It's no secret that movies based on video games don't have the greatest track record out there. In fact, the only one I can think of that captured the spirit of the game while still being an interesting movie was the 2006 adaptation of 'Silent Hill'. So, does 'Detective Pikachu' finally stop the streak of bad movies? Is the positive hype all true? Did they finally give us a great video game movie? Let's discuss in detail.
Based upon the long-running video game series/anime/trading card game, 'Detective Pikachu' tells the story of Tim (Justice Smith) who arrives in Ryme City after news that his father Harry is missing. Here, he meets the titular electric mouse (Ryan Reynolds) who claims to be Harry's partner. The two are accompanied by an ambitious reporter (Kathryn Newton) and they set off to discover the secret behind Harry's disappearance and why exactly can this Pikachu talk to Tim.
First off, I thought the design of each Pokemon were spot on and they all perform well thanks to the well done special effects. The world of Ryme City truly feels lived in, with humans & Pokemon living together in a ecosystem that felt real. So the film has the immersion down, but sadly the human characters we are given are pretty bad if not completely annoying or unlikeable. I predicted the villain of the piece as soon as he showed up on camera. He didn't do anything to suggest this but its the casting and the character's backstory that gives him away leading to a very predictable climax.
Justice Smith is a total wet blanket for the majority of the movie, always talking about the negatives until around the ending. You wonder to yourself why he even bothers to go on this adventure as when he's first told that his father is dead, he acts really snotty about it like he doesn't even care. I feel that his arc was not detailed enough to make me see any real change in him as a character.
Kathryn Newton's character Lucy is I suppose the comic relief of the movie, but we already have Pikachu and she feels rather secondary. Her character is also extremely unlikeable because she is loud, pushy, and obnoxious. I'm sure this girl can get a better role down the line but she is just given nothing to work with here other than having a hilarious Psyduck Pokemon for a friend. She helps move the story along in some ways but ultimately I feel she could have been left out entirely and it wouldn't have changed the film much. Really, it all comes down to Ryan Reynolds who once again knocks it out of the park and gives us a kid-friendly version of Deadpool. He has the same quick wit and one liners and provides most of the emotional core of the film. He's also super adorable and the movie always kept my interest when he was on screen.
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD:
My last real issue here is with the villain's ultimate plot as it feels so overdone in the world of the "Pokemon" franchise. Mewtwo is a cool character no doubt about it and when I was a kid, this guy was hard as nails to obtain and God forbid your friend had him in his party when you two battled. But there are now multiple Pokemon that have mysterious pasts or powers to them that they really need to utilize. The 3rd animated film back in the early 2000's explored the mysterious Unknown and that would be a nice direction to go if this were to become a continuing series on the big screen.
One thing I found that surprised me was that there was no setup at the end of 'Detective Pikachu'. The movie wasn't planning the next 13 movies and leaving this one in the dust like so many films like to do nowadays (Thanks Marvel). I know there is a sequel in development, but it was nice to see this one and leave with a complete story like movies used to be before everything had to be a "Cinematic Universe" although I was fooled at times into thinking such a thing would happen. No major spoilers but those familiar with the source material will probably have come to the same false conclusions I did until the curtain is finally pulled back.
The film also does hit you in the feels at the right moment and overall it does have a satisfying end that does come off a bit on the cheesy side but hey its a kids flick so I'm willing to give it a little leniency. By now, I'm sure most people my age have settled down and had their own kids and that's really what 'Detective Pikachu' is ultimately about. It's for my generation to experience these wonderful little pocket monsters with their own children and have them see what made them so special to us 20 plus years ago. It's far from perfect and the hype train on it being the best video game movie is a little silly, but this is a perfect family film for you and your little ones to experience. Adults won't like the human characters and the story takes a bit too much from the animated films and games but ultimately I would recommend 'Pokemon: Detective Pikachu'.
7.5/10
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