Film Review: Detective Pikachu

I played the games. I collected the cards. I watched the anime (and the anime movies). I still have some of the figurines.

And now there’s a real-life movie ohmygosh.

Contains spoilers, duh.

Detective Pikachu follows Tim Goodman, who doesn’t have a talent or any interest in Pokemon training. When his father disappears mysteriously, he sets off to collect what is his and that was all he wants.

And then a talking Pikachu shows up. Voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Who is perfection.

Detective Pikachu was everything we 90s kids who grew up playing/collecting/watching Pokemon wanted to see: what it was like to live in a world surrounded by Pokemon — and the film did not disappoint. They were everywhere. Pidgeys flying in the sky, aipoms sitting outside apartments, companions like Audinos and Growlithes bouncing around, Snorlaxes sleeping at street junctions… it was endless. My inner child squealed. My outer adult shuddered a little at the aesthetics — some of them are a bit too uncanny valley.

Like Psyduck.

Yikes.

And Pikachu looks like a Furby. Those shiny soul-less eyes.

Double yikes.

Aesthetics aside, it was very cool seeing how the Pokemon blended into our world. The animation is excellent. We have the companions and the wild urban Pokemon and the illicit underground battles. The abilities clashing into each other makes colourful fight scenes. The humour was excellent and on point, like the Magikarp splashing before evolving into Gyarados (its glory moment was sadly short-lived) or the Mr. Mime interrogation scene that was downright dark and excellent for adults.

And that Ditto. Dear God, that Ditto.

Those are the good bits. The bad bits are just the plot, to be honest. Kind of predictable and cheesy. Mewtwo just happens to have the ability to fuse humans and Pokemon together? But it only works when the Pokemon are in a frenzy but also docile (???what) also, wait, how does that work out with Goodman Sr.’s Pikachu??

The twist — that Howard Clifford was the real Big Bad — was predictable. Goodman Sr. never being really dead was predictable. However, him being blended into the Pikachu was a foreshadowed surprise — but I also have to say, it makes no sense how blending Pikachu and Goodman Sr. together ‘heals’ or ‘saves’ Goodman and it was never explained — or why it was necessary that Pikachu brings Tim to Mewtwo first before Goodman Sr. can be saved. Did Mewtwo make Goodman Sr. a new body from Tim?

The wrap-up where Mewtwo just gives off a large pulse to undo all the fuckuppery Howard Clifford did was hella convenient. Don’t worry. Control-Z. Done. Voila!

But, I mean, overall, good film. I enjoyed it. My childhood resontaed with it.

Verdict: 3 stars.

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