Mewtwo doesn't want to destroy the world because he's evil, he wants to because he's lonely, and the movie knows the difference. A 90-minute children's film about a cloned god-creature learning that being the strongest thing alive means nothing if no one chose you hits different when you're actually paying attention. By the end, Ash's sacrifice means something because the movie spent 80 minutes proving that compassion is the only power that matters.

Scientists use the genetic material of the rare Pokémon Mew to engineer Mewtwo, meant to be the strongest Pokémon of all. Unwilling to be treated as an experiment, Mewtwo lashes out with its psychic power and destroys its creators. It then trains under Giovanni, the Team Rocket boss who bankrolled the project, until it realizes it is being exploited once more. Rejecting humanity, Mewtwo sets out to find its own reason for existing and plots revenge through a devastating storm. Posing as a mighty trainer, it lures the region's strongest trainers, Ash among them, with the promise of a battle, only for them to learn that Mewtwo intends to clone their Pokémon. Ash must find a way to halt the plan before the world pays the price. The film is an action adventure with fantasy and science fiction elements.