Pokémon Detective Pikachu Review
PG: Action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements
Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, The Pokemon Company
1 Hr and 44 Minutes
Director: Rob Letterman | Screenwriters: Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Rob Letterman, Derek Connolly
Cast: Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy, and Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu
The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City--a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world--they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.
If there was any special staple of my childhood that I was obsessed with, it was Pokémon. It was the first ever fandom I was introduced to as a kid and I was a little hoe for it. I collected trading cards, owned a crap ton of home videos of the Indigo League series and the movies, played the games throughout my childhood... Then, after Black and White, I retired. Pokémon is a phenomenon that I always seem to find myself returning to in some way, shape or form. So when word got out they were making the Detective Pikachu movie, I got a bit anxious. I hate using the term “you’re messing with my childhood” because that’s pathetic, but Pokémon was a special core part of my life growing up and the poor reputation that video game adaptations had in film made me fearful.
I was ready for this to suck. I’ve been dissatisfied one too many times by previous video game movie adaptations and I know I will be once again later this year. That said, there was no reason for Detective Pikachu to be as good as it is. Honestly, it only seems fitting that the first good video game movie would be a Pokémon movie.
If you go in expecting any resemblance to the main series of Pokémon - the “catch ‘em all” mechanic - good luck, for this is distinctly Detective Pikachu and it’s faithful to that source material. This covers everything from the location and the mystery aspect to nailing down the atmosphere of the Pokémon world and how it would look if they inhabited ours.
The film follows Tim, a young man who bears the same archetype as Eddie Valiant from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, for he lives in a creature-populated world but can’t stand them, for his emotions towards them relates to a deceased relative. He’s contacted to head to Ryme City when his father Harry goes missing, and finds a talking Pikachu in his apartment. Together they embark on this journey to solve the case of Harry’s disappearance.
We are now living in a technologically advanced era where we have transitioned from shooting on film to digital, yet out of all movies, Detective Pikachu was shot on film. With no doubt, this was shot on film and it serves a purpose to the film’s benefit, for it adds a layer to the atmosphere and immerses you into the story. Because of its title, director Rob Letterman goes for a classic neo-noir style to accompany the film’s premise and it thoroughly works, especially in the first half of the movie.
The cinematography by John Mathieson, who’s worked on films such as Logan and Mary, Queen of Scots is outstanding. Similar to Logan, the cinematography often coincides with the genre the film tries to capture. Because of the cinematography and the art direction, the setting of Ryme City gets to play as a character as you’re just in awe of its functionality. With the purple neon lights of stores lighting the alleyways where purple-colored Pokémon like Aipoms reside at, to the fluorescent lighting reflected on the characters’ faces to deliver an ominous tone, it’s hard to not appreciate the amount of effort put into bringing this world to life. So, people who aren’t really Pokémon fans but are cinephiles will find something to admire here. Also, the community is so well-developed that it leaves you wanting to buy a one-way ticket to Ryme City. This is now added onto my extensive list of fictional places I wish were real because of how beautifully they’re presented - right next to Wakanda.
This movie is every Pokémon fan’s wet dream, for nearly each frame is populated by enough recognizable Pokemon from the first gen to the most current one to make this world come to life. In a time where character designs are a bit too uncanny, a majority of the Pokémon designs are damn near perfect and well-translated on screen. The art team (some who got their start creating photogenic fanart on Deviantart) distinctly nails the art style of the source and the well-detailed effects that go alongside it. This brings us back to how incredible it is that this was shot on film. And it’s not just the translation of the designs that makes the Pokémon’s live-action appearance cool, but also the intricate detailing where some relate to an actual animal and their characterized properties. Pikachu is an electric type, but he’s a mouse first, so they give him fur. Charizard may be a fire type, but he’s a dragon first, so they give him scales. Besides giving them such detailed designs, Letterman delivers fast-paced fun like he did in his previous project (Goosebumps) by incorporating creative action sequences out of specific Pokémon. One of the highlights is the Mr. Mime scene which is funny as hell all the way through.
Out of all the live-action buddy comedies which rely on an actor and his performance with a CG creature of an established property, it’s great to say that Justice Smith delivers the first stellar performance of that type. Outshining the likes of Piper Perabo, Neil Patrick Harris and Justin Lee, Smith brings enough charismatic energy and dimension to the table that elevates the chemistry he shares with Reynold’s Pikachu. The scenes between the two are well-delivered and their interactions make you more invested in their story. Never for a moment does he feel like he’s half-assing or sleepwalking through his performance, unlike the aforementioned names. Plus, there’s also the fact that his character, Tim, is a well-written character. Though his complex is similar to Eddie, his chemistry with the electronic mouse with the mouth is the strongest suit of the movie and makes it special.
It goes without saying, if you are not a Pokémon fan by any means or don’t get its specialty, this is not for you. It’s a good introduction for newcomers to entice them enough because of the beautiful visuals, but Detective Pikachu is mostly for the veterans of the franchise. If you don’t understand Pokémon, get the hell out of the theater. I mean, you’ve had 20 years to get on the hype train and if you missed it, don’t start with this movie and don’t criticize it either because you don’t get it. Hell, I would say that a lot of the movie delivers so much fan service that it’s kind of implemented into the story. It cleverly takes advantage of the franchise’s roots to make an enticing mystery that is original, but sometimes predictable.
That said… this movie has some major flaws.
I love Kathryn Newton, who is a great actress, but her character - primarily the way she’s written - feels as if she belonged in another movie. Her character is a reporter and plays it similar to the stereotypical ones you see in sitcoms.
Everyone’s all serious and her character comes off a bit too perky, as if she walked in from the set of a Disney Channel sitcom. It’s mostly how she’s written, for she’s a news reporting team intern who is working on the latest scoop in Rhyme City. She even says that she’s looking for the latest scoop. Nobody says “latest scoop” anymore, so that hints at how odd the character feels in the given situation. For a story that focuses on a boy and a Pokémon, she never comes across as an enticing character, for she’s never really developed or well-established. All she provides is accompaniment and an awesome Psyduck.
Honestly, a little bit of Ryan Reynolds goes a long way. The banter between Tim and Pikachu is fun and at times hysterical, but the dialogue they have is pretty weak, especially Pikachu’s. The character yammers for the majority of each scene and whenever that leans into a joke, it tends to often fall flat. Reynolds is naturally funny when he’s both restrained and unrestrained, but not every scene needs his voice to substitute for substance, especially when the dialogue is not that funny.
A personal thing about this movie that bothered movie was Mewtwo. Mewtwo plays a huge role in this movie that makes a nice nod to the plot of the first ever Pokémon movie, but because of it, he’s treated as the most recent Pokémon. He’s #150 and he’s introduced as #807. That's all for the sake of story, I get it. It’s just a personal nitpick.
Tonally, the first half of the story is dark and mature (but never inappropriate). As the film progresses, the tone gets lighter and sillier, and so does the story - to an extent that the climax is a lot to unpack. To this day, I am conflicted about whether the finale is mostly stupid because of the antagonist's plan or to think it’s clever because said plan does relate to a mechanic of Pokémon that has a weird twist. Regardless, it’s still a damn mess that catches you off guard.
Some of the elements aside from the climax remain faithful to Pokémon, including some of the nightmare fuel.
I still remember that episode from the Indigo League which focused on one of the weirdest Pokémon and developing nightmares because of the design it would have whenever it transforms. By God, do they incorporate that here too. So, yeah wish me luck trying to get some sleep tonight.
Here’s the part where I admit that this movie mentally broke me for the better. Detective Pikachu has to be the first movie with a stupid twist that I’m okay with. It is absurd, but I immediately forgave it because of the meaningful story it told between the two leads. Just like the climax, I was still questioning myself if that twist was stupid or genius. By default, I might have to say genius because, as far as stupid goes (which Pokémon is no stranger to), it never hits anywhere near as close to stupidity as the majority of the anime movies. This is a franchise which had movies where:
Pokémon’s tears bring Ash back to life without any form of explanation
A little girl thinks a Pokémon is her dad (which is actually well-developed in all seriousness)
A legendary Pokémon has the ability to shapeshift into a human and kiss Ash
And that’s not even scratching the surface. So, by stupid standards, Detective Pikachu leaps and bounds over every other Pokémon movie to date, even though this is the first live-action one.
Despite its overwhelming climax, Detective Pikachu is a charming, heartwarming and joyous noir-styled mystery for the whole family that is incredibly faithful to its source, more cinematically profound than it needs to be, and serves as proof that more Pokémon stories can and should be told on film because I would love to see more of it.
Now give me a Pokémon Ranger movie. I’m ready for that.
Rating: 3.5/5 | 76%
