In 1996, Nintendo released the first two installments of a
franchise that would end up becoming one of its most beloved IP’s, Pokémon. It all began with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, which would later see an international
release in 1998 as Pokémon Red and Blue.
Developed by Game Freak Inc., the series was inspired by creator Satoshi
Tajiri’s love of insect collecting when he was a kid. And upon their release,
these two RPG’s about a kid who embarks on an epic journey that sees them capturing
the titular wild creatures and having them compete in battles against other Pokémon
trainers quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Thanks to its main installments
and various spin-offs, the video games have sold over 300 million copies
worldwide, making it the second best-selling video game series of all-time
behind the Super Mario franchise. Pokémon also happens to be the
highest-grossing media franchise of all-time with a revenue of over $90 billion
in sales. Alongside the games, it’s also spawned the best-selling trading card
game of all-time and a hit anime series that has been running for over 1,000
episodes. But when it comes to the Pokémon
franchise’s first official foray into live-action films, its source
material isn’t the anime or even the original games. Instead, this film is
based off a 2016 spin-off titled Detective
Pikachu, where players solved mysteries with a rare talking Pikachu. The
film adaptation is directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) and sees Ryan Reynolds star in the titular role,
resulting in an entertaining film that surprisingly manages to break the
long-running curse of quality that has always befallen films based on video
games.
In the bustling metropolis that is Ryme City, the
relationship between humans and Pokémon has evolved significantly to the point
where traditional Pokémon battles are outlawed. It is there that Tim Goodman
(Justice Smith), a once-aspiring Pokémon trainer who transitioned into an
insurance job after his mother’s death, is informed of his estranged father
Harry’s reported death in a car crash whilst involved with a case as a Ryme
City police detective. But when Tim arrives at his father’s apartment, he ends
up coming across a peculiar sight in the form of a Pikachu that can talk. This
Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is revealed to be Harry’s partner Pokémon and
was stricken with a case of amnesia following Harry’s ‘disappearance’. And if
that wasn’t enough, it’s quickly made clear that Tim is the only one who can
hear him whereas others can only hear his traditional Pokémon cry (provided, as
always, by Pikachu’s voice actress from the anime, Ikue Ōtani). Thus, as Pikachu surmises the possibility
that Harry may still be alive, he and Tim embark on a journey, aided by
aspiring reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and Ryme City founder Howard
Clifford (Bill Nighy), to figure out what happened to Tim’s father. In the
process, the two uncover a sinister conspiracy that threatens to undermine everything
that Ryme City has managed to accomplish in the evolution of human/Pokémon
relationships.
One of the biggest selling points of Detective Pikachu is getting to see the first official instance of Pokémon
being presented in a live-action context, and overall, the film does a nice job
when it comes to bringing the various Pokémon that it features to life.
Granted, not every single live-action design works as well as others (e.g. while
a lot of people have been pointing out Mr. Mime’s live-action design as
unsettling, a certain transforming Pokémon is arguably creepier in its presentation),
but for the most part, they’re effectively handled. And as you might have guessed,
this film is full of nods to the franchise’s extensive lore, with references
that cover everything from the games to the anime. However, this surprisingly
doesn’t result in the film being a case where it’s geared solely towards fans
of the franchise, even though it’s still clear that Pokémon fans will get a
lot more out of this compared to those who aren’t. While it doesn’t focus on what
the series is mainly known for (i.e. Pokémon battles), the plot is based around
a solid emotional hook courtesy of Tim and Pikachu’s quest to learn about what
happened to the former’s father, and the film maintains a solid pace and lighthearted
atmosphere throughout. This makes up for the fact that the overarching mystery
plot that the two gradually uncover is arguably the weakest aspect of the film.
While not outright terrible, it’s very predictable when it comes to its twists.
As crazy as it may seem, finding a voice for Pikachu in this
film proved to be quite a big deal for fans of the franchise. When the Detective Pikachu game was being prepped
for a U.S. release, many fans petitioned to have the character voiced by Danny
DeVito, who ultimately declined to audition for the role due to him being
unfamiliar with the franchise. Thus, when Ryan Reynolds was cast for the film
adaptation, some found this to be an odd choice by comparison. However, based
on my admittedly limited experience with the game, where Pikachu is voiced by Kaiji
Tang, I found that Tang’s take on the character felt reminiscent of voice actor
Nolan North, who notably portrayed Deadpool in the character’s titular 2013
video game. As such, I’d argue that the idea of casting the man behind live-action
Deadpool in the role isn’t as preposterous as it may seem to others, and sure
enough, Reynolds kills it as Detective Pikachu. His comedic timing is just as
on-point as it’s been in the Deadpool films,
proving that he isn’t just limited to the Merc with a Mouth’s extremely raunchy
R-rated style of humor. He also has excellent camaraderie with Justice Smith,
who does a very nice job when it comes to handling the bulk of the plot’s
emotional content as main protagonist Tim Goodman. In other words, these two
are very much the heart of the film, even if they admittedly overshadow
everyone else in the process. Granted, the rest of the cast is still solid in
their respective roles, including Kathryn Newton as Tim’s reporter ally Lucy,
who seeks to do more than just dull fluff pieces, and Bill Nighy as Ryme City
founder Howard Clifford, but the film ultimately focuses more on its lead duo.
I’m genuinely impressed by everything that Pokémon: Detective Pikachu has managed
to accomplish. Most specifically, despite being a part of what is easily the
unluckiest film genre of all-time as a film based on a video game, it currently
stands as the first ever live-action film of the genre to receive generally
positive reviews from critics. It manages to pull off this seemingly impossible
feat by avoiding many of the usual shortcomings that often plague other films
based on video games. For one thing, it maintains a generally accurate
representation of the Pokémon franchise
even though it’s based more on a spin-off whose gameplay differed vastly from
the series’ primary installments. And while its main plot is a bit predictable,
the film makes up for this with some solid emotional depth that primarily stems
from its main characters, Tim and Detective Pikachu, who are played excellently
by Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds, respectively. Because of this, Detective Pikachu is a pleasantly
light-hearted family flick that manages to appeal to more than just the
franchise’s sizable fanbase, and thanks to this film’s success, it’s clear that
this is only the beginning when it comes to seeing Pokémon on the big screen. A few months back, plans were set into motion
for two more live-action Pokémon films;
one based around the character Mewtwo (who, of course, plays a pivotal role in
this film’s plot) and another that’s set to be a direct adaptation of the
original Red and Blue games. And if
they’re anything like Detective Pikachu,
a promising new film franchise is on the horizon.
Rating: 4/5
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