Detective Pikachu Movie Review: Plenty for Pokémon Fans to Go ‘Pika Pika’ in This Ryan Reynolds Film!
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is a fun entertainer for all Pokemon and Ryan Reynolds fans out there.
There is something very endearing about that yellow furball when it squeals 'Pika… Pika'. You really don't need to be aware of all things Pokémon to fawn over Pikachu, or rather, Detective Pikachu. Even when he ditches his trademark squeal and starts to babble like Ryan Reynolds in PG-13 mode, that cuteness stays intact. To enjoy everything that director Rob Letterman (Gulliver's Travels) has to offer in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, you really need to keep your vocabulary of those lovable cretins updated. Considering the crazy popularity of the game Pokémon Go! a couple of years back, I am pretty sure most of the world already are experts in differentiating a Squirtle from a Bulbasaur.
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is set in a universe where humans and Pokémons co-exist. However, the city of Ryme is different. Here, the humans have managed to make Pokémons their allies thanks to the ingenuity of the visionary, Howard Cliff (Bill Nighy). In this city arrives Tim Goodman(Justice Smith), who wants to collect the possessions of his dead father, Harry, a police detective. The latter was reportedly killed in an accident, along with his Pokémon. Gossip Girl Fame Blake Lively Flaunts Her Baby Bump at the Screening of Husband Ryan Reynold’s Pokemon Detective Pikachu.
At his father's flat, Tim stumbles upon Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), and is surprised that he could understand what he is saying. Pikachu happens to the supposedly dead Pokémon of his father, though he has lost his memory after the accident. The Pokémon convinces Tim that his father had found something dangerous and he could be alive. Determined to find the truth, Tim and Pikachu, along with an enthusiastic reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton), go on an adventure filled with frills, thrills and more Pokemons.
There is plenty to love in Detective Pikachu and those 'plenty' are, of course, the many Pokemons in the movie. It is fun to notice and identify the different types of cretins that the film throws at us, even if all some of them do is stand in the corner and be cute. Psyduck, Lucy's Pokemon, steals every scene it is in and his camaraderie with Pikachu demands a spinoff! The whole sequence involving Mime is uproarious. The CGI department deserves a lot of credit for the incredible and impressive creations in the movie.
But, of course, the star of the show is Pikachu and it is from his entry that the film manages to spruce up our interest after a rather dull start. Ryan Reynolds voicing the character just makes things so much fun to watch, even if he sometime can't get off the Deadpool mode. Justice Smith, the human lead, washes off the sins of his irritating act in Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom with a decent performance here. It is not easy to be convincing when most of the characters you interact are CGI, and Smith deserves a par for that. Kathryn Newton is charming. Detective Pikachu's New Trailer Video Will Make All The Die-Hard Pokemon Fans Cry Softly!
Watch the Trailer of Detective Pikachu here:
What hurts Detective Pikachu, though, is how predictable the whole thing is. From the villain reveal to the identity of Tim's father, it is easy to deduce where the wheels of the plot be heading next. Some of the sequences are stretched a bit too much, like the whole forest adventure, involving Tim, Lucy, Pikachu and Psyduck. The climactic fight is very ho-hum, with an over-reliance on CGI. Also, terrific actors like Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe don't get much to make a great impression here.
Yay!
- Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith
- All the Pokemons
- Easter Eggs
Nay!
- Predictable Yarn
- Some of the Human Supporting Characters Are Wasted
- A Couple of Sequences Are Stretched, Including the Climax
Final Thoughts
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is a fun entertainer for all Pokemon and Ryan Reynolds fans out there. Well, as long as you are happy spotting your favourite little creatures, and not seeking out the holes in the script.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2019 02:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).