Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

I grew up watching Pokémon and I’m one of those people who has been playing PokémonGO for the past three years, so when news came out of Pokémon Detective Pikachu, saying that I was excited about the film is an understatement.

Set in a world filled with hundreds of unique creatures — Pokémon —, the story follows Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), a 21-year-old blue collar insurance worker, as he teams up with a talking Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) to investigate the death/disappearance of his father, Kanto police detective Harry Goodman.

The biggest problem with Pokémon Detective Pikachu is the plot. It is extremely simple and predictable, so much so that anyone over the age of eleven will be able to figure it out almost immediately, but it’s actually at its worst when it tries to be more complex as it feels out of place and had me waiting, kinda bored, for the next cool Pokémon thing to happen. Despite this, it still manages to deliver a surprising twist at the end and, although it’s quite silly, the story is throughout engaging and interesting to follow.

The characters are just as thin as the story. Actually, they are even worse as they are non-existent — they barely have personalities and don’t have anything resembling development. Also, the villain is tremendously bland, generic.

Thankfully, Justice Smith gives a performance that is likeable enough to make you care about Tim. Also, he delivers both laughs and some genuine emotions. It’s Ryan Reynolds, however, who completely steals the show as he yet again delivers great comedy in the role of the adorable, fluffy Pikachu. Bill Nighy is also very enjoyable. The rest of the cast, I don’t even want to talk about them. That’s how bad they are.

Warner Bros. Pictures

It’s not only Reynolds’s Pikachu who steals the scene though, as every single Pokémon making an appearance in the film stands out, from Cubone to Ditto to Mr. Mime who delivers the film’s most hilarious moments — everyone in the audience was laughing during his scenes, kids and adults alike.

Ultimately, Pokémon Detective Pikachu is not a great film — it’s not like I was expecting it to be though — but it’s overall an enjoyable and funny film, especially if you are a Pokémon fan.

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