“It was magic that brought us together, and that magic is called hope.”
For over 20 years, Pokémon has been one of the most popular franchises in the world. With over 100 video games, a television series 22-seasons strong and an extremely successful card game, it feels like the series has done almost everything expect live action films.
Fans have spent years wondering what their favorite pocket monster would look like in real life and, after the release of “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu,” they will no longer have to wonder.
“Detective Pikachu” follows Tim Goodman, a young insurance agent with a distain for Pokémon. When his father is presumed dead, Tim ventures to Rhyme City to collect his fathers’ belongings and come to peace with his passing. When Tim discovers a talking Pikachu in his father’s apartment who claims to be a world class detective, the two set off to find out if Tim’s father is truly dead.
“Detective Pikachu” is a feast for the eyes. The CGI Pokémon in the film look absolutely fantastic. The way that the creatures interact with the world make Rhyme City feel like a real, lived-in place.
Similarly to “Avengers: Endgame,” “Detective Pikachu” is most easily enjoyable if you are a fan of the film’s franchise. A lot of the enjoyment that I found in the film came from seeing Pokémon that I had loved for years being so wonderfully put into live action and, if you aren’t a fan, you obviously won’t get that same enjoyment.
The biggest thing holding the film back from truly being great is the performances by most of the film’s cast. Justice Smith gives a particularly unremarkable performance as Tim Goodman. Most of his deliveries felt phoned in and cheesy.
His co-stars don’t fair much better. Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy and Chris Greere are all completely forgettable, which may be more the fault of the film’s generic plot than the actors themselves. It’s hard to give a memorable performance when you aren’t given much to work with.
“Detective Pikachu” is completely carried by Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu. He is consistently funny and likable, and luckily, his is in 90% of this film.
While most of the plot feels generic, the film did feature some twists and turns that I was not expecting and managed to keep me invested until the very end. The addition of some well-done Pokémon battles and a particularly cool scene in the second act saved the movie from mediocrity.
Overall, while fans of the Pokémon franchise will get the most enjoyment out of “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu”, the film has enough substance and comedy that it is able to stand on its own.
While the film suffers from an unremarkable story and lackluster performances, a particularly good performance from Reynolds and some amazing visuals are enough to keep the film interesting and make it worth your time.
3/5 Stars
