Every once in a while, you’ve got to relive your childhood. . . that came for me this past Saturday, when two of my friends contacted me and asked if I wanted to go see the new Pokémon movie. Always game for anything film related, my knowledge of the Pokémon franchise has not evolved (Pokémon pun intended) since the early 2000s – a time when every child, along with myself, was obsessed with the Gameboy games (colour coded Red, Blue, and later, Yellow) and the television series.
Now, some twenty years later, Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) becomes the first live action film in this historic gaming/anime franchise. Directed by Rob Letterman, perhaps their wisest choice was casting Ryan Reynolds as the voice of one of the film’s leads, Pikachu – making this a PG-like version of Deadpool. Yet, I will warn you that this one is more for fans of the franchise than the average moviegoer (judging from its 170 million dollar opening weekend, there are clearly a lot of fans) – and, as attendees entered the theatre, they received a complimentary pack of Pokémon cards (a nice touch).
Following Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), he has left his Pokémon filled childhood behind – as you can imagine, working in insurance is about as far away as you could be from Pokémon. With a complicated family past (mother passed away, father leaving to work in the city, having been raised by his grandmother), it is still no less shocking when he gets a call telling him that his detective father has died. . . and so, the mystery begins.
Heading to Ryme City, the only locale that finds human beings and Pokémon living together in harmony – thanks to its billionaire architect, Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy), Tim first checks in with Lieutenant Hide Yoshida (Ken Watanabe – who is criminally underused here), before melancholically wandering to his father’s sketchy apartment.
Safety is clearly not something to be found in this neighbourhood, for Tim is almost immediately quizzed by an ambitious young news reporter, Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton), only to then make his way up into the tenement and find that a Pokémon named Pikachu (a cute, yellow ball of electricity) has broken into the abode.
Learning that he can communicate with this Pokémon (hearing not the typical “pika pika”, but rather English), he learns that this amnesiac Pikachu was actually his father’s partner – who was in the same crash, giving Tim hope that his father may still be alive. Leading to a dysfunctional team investigation, the first half of the film is impressive. . . setting up a solid premise that features excellent world building – Ryme City feels like a combination of Tokyo and London transported into the Blade Runner universe, an entertaining enough story, and touches of humour and suspense.
Though, as it makes its way towards the ending, problems do crop up (why do so many creators fall into the trap of using over the top CGI to wrap up movies instead of clever writing), with its final notes feeling predictable and lame – especially for such a gonzo premise that had so much promise.
Yet, this does not negate all that Pokémon Detective Pikachu does well. There are some truly funny scenes, from a good cop/bad cop routine used on a smart aleck mime Pokémon, and Pikachu depressively singing the ‘Gotta Catch `Em All’ theme song from the show as he wallows alone in a saddened state, to a murderous Cubone (a skull wearing, bone wielding Pokémon) utilizing said bone to hit one finger at a time of a person clinging to the side of a building, the humour has enough bite to entertain both adults and children. Also, there are some gags that will mean more to fans – for instance, the uselessness of the Pokémon Magikarp unless it evolves into its better form (sadly, my pack of Pokémon cards came with a Magikarp). Lastly, a movie within a movie within a movie finds its place when Tim enters his father’s apartment and sees “Angels With Filthy Souls” playing, the fake gangster film used in Home Alone.
A flawed popcorn flick, Pokémon Detective Pikachu hits more than it misses – in many ways thanks to it being centred around the genius that is Ryan Reynolds. Likely the start of a franchise, hopefully the second effort will learn from the mistakes this film has made, finding that perfect combination of CGI, story, comedy and drama. So, make sure to catch this Pokémon and give it a new home in your heart.