Come on Pikachoo, come on!" cried a group of little girls behind me.

Is this is really what the movie makers intended?

Most of Pokémon's charm lies in its quirky, absurdist humour that would make Tristan Tzara-Dada's crown prince-smile in his grave. Contrastingly the movie is an often scary, weighty morality tale that tries to tackle way too many issues.