As a result, It wasn't long before we'd see a film become a reality, but about what was the question? The answer came inspired by Game Freak's Nintendo 3DS spin-off Detective Pikachu, brought to us by Goosebumps director Rob Letterman. Going into this movie, I had a lot riding on it. I don't think I've ever been more emotionally invested in a movie before seeing it. There was a real chance my dream project could have been a nightmare. So imagine my surprise, that even though it wasn't the "great" movie I'd hoped for, it was still great fun to watch, satisfying (almost) every hope I'd expected it to fulfill.
In a world where humans co-exist with Pokémon, freakish creatures with supernatural abilities that can be caught and trained, Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) once had dreams of becoming a Pokémon trainer that never went fulfilled. But hearing news of his estranged father's mysterious death, he's drawn to Ryme City, a utopia that was the brainchild of billionaire Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy), where humans and Pokémon live in harmony. Things take a turn for the strange one night, when Tim is visited by an amnesiac deerstalker donning Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) that only he can understand, and together with junior journalist Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and her dopey Psyduck, the unlikely duo attempt to piece together the mystery of Tim's father's disappearance, and the latest case he was working on.
The immediate, and biggest hurdle in bringing Pokémon to the big screen is how to appeal to both longtime devotees, and newcomers who won't know a Sneasel from a Lucario. So even though Pokémon *has* had a wealth of movies (which I enjoy in a nostalgic way), given that those are extended tie-in episodes of the anime, those are immediately put at a disadvantage to the uninitiated. So in the grand scheme of things, this is the first *proper* Pokémon based movie, and so it has the opportunity to cut right down the middle, and meet the two opposing audiences halfway. So coming into the franchise fresh, I think you should be able to enjoy this fine.
One way in which both sides of the spectrum should agree on is that they'll want to spend a lot of time getting lost in Ryme City, a magnificent exercise in world-building, production design, and effects artistry. When Bill Nighy proclaims that this city is a celebration of the harmony between humans and Pokémon, it feels genuine. You don't get the lazy feeling that this is a world that could have easily re-written Pokémon out. Everything has been built from the ground up so that Pokemon are intrinsically tied with this world, co-existing with humans from the most basic of companionship functions, to operating in the most advanced of societal functions.
This movie is stuffed to the gills with countless Pokémon, from Squirtle operating as firefighters (nice anime reference), to a hilarious Mr. Mime, who takes center stage in one of the funniest sequences of the film thanks to his silent Chaplin-esque comedy. Their implementation is incredible, with all of them looking adorable (and occasionally freaky), and while this movie has a bit of a condescending degree of expositional dialogue, pointing out the more prominent ones with lines like "Look, it's Snubbull, it's Flareon, it's Greninja," the sheer number and variety of them make this world feel breathtaking and alive.
Of course, the most substantial screentime of them belongs to the title Pikachu, voiced by a show-stealing Ryan Reynolds. For any of this movie to work, it depends greatly on your ability to empathize and believe the illusion the yellow mouse sets up, which both the effects team and Reynolds' lively performance pass with flying colors. He's such a charming, witty, larger than life creation that single-handedly dominates the picture when he's on screen. That does mean it relies a bit on his Deadpool sensibilities, especially given how much of a reactive performance it is, but there's also an added, infectious heart to him and his comically convenient amnesia, that makes him so thoroughly easy to watch.
But he'd be nothing if not for Justice Smith as his live-action counterpart, who's no slouch at holding his own against the digital creation. As the movie's core emotional anchor, he's able to ground it with such strong energy, nuance, humor, and genuinely played depth and regret for the past, especially impressive knowing he's acting against nothing until post-production. Together, he and Reynolds share in a great chemistry with each other, bouncing off of each other with a rapid-fire wit and heartfelt connection, that holds the film together through its shakier elements.
Speaking of which, let's get into to those: This movie's script is a mess. Detective Pikachu has so many components competing for attention, whether it be the central mystery that the movie is built around, Tim's sour relationship with his father, the title Pikachu's amnesia, unexplained incidents of Pokémon flying into unhinged rages, an underground Pokémon battling ring, and any number of deviations scattered along the way. This doesn't feel like it was written through text, but through storyboards, like a series of sequences barely strung together rather than an overlaying narrative. The central mystery itself is not that surprising, with several major twists being obvious, and outside of that is some really underdeveloped character use. While Kathryn Newton's Lucy is a fantastic and instantly endearing creation (and almost made me wish it were her movie), the likes of Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy have neither the screentime, nor the material to leave a lasting mark on the film.
As such, this movie relies heavily on Letterman's direction, and he handles most of it with great enthusiasm. While suffering from a bit of a rush, it mostly moves at a nice even keel, and I can't say I was ever bored by the film. Despite the wayward story beats, he's able to craft some genuinely fun and impressive set-pieces, as well as a number of hilarious visuals gags, such as those from the clueless Psyduck. He does well to capture the beauty, freakishness, danger, and the incredible bonding that the world of Pokémon embodies, and so as a devoted fan, I was thoroughly into it. But the more cynical film fan in me did have my limits, and while I enjoyed the action for its fast and impressive scale, it did get to be much by the climax, which I did enjoy, but whose set-up takes that absurdity to a new, needlessly complicated level. I'm willing to suspend a lot of disbelief for Pokémon, but my goodness!
But with all that said, while it was a mess of a film, I still had so much fun with Detective Pikachu. Maybe it's bias, maybe it's rose-tinted glasses, but I felt fulfilled by this movie - at least as I was while walking out of the theater. I feel like it may be a necessary evil, a stepping stone to wilder experimentation with the Pokémon license, and perhaps the liberty to go even further with its gonzo world-building. But for the immediate satisfaction of seeing my dream project finally become a reality, it was mostly what I could have hoped for, a true nostalgic viewing experience that made me feel like a kid again. It could have been much better, but I'm thankful for what it made me feel, and for the huge smile it planted on my face. And if it should be successful enough, I can only hope that it'll lead to more, better, wilder follow-ups. I just hope it won't take 20 years again.
Pika-Pika, folks!
***1/2 / *****
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