Directed by Rob Letterman
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, and Kathryn Newton
I was a big Pokemon fan back in the day. I had dozens of VHS and DVD's of the anime, which I followed all the way through the Diamond & Pearl series. I collected the cards and figurines, and played the games all the way through the third generation (Fire-Red & Leaf-Green are the best games from up until that point. Fight me.). I loved the concept of Pokemon. I wanted to be a Pokemon trainer. I even kept a list of all the Pokemon I would want to capture and train *John Mulaney voice* You know, like a dork!
Obviously, time goes on, I got older, and I fell off the wagon. They're still making all the Poke-things; anime, cards, and games. But the games have definitely expanded since I played them, like Pokemon Go and Detective Pikachu, which would be the basis for the first live-action Pokemon film. I think, even if you were still an active fan, that announcement came with a bit of skepticism. All the skepticism has subsided now. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is a super-fun film that is a perfect way to reintroduce the world to the franchise, on the big-screen.
The film follows Tim Goodman (Smith), a young insurance agent who has given up on Pokemon training. He learns his estranged detective father Harry has died, and travels to Ryme City to get his affairs in order. Ryme City is a utopia where Pokemon Battles are outlawed and humans and Pokemon live together in harmony. Perfect for a guy like Tim. It is here where he meets a deerstalker-wearing Pikachu (Reynolds), who only he can understand. Pikachu has lost his memories, with his hat with Harry's address written inside as his only clue. Tim reluctantly team-ups with Pikachu to solve the mystery of his father's death and Pikachu's amnesia. As with most mysteries, they soon uncover something much bigger and sinister is in the works…
It was probably a smart decision to adapt a spinoff Pokemon game instead of one of the mainline RPG's for a feature film. I think watching a main character traveling the country collecting gym badges and fighting various bad guys would get a little stale, but that's probably not too far away, and we'll soon see…I don't know, Dylan O'Brien? starring in a film as Red or Ash Ketchum? The story is fairly simple, dare I say predictable. The film conveys comparisons to the likes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Great Mouse Detective (I'm calling it now. When Screen Junkies does their Honest Trailer, that's what they'll call this film.) If you've seen any mystery or film noir you might be able to pick up on where this is all going.
Well, at a base level you can pick up on where this is all going. Avoiding spoilers here, but in the third act things get a little ridiculous, and that's where some viewers might start to get turned off. If you played the Detective Pikachu game you might know what I'm talking about. I had no real knowledge of the game so I was genuinely surprised, and briefly thrown off, but the film sticks the landing.
Let's be honest though you didn't come to this film for the story. You came for the Pokemon. Most of them, if not all of them look fantastic. The filmmakers gave it their all with the CGI and these characters blend so well into a real-world setting. Again, I fell off the bandwagon so I couldn't name *every* Pokemon on screen, but I was so excited to see old favorites like Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and others in this new forum. The film warrants a second viewing alone just so you can (Forgive me) *catch* a glimpse of them all…
Justice Smith is a great as Tim. He brings a lot of heart and energy into the role, and he works nicely as a surrogate for the audience, who like him is getting their bearings in this new (or newish) world. Ryan Reynolds delivers an iconic performance as Pikachu. You wouldn't think his voice would work for a Pikachu, but for this Pikachu? Gold, and he and Smith play off one-another very well. I don't know if the film would have worked as well without the right voice behind Pikachu, but Reynolds certainly boosts the entertainment factor. Kathryn Newton is fine as junior reporter Lucy, who joins them on the case. She's charming enough, but her "quirky and ambitious reporter" character just feels like it was taken from another film I can't remember. Bill Nighy gives one of the most memorable performances from the film. That is all I have to say on that.
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is a wonderful, fun, and solid start to this new franchise, and potential cinematic universe of Pokemon. If you're a fan, you'll probably love it more than those that are not, but I think everyone can enjoy this heartfelt adventure. It's a perfect family film, and just in time for summer blockbuster season. Heck, it might make you a new fan, or it might even reawaken the fan inside you, to a point where you just want to go out in the woods and start looking for Pokemon. Not that you could but…you get it. Well actually I guess you could in some ways, but I refuse to re-download the time and phone-battery killing Pokemon Go. I'll stick to my dorky lists thank you very much…
Guess I should probably talk about Endgame soon, huh? Ok...
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