Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Pokémon Detective Pikachu brings the world of Pokémon to life in an entertaining adventure following a hilarious Pikachu and a mediocre central character. The fact that I was given Pokémon cards with my ticket is a noteworthy experience alone, but actually seeing the different Pokémon existing in a live-action film—not just showing up, but existing—was more nostalgic for me than any childhood adaptation this decade.

Rhyme City is a character on its own, filling every alleyway and street with life and color. The mix of run-down, neo-punk billboards with fun Pokémon-coworker jobs gives a physical presence of location in each setting. Tim’s introduction into the city glows with noir-style lighting, giving harsh shadows and a blue-orange glow over the night-life. It reminded me of the Blade Runner films, clearly being an inspiration with this sci-fi-detective story. During the climax, this interesting shadow-light contrast is sadly replaced with the usual action setting of a clear day and bland skyscrapers, but the street view of the city remains strong to the very last scene. Just seeing Pokémon fit so comfortably in a packed world brought me joy, and with the detail put into this film to make it organic and genuine alone deserves the price for a ticket.

The story is the weakest link to this fun filled adventure. The main plot points are the usual check list for a detective story, but the clues to the mystery are not hard to find. Most of them present themselves to the characters directly, without any obstacles. The twists are strong, but the audience knows them ten minutes before any of the characters see them coming. The strongest scenes were outside of the story, where the characters were reflecting on their past and thinking of how to fix their mistakes. Those moments are the emotional core of this film, and it is pretty effective in the execution; if the story got me invested to care about the characters, their emotions would be felt and elevate this film to a much higher level.

Ryan Reynolds saves this film. None of the supporting cast can hear his character, so the entire runtime he continuously spits out these quips and one-liners that give this film so much of its color and enjoyment. Sadly, he is not the main character. He offers a lot to the table, but he is the sidekick. He is “Tim’s Pokémon,” who sits on his shoulder—which is a great shot—and cannot even fight in the action scenes because he forgets to use his powers. The amnesia plot point to his arc is very cheesy, but it does add to certain developments of the story that make it worthwhile. Ryan Reynolds’ charisma really breaks the cliché moments of his character, something that the other actors are missing.

The human characters, ironically, are lacking the sense of reality. Tim Goodman is the central character, played by Justice Smith, and honestly if it was a different actor this film would have done everything right. Justice Smith tries his best to bring the audience in with his sad backstory, but the performance seems fake. His character, though, does have backstory with emotion; the other human characters do not. The main actress, Kathryn Newton, has nothing to work with and gives an obnoxious performance that only reminded me that I was watching a kids’ film. The antagonists are also very black and white. The best part of the characters that shines through the bland story is the amount of heart between Pikachu and Tim. Their bond grows as they work through each problem together, and because of their complete lack of skill and knowledge of the world around them, their stumbling around the story is very entertaining. Their scenes hold the emotional core. It is when another character interrupts to ask about the plot that the excitement slows down.

Overall, this is definitely Rob Letterman’s best film. His direction somehow found a way to make the world of Pokémon and Rhyme City feel real. The CGI recreations of the cartoon animals expands on their iconic designs, and the use of the Pokémon within the city life throughout each scene is fully utilized. For what this film lacks in true depth, it makes up for in its passion to actually adapt a video game onto the big screen and bring out the heart of its central characters.

Story Rating: 6/10

Character Rating: 7/10