"Pokemon: Detective Pikachu" Movie Review
Nostalgia, mystery, adventure, and comedy that only Ryan Reynolds can deliver - these four things are a recipe for a fun and intriguing film all on its own. Add Pokemon to that mix and you get a whole lot of fun.
The film follows Tim, a 21 year-old man who learns that his father has supposedly died in a car accident. Tim goes to his father's apartment to try to make peace with the passing of a dad who was never around. He discovers a mysterious gas that turns Pokemon crazy and starts to wonder if his dad's death was actually an accident. His father's Pokemon partner, a Pikachu, teams up with Tim to solve the mystery.
There's so much that I loved about the film. First of all, we who grew up with Pokemon have undoubtedly always wondered what the little creatures were thinking when all they could say was their species name over and over. The film helped with that in the sense that Tim is the only one who could understand his dad's Pikachu. Also, we learn that Pokemon can communicate and understand each other. Their language is just beyond a human's comprehension so all we hear is their name on repeat. No, this isn't spoiler territory. I'm honestly not sure if any of this was stated in the games or anime as it has been YEARS since I've had anything to do with Pokemon. But it was fun relearning it all the same.
The looks of each of the Pokemon were so accurate and as realistic as possible that it makes me wonder why other films haven't been able to - or tried to - achieve the level of completeness that this film did. Huge thumbs up to the effects team!
The story and writing was outstanding. You actually felt for the characters and cared about them and the mystery constantly kept you on your toes guessing. I thought I had everything figured out multiple times but things constantly took a different turn. Huge respect to all the writers that contributed to the overall story.
The only issue I had was that the build-up to Tim meeting Pikachu dragged a bit. Once the main story began moving, though, the film flowed smoothly and ended very well. Will there be a sequel? There might be, although I kind of hope there isn't. Detective Pikachu was a wonderful film and there's no need to ruin a good thing by popping out a half-hearted sequel as many studios do.
In conclusion, if you're a 90s kid like me who grew up loving Pokemon, you're going to enjoy this film. It is respectful in every way and has a knack for inducing nostalgia. If you're a new-gen kid or being introduced to these characters for the first time, then I hope you enjoy the film, and the characters, as much as I do.
© 2019 Nathan Jasper