Pokemon Detective Pikachu

One of the many things I'm grateful for about my parents was that they never really let me get that into Pokemon. 

At the time it would infuriate me, but they refused to buy into the fad and all the awesome card-packs-hoping-to-get-a-holographic-Charizard purchasing that other kids were partaking in. 

Looking back, I got more than enough exposure to the craze without having to always be stressing about trading some super rare card or getting it stolen or learning the ins and outs about what each one did. 

The fact that Pokemon is still prevalent today is a testament to how much it connected with kids back then and how well it evolved (pun somewhat intended) to stay relevant. 

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is one of those intriguing ways and I'd be willing to bet that when they announced a Detective Pikachu film several months ago that you rolled your eyes and went, "Wow...really?". 

I know I did. 

Though sometimes Hollywood pleasantly surprises us with films that we'd most automatically assume are cash grabs. The LEGO Movie (and its sequel) is one of the best examples of taking something that feels like it could be awful and giving it the right spirit, story, and script to blow you away.

Detective Pikachu won't blow you away - although I'm sure little kids will be over the moon for it - but it's a surprisingly effective blend of the world of Pokemon, live-action actors, and a perfectly-cast Ryan Reynolds playing basically an age appropriate Deadpool. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, even if it felt it went a tad long, and it was one of those solid one-time views for me. That's surprising given how much I scoffed at the idea when it was announced. 

Nothing about Detective Pikachu is poorly done, it more so has elements of mediocrity that tread under some of its great ideas. Many characters feel somewhat one-note and the story twists started to feel less like twists and just the film keeping secrets from us. Again, I'm sure for little kids it'll be the best mystery movie they've ever seen, and I did enjoy that it kept you guessing, but several turns didn't feel totally earned other than to say, "Gotcha!". I'm also not sure that Justice Smith was the best choice to lead the film. I've not had the most exposure to him but I feel like he's a bit better as a supporting character though he also doesn't completely drop the ball here. He just didn't do much for me, despite giving a fine performance. 

So f**king cute!!!

Even when serious/angry, he's cute AF

Ryan Reynolds on the other hand was a perfect choice as Pikachu though the credit certainly doesn't go all to him. As we've seen with the recent Sonic trailer that the internet had heyday dismantling, a lot of a CG character comes down the design. Without Reynold's voice, this "live action" Pikachu is quite possibly one of the cutest things I've ever seen on screen. Anytime the film has a close-up and you see the intricate facial movements and furs on his body, you get the same feeling as when you see a cute puppy up close. Ya feel it in your jellies, in other words (see the movie, you'll get it). With Reynold's voice added on, the cuteness is even dialed up because we know this Pikachu has a sunny disposition, addiction to coffee (aren't we all, Pikachu?), and cracks some funny jokes. It's an example of a CG character done totally right.

I also enjoyed the world that Detective Pikachu creates for itself - where Pokemon and humans live in harmony, and it leads to some wonderfully funny moments. A particular interrogation with a mime is one of the funniest scenes so far this year and I probably could have watched another 10 minutes of it, though that may have pushed the film into PG-13 territory. This also allows for some fun, colorful action between all the Pokemon that brings the battles of the old cartoons to life with mostly-fantastic special effects. 

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is an easy film to recommend because likely, at some point in the last couple decades, you were all about that Pokemon life. Even as a casual Pokemon participant, this film does a lot with enough competence to make you really enjoy the funny moments and the super cute yellow guy at its center.

CONS

• Most characters feel one-note without much going on
• Plot has multiple twists that, while fun, some aren't all that well earned and they feel like padding to extend the runtime
• Justice Smith does fine, but kind of wasn't doing it for me as the lead

PROS

• World of Pokemon is colorful and fun
• Funnier than you may expect - a particular mime scene had me rolling
• Ryan Reynolds, playing Deadpool-lite, was the perfect choice
• Character design of all the Pokemon is wonderful, Pikachu is especially adorable
• Wonderful one-time view

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10