"Pokémon Detective Pikachu" Review: Ryan Reynold Movie Will Bring You Back To Childhood

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Cast: Ryan Reynold, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Chris Geere
Director: Rob Letterman
Rating: 3,5/5

Based on the famous video game Pokémon by Japanese game creator Satoshi Tajiri, the first ever live-action movie Pokémon Detective Pikachu is arriving in the cinema under a heavy burden of expectations. However, the film mostly lives up to the hype, and it will fill your heart with joy and happiness.

Set in the world where both humans and Pokémon can coexist in harmony, the film follows Tim Goodman (played by Justice Smith), who outgrew his childhood dreams of becoming Pokémon trainer, returns to Ryme City to try to find out the truth behind the death of his father in a car accident. There, the young boy discovers that he is the only one who can talk and understand his father’s partner named Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynold), who fortunately survived the accident but has lost his memory.

Later, Tim and Pikachu team up with an unpaid reporter Lucy Stevens (played by Kathryn Newton) to solve the mystery of what happened to his father. During their investigation, the trio gradually finds out a conspiracy involving a dangerous attempt to genetically engineer a powerful new Pokémon, which is organized by industrialist Howard Clifford (played by Bill Nighy) and his slick son (played by Chris Geere).

First thing first, if you are hard-core fans and have known every name of Pokémon from Bulbasaur to Mewtwo, traded the cards, played the Game Boy cartridges and watched the cartoons in these old days, this is a must-see flick for you. The film brings to life not only the most iconic Pokémon, Pikachu but also a wide variety of beloved Pokémon characters that we all have loved, adored and even a little bit feared as a kid.

For non-fans, you may find the storyline entirely predictable, considering it aims at kids and tweens, but Pokémon Detective Pikachu is still fun to watch with its adorable Pokémon look combined with Ryan Reynold’s charismatic voiceover.

One of the biggest strengths in the live-action film lies in the performances of the cast. Ryan Reynolds once again proved that he is one of the most enjoyable and likable of his generations thanks to his ability to craft great jokes as well as deliver them correctly. Justice Smith has an excellent performance considering he had to act with CGI characters almost all the time. Meanwhile, Kathryn Newton truly shines when getting into the skin of a reporter, who desires to break a big story and Karan Soni is just about subtle in a cameo appearance. We also need to give a compliment to director Rob Letterman, who knows how to keep the fans entertained throughout the film.

With the advanced CGI technology, the VFX team successfully created a dream city filled with our favorite Pokémon such as Pikachu, Charizard, Mewtwo, Bulbasaur, Snorlax, Charmander, Jigglypuff among many others. The impressive thing that all these pocket monsters look remarkably palpable and distinctive. Also, the special effects are a highlight for the film, which is spectacular especially in the final battle scene.

While the plot is well-written, the movie has some pacing problems mainly in the middle portion. There are several sequences especially the one in the forest that seems to go on forever.

In general, Pokémon Detective Pikachu is fun and an endearing movie that will bring you back to your childhood. The brilliant performances of the cast, Ryan Reynold’s great sense of humor, and the cuteness of Pokémon are some of the reasons to watch this film.