MOVIE REVIEW by Lucas Allen: ‘Pokeman’ fun for fans, nonfans

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)

By Lucas Allen

Since its American debut in 1996, the Pokémon craze is now stronger than ever, with more video games so that a child or grown man can enjoy capturing and battle those powerful monsters. Now fans are getting the first ever live-action iteration of the name brand with “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu,” which is inspired by the 2016 spin-off video game of the same name. But while the fan base will relish the big screen experience, the uninitiated will have to prepare themselves for the downright weird.

After the mysterious death of his father, Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) travels to Ryme City to try to cope with the loss. The city’s police lieutenant, Yoshida (Ken Watanabe), lets him know that his father was a brilliant detective working on a case involving the all-powerful Mewtwo. At his father’s apartment, he discovers a Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds), but with a voice and no memory of how he got there. Together, they team up to solve Pikachu’s memory problem while figuring out what really happened to Tim’s dad. To get there, they get help from aspiring journalist Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and her Psyduck.
Things start to add up when multi-millionaire Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy) reveals that Tim’s father discovers that a potent gas was made by the crazed Dr. Laurent (singer Rita Ora) to make Pokémon revert to their animalistic selves. The three heroes also broke into a lab where deadly tests were made to make the Pokémon more evolved. So not only they’re solving a mystery, but they’re also trying to save the city from an evil plot.
With a “Roger Rabbit”-esque plot mixed with the visual style of anime and manga like “Akira,” the movie is certainly appealing to the eyes, mixing live-action and computer animation. Ryme City has that Japanese/”Blade Runner”-mixed look with neon lights and noir-style elements that’s sure to please fans of those genres. Not to mention, all of the Pokémon look accurate to their original caricatures while enhanced by the 3D fur making them look a little more realistic. All in all, both the fans and non-fans will more likely enjoy watching the film on the big screen.
There’s a nice mix of comedy and drama, as well as some fun action scenes that’s entertaining enough for all ages. However, there are some weird moments to ponder and not because of what non-fans will react to the creatures themselves. It keeps going into unusual pseudo-science fiction that might be a bit much for the average viewer to take. It’s supposed to be based on a Japanese-made brand yet it didn’t do enough to convert those to the phenomenon. Once it goes to the very conclusion where the mystery is solved, audiences will be left questioning what kind of movie they just sat through.
The best thing this movie has going for is Reynolds channeling his toned-down Deadpool in a hilarious performance as Pikachu. His fast-paced zingers and one-liners are funny enough for the grown-ups to get past the weirdness. Smith is pretty good as the main human character who goes through a simple arc throughout the film that works well with this film. Newton is basically playing a female sidekick, which also works fine though her Psyduck is quite a delight for the little ones.
Your mileage will vary on “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” based on what you see in the trailers. It’s mostly entertaining and funny, but there are some things that’ll go over the heads of non-fans. At least the fans will have something to enjoy before more Pokémon games come their way.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG (for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3 Stars (Out of Four)