Pok̩mon Detective Pikachu РMovie Review

The year is 2016. People are out on the streets holding their phones in one hand and the handle of their vehicles in the other. Physical spaces are being scanned virtually for cute digital animals by 20-somethings, excited and enthusiastic as they indulge in a refreshed format of a beloved cultural-saga that occupied a better half of their childhood. An above-average piece of VR technology was able to deliver that mighty dose of collective fun and nostalgia that carried the masses towards a renewed affection for Pokémons. It was, for a lack of better words, good fun.

Now, the corporate-y powers that be have conjured up a new piece of entertainment rooted in the world of Pokémons, albeit through the medium of cinema. Pokémon Detective Pikachu, released last Friday, tries to leverage the ever-present love for these cute critters by combining live-action and CGI in a 35mm format. Suffice to say, these damned people know us too well.

From trading cards and daily evening episodes to Pokémon Go, fans have come a long way to seeing this worldwide phenomena on a truly global stage. And now finally, a film has come along that perfectly delivers on fan-service while also being an enjoyable kid movie for the current generation of Pokémon lovers. The film maybe described as a neo-noir take on an adventure movie made for kids, which in itself is an absurd feat to achieve. It wouldn’t have worked if this whole thing wasn’t so…magical.

Tim, played enigmatically by Justice Smith, has a deep dislike for Pokémons due to a turbulent past and is introduced investigating his father’s disappearance, when he winds up partnered with a strange, cute Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds, borderlining on PG18) to try and retrace his dad’s last steps before he vanished. Their investigation leads them to a budding news reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton), her Pokémon Psyduck, and a much bigger story.

There’s not much plot-wise in the movie, and it doesn’t matter. Pokemons are an accepted and understood part of this world, as shown in Ryme city, the center of all happenings. The film mainly succeeds due to a flip of perspective; seeing the world through the eyes of these adorable creatures helps us understand what they feel and think, even though besides Ryan Reynolds’ charming, goofy voice-acting turn as Pikachu, all the other Pokémons rely on single-syllable utterances. These creatures are the center of plot-proceedings, and aren’t just reduced to pocket battle-warriors as was the case in the video games and the TV series.

The film deserves high praise for the design and look of Pikachu, those big damned eyes melting away hearts left and right. He runs the show, but never takes himself too seriously, even in dramatic moments. Reynolds is obviously having a great time, bringing his Deadpool absurdity to voice an electric mouse. The rest of the cast does best with what they can, but are at the very best mere supporting characters in this world.

This feels like an actual Pokémon movie, unlike the 1998 animated classic, in that these creatures aren’t used as support vehicles that the protagonist has to capture to fulfill his character arc. This is a movie that takes that liberty of trusting the fan-love built up over these years, and delivers a familiar yet distinct experience of a universe we once used to live in, day in, day out.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

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