Review:
*Originally written May 14th, 2019*
I'm not exactly sure what my deal with Pokemon is. I definitely grew up around it, I remember the cards, I might of seen a few of the films and the TV show, but outside of the imagery of Pikachu and Ash, I really don't know or remember anything about the series. I can name a few of the more obvious Pokemon, but outside that I'd say I'm a poser of a fan.
Even with that, I was very much looking forward to Detective Pikachu. A detective comedy with Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu? It's definitely one of the weirder and more out-there concepts for a massive budgeted franchise film I've seen for quite some time. Although I still wish they went with Danny De Vito as the voice, there was certainly potential there.
The film itself though, is an incredibly fun time. It might not commit to the weirdness as much as it should, but for a kids film, this is pretty much everything you could ask for. A simple, easy to follow story, an interesting and varied world, humour that lands and a surprising amount of heart. I can't say how faithful to the games this is, as I've not played them, but in terms of video-game movies this is by far the best I've seen and the most successful from what I've seen (And I have seen far too many).
My biggest concern with this was the lead actor. Justice Smith. His role in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as the screaming banshee of unspeakably annoying levels destroyed any excitement of any project he would be starring in. Honestly, I cannot express just how awful he is in that terrible film. That Razzie nomination was more than justified. Thankfully, he proved to be a surprising lead that carried things well, making way for an emotional arc as Tim, as he finds himself uncovering a mystery that involves his dead father, a shady corporation and the Ryan Reynold's voiced Pikachu.
Now, let's get on to that. Ryan Reynold's Pikachu is very much Ryan Reynold's doing his usual Deadpool thing. A sarcastic pop-culture joke machine, but it surprisingly works in the film's favour. Mostly due to the absolutely incredible CGI creation of Pikachu, an instantly adorable, sweet and cute creation that is impossible to hate. This is how you make a live-action character come to life (Looking at you Sonic).
In fact, bringing this entire world of Pokemon to life is something I didn't expect the film to pull off as well as it did, but the world building here is so impressive. I love the design of all the Pokemon and they mix into the real world pretty perfectly, we see snippets of how society has made use of them (Squirtles being used as firefighters was my favourite). There's so much stuff going on in the background that can be set-up for future films I can't wait for.
Outside of Pikachu and Tim, the supporting cast are easily brushed a little to the side. Kathryn Newton leaves an impact as an aspiring reporter who partners with Tim to sort out this mystery, while Bill Nighy hams it up in a role that is laughably obvious where it was going to go from the beginning, but as a kids film, I can probably give it a free pass. I had no idea Nighy was even in it, but he's a welcome surprise none the less.
i don't know what much else to say there is about Detective Pikachu, it's definitely an achievement in video-game films, Ryan Reynold's incredibly cute Pikachu steals the show and there's so much going on here that can be further expanded on in sequels. It's great. I'mma go play Pokemon Go now.
8/10 Dans
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
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Letterboxd: Dan
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