Pokemon Detective Pikachu

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Chris Geere, Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora, Karan Soni
Directed by Rob Letterman
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: After the death of his father, a boy (Justice Smith) befriends a Pikachu who can talk. He was previously a detective and the two join forces to track down the secret of a massive conspiracy.

Review:

Tim: I'm quite surprised how much I enjoyed Pokemon Detective Pikachu. This isn't a movie I expected to be so thoroughly entertaining. It might be easy to dismiss this PG film, but it's got substantial depth to it. The visual effects are stunning and it's an enjoyable, exciting adventure. This movie surpasses all expectations and is one of the more fun films I've seen in 2019.

I would imagine that to some extent, your ability to enjoy this movie rests with your opinion on the Pokemon craze in general. I've never been a big Pokemon guy, but I admit Pokemon Go has taken up a considerable amount of my life the last few years. I was attracted to the game because of the augmented reality angle and I got caught up in the fever to "catch them all". So, I'm somewhat familiar with the world of Pokemon, even if I don't consider myself a huge fan. That being said, the depiction of a world where Pokemon and humans coexist is stunning to anyone. I loved the alternative world here, where Pokemon are just part of the fabric of life. The movie does an impressive job of weaving them into everyday society. I marveled at the depiction of that here, of considering what it would be like if our world was filled with Pokemon.

It helps that the visual effects here are vivid and believable. I've said a few times that as computer generated graphics get better and better, movies have lost some of the awe from visual depictions. We've seen so many amazing things generated, it takes a lot for us to sit up and take notice. I did that here. The Pokemon are depicted brilliantly- there's so many different kinds, so many colors and shapes and sizes. It was a colorful tapestry of life that filled every scene in the film. I did feel a sense of awe at seeing all these different Pokemon displayed here. The visual effects were top notch and did a great job of creating this world and allowing the audience to step into it. A movie like this requires the audience to believe the world they're seeing, and the visuals effects achieved that here.

The cast was solid. I loved Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Detective Pikachu. His voice is so distinct and yet it fit this character perfectly. His comedic timing is on point and it was a joy to hear him bring this character to life. I wasn't expecting Reynolds to play such a huge role in this film's success, but it wouldn't have been half as good without him. He deserves a great deal of credit for making this movie so enjoyable. I pretty much hated Justice Smith in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. His performance there was forced and ridiculous. So, I was stunned by how much I loved his performance here. It was everything that other one wasn't. He made you care about his character. His comedic timing was much better and his performance felt more natural. As important as Reynolds was, Smith is really the lead character and he does a terrific job here. I was very impressed with him. Kathryn Newton was fairly good in her role. This is the third film of hers I've seen and she was solid in all three. I'm excited to see more of her in the future. Bill Nighy was a bit over-the-top, but he mostly worked. Ken Watanabe added a good supporting performance. As a whole, the cast really did solid work.

The story was exciting, as we were presented with a number of mysteries and slowly the characters unraveled them to uncover a conspiracy. It was kind of impressive how this movie balanced the Pokemon world with a good old fashioned detective yarn. It melded these two worlds together quite well. It wasn't just a movie about Pokemon, but a legitimately entertaining mystery as well. I loved how the different Pokemon were brought into the story. Mewtwo was definitely a standout, but the film did an expert job at telling a mystery story that involved Pokemon at every turn.

I certainly didn't expect to be this impressed with Pokemon Detective Pikachu. The movie did itself a bit of disservice by the conclusion, making it much harder for a sequel (although the film gets tons of points for telling a self-contained story that wrapped up in a satisfactory manner). I hope we get more of these movies, because this one was so fun and enjoyable. You never know when a movie will breakout, and this one absolutely did.

*Update- Four years after first watching this movie, I revisited it with my 8 year-old son. He had been into collecting Pokemon cards when he was younger, but really was less interested in them at this point in his life. He excitedly told me, "Maybe this movie will get me to play with them more!" It definitely helped that I sung this film's praises to him. He was really excited to watch it. We had a blast viewing it together- it really is one of those rare movies that are as entertaining to a 40 year-old adult as they are to an 8 year-old child. It has something for everyone.

The movie holds up really well. Everything in my original review felt accurate and true today. I really enjoyed seeing this movie for a second time. I was struck this time by the expert way of telling a mystery first, and then populating that story with Pokemon. That's really the key differentiator in Rob Letterman's film. He was one of the writers and all three deserve a ton of credit for crafting a story where Pokemon feel like a natural part of the world, not the only focus themselves. Even though I'd seen the movie and knew all the twists and turns, it was still legitimately entertaining to watch it again.

The visuals are definitely a big plus- I loved seeing how the different Pokemon were all rendered here. The film does a fantastic job of taking animated characters and making them feel alive and believable. I sincerely hope they make more of these "live action" Pokemon movies because they are great fun to see.

Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, and Kathryn Newton continue to be the highlights of this film. All three of them have become even more famous and impressive since this film was released, so I took even greater joy in seeing them in these roles.

I recognize I'm mostly just saying the same things again- I pretty much nailed my thoughts about this movie the first time around and my opinions haven't shifted at all. I had so much fun watching Pokemon Detective Pikachu with my son, and I'm anxious for them to continue this franchise. We need a sequel, let's go!

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Dragonheart