Pokémon Detective Pikachu - Movie Review

Written by Shiggins

The very best, like no-one ever was?

If you had asked me ten years ago what I would have wanted to see from the first ever live-action Pokemon film on the big screen, I can assure you that this isn't the answer you'd get. Justice Smith pairing up with a Pikachu voiced by Ryan Reynolds, who is also a detective. No Red or Ash, no Gym Leaders, and not even any of the famous regions that Pokemon are known to explore. What's even stranger than this however? Well... I think they made a very wise choice.

As mentioned before, Detective Pikachu is about a young man named Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) who has discovered the father he's not seen in years has just died in a car accident. He goes to gather his belongings at Ryme City, where Pokemon and humans live together in harmony, but is given a shock when his father's partner, a Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) that only he can hear arrives, and wants to work with him to find out the conspiracy behind his father's apparent death.

I've probably brought this up in other articles, but I'm a huge Pokemon fan. Always have been. Probably always will be. According to IMDB, there are just over 60 Pokemon in this film, and I have to admit that they are amazing. If you're familiar with the work of RJ Palmer, who was actually hired as a concept artist because of his work, then you'll completely understand why they look as good as they do.

Duck-wails! Ooh ooh!

It's crazy to see some of these monsters brought to life, and with such detail too. Psyduck, Charizard, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Growlithe, Pancham, Golurk... Everyone looks great. Everyone. You might not believe they're really there, but the designs are kept to a perfect level of respect, because the makers know we don't want to see weird or distorted adaptations of Pokemon. We want to see the Pokemon! For an example of how badly things could have turned out, rewatch the Sonic the Hedgehog trailer. And the way they move really sells how alive they are, with everyone having their own rhythm and waddle and style. A particular scene involving Bulbasaurs is the most gentle and adorable experience I've had all year.

It is a shame though, that so many of the Pokemon are kept to background cameos or brief scenes, such as Jigglypuff's five seconds of fame. It's understandable, but still disappointing. An inevitable outcome, since there's over 800 Pokemon at time of writing, with more to come later this year! (My personal favourite, Metagross, sadly did not make the cut.) And honestly, some of the blame might be because of the story.

Surprisingly, this performance was not played by one of the Skarsgards.

By far the weakest element, Detective Pikachu's story is tragically standard and obvious. For a film that sets itself up as a mystery, there really is no big surprise here. If you can't guess who the main villain is, what they're trying to do and why they're trying to do it, within the first fifteen minutes, then you've probably not seen that many movies before. The story exists to showcase Pokemon and help the characters go through arcs, which is fine, but the film is called Detective Pikachu. A real twist or two would have been nice.

I now fully appreciate how insane Ash was for keeping this thing around!

The film is saved by our two leads. Justice Smith is giving a much better performance than he did in Jurassic World; Fallen Kingdom, surprisingly capable of handling the emotional scenes with some real heart, while keeping a frustrated state of being towards his CGI-co-star until they finally bond. And if you're as worried as I was that Ryan Reynolds was basically playing Deadpool again, then rest assured that he just manages to keep the two roles separate, thanks to an increase in heart and raw emotion, as well as being less snarky with Tim than he would be with, say, Colossus. His Pikachu is very fun, hugely expressive in every scene, and utterly adorable. Again, these two really do keep this film from collapsing.

The other performances are great too, including Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy, and a slightly-confused Kathryn Newton as reporter Lucy. (Why does every female character need to be called Lucy these days?!) I don't know what the writers were trying with her, but it feels like they couldn't pick a lane and just went with whatever fit the scene, rather than the character. She starts out as a dorky and eager reporter who wants to be taken seriously, but then she's a hard-hitting badass, then she's not again... it's inconsistent. Personally, I'd go with the first one because it's funnier and more endearing.

Huge points to the film for actually including the original Japanese voice actress, Ikue Otani, by having her voice for the famous "pika pi".

I've read some reviews say the film isn't living up to it's full potential with the source material, and this is true. No Pokedex, no Team Rocket, a lot of missing Pokemon... but it does what it can with what it has. And to be fair, that's a lot of source material that could never be fit into one film. Small scenes like seeing a Machamp divert traffic because of a sleeping Snorlax is great, so we'll hopefully get more in the future.

Detective Pikachu is a great laugh, and a great time. I can't imagine what this must be like for non-Pokemon fans, but I am a fan so I loved it. Your kids will love it, and I'm sure you'll get at least a few treats yourself, no matter your age. It might be lacking in some areas, but the characters and Pokemon are definitely worth a watch. It wants to be the very best (video game movie) like no-one ever was... and it succeeded!

Next up, Fireman Blastoise? Doctor Nidoking? Attorney-at-law Pangoro?

Movie Rating: 8/10

Best Part: Pokemon! Gotta catch 'em all!

Worst Part: As predictable as the games themselves.

Best Performance: Ryan Reynolds as Detective Pikachu.

Again, this came out the same year as Sonic the Hedgehog. How is that even possible?! I'll tell you how. Dumbasses, that's how!

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/