POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU (2019) MOVIE REVIEW
Since their inception in 1995, fans around the world have been seemingly obsessed with the world of Pokemon. Whether it be their cute demeanour or the story behind them, pocket monsters as they were originally known in Japan quickly became a world-wide phenomenon even to this day as this latest motion picture proves. Nearly 20 years after the very first Pokemon motion picture Detective Pikachu certainly stands in a much larger shadow and even though nostalgia for the games and movies may cloud a lot of people's judgement, Detective Pikachu manages to be a fun family film with something for the most casual or hardcore fans of the franchise.
Simple stories equal satisfied customers. After his detective father mysteriously disappears, Tim Goodman seeks out to find out what happened. As a result, he discovers his father's Pokemon partner, a Pikachu only Tim can communicate with. Pikachu wants to be like his partner and be a detective and Tim wants to find his dad, prompting the two to team up and travel all over the neon-lit Ryme City to find their respective partner and father. Being a film directed primarily for younger audiences, the plot for Detective Pikachu would be forgiven for appearing to have a simple plot but ultimately as the film progresses, the story becomes increasingly more complicated and makes you second guess what will actually occur. This is aided by the movie's overall feel which is that of a noire/buddy comedy film. Two genres that on paper shouldn't work well together manages to blend relatively well and is helped immensely by the chemistry between our two main protagonists Tim and Detective Pikachu.
Both Tim and Detective Pikachu (Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds respectively) do a great job in the movie and props to director Rob Letterman for providing the actors with good direction in terms of their character as in terms of playing off one another, Smith and Reynolds do this incredibly well. Now that's not to say the movie isn't without it's flaws. Certain scenes, particularly those which consist of high emotion, the actors don't really do a great job. That's not to say they are terrible but it just feels like they are holding something back, Justice Smith being the perfect example of this towards the climax of the movie. Far from ruining the movie but it did take me out of the movie at certain points which is a real shame. Other actors in the movie include Kathryn Newton who pops up late in the first act and tags along with Tim and Detective Pikachu throughout the rest of the movie. She actually became one of my favourite things about the movie as she brings a sense of realism to a movie about pocket monsters and humans living alongside one another. Quirky and courageous, her character was written very well and while the acting isn't out of this world, it gets the job done.
Overall Detective Pikachu is a movie I liked but one I wanted to love. If you are looking for a fun buddy comedy mixed with a noire-type film then this video game movie will be right up your alley. Full disclosure, besides the actual Pokemon, the film has little to nothing to do with the TV show and is more based on the video games which I was more than OK with. Having genuinely funny moments, good chemistry and a plot that is more complex than a kid's movie has any right to be, Detective Pikachu is an enjoyable movie and one that I would have no trouble recommending to children and adults of any age.
OVERALL
7 / 10
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