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The concept of a cute, fuzzy, bright yellow fantasy creature wearing a deerstalker hat and solving crimes should not work. By all odds, it should come off as creepy at worst and bizarre at best.
But somehow, some way, a Ryan Reynolds-voiced Pikachu gone detective manages to make itself work, despite all odds.
Ever since its initial release announcement, Warners Bros.’ Pokémon Detective Pikachu has been a film eagerly anticipated by both Pokémon fans and laymen alike. Diehard wannabe Pokémon trainers were enticed by the promise of hyperrealistic, extremely well-animate versions of their favorite characters from childhood, and non-fans wondered just how the hell a movie about a Pikachu voiced by Deadpool himself could be anything but ridiculous.
But the real question, now that it’s released, is simply: does it actually work?
Well…yes and no.
The film itself hits every beat of a classic detective movie, for the most part admirably adapting the genre to suit both an audience of children and a narrative filled with cartoon characters. Aesthetically, the film feels both like a fantasy film, integrating adorable Pokémon into everyday life without feeling awkward, and like a detective film, setting up underground Pokémon and seedy side streets where unsavory things happen. (Though, confusingly, Ryme City is just….London with a vaguely Japanese aesthetic laid overtop of it? I’ve been living here for five months, and I know the Bullet Building and the Transport for London logos when I see them. It’s an odd choice to do that instead of making up a whole new city.)
But if you’re looking for a reason to see the film beyond its plot and visuals, look to its stars. Ryan Reynolds’ Pikachu and Justice Smith’s Tim Goodman are a practically perfect pair – their banter is bouncy and fun without being overly childish, and the development of their relationship is a well-executed emotional heart to a film filled with ridiculous fantasy battle monsters. It’s a kid-friendly twist on the “hardened detective with a fresh-faced partner” trope of detective films of the past, and the film only really kicks into gear once they pair up to find Tim’s missing father.
Detective Pikachu himself often reads like a PG Deadpool (even sadly singing the classic Pokémon theme to himself in an oddly fourth wall-breaking moment), and it would be a slog to deal with if not for Tim’s incredible ability to keep up with his sarcasm and banter. His awkward, twenty something-forced-to-be-a-hero demeanor keeps Pikachu from becoming too much of an obnoxiously family-friendly Wade Wilson caricature, and why Justice Smith isn’t being hailed as an actor to watch out for after that kind of performance is beyond me. He was the best (and perhaps, the only good) part of last summer’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and continues to be a powerhouse performer in these fantasy franchises, where one can easily be swallowed by the CGI wonder of it all.
However, the duo’s partnership with amateur reporter/detective Lucy Stevens (along with her trusty Psyduck) throws their wonderfully crafted dynamic off a bit. Actress Kathryn Newton plays her role with much the same campy, Transatlantic-accented over-the-top-ness as actors in detective movies of old, and it makes her very difficult to be taken seriously. (A shame, considering she’s the only woman in the movie. Do better with your gender equity, Hollywood.) Couple that with surprise appearances by Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe that severely waste their talents and a seemingly random cameo from singer Rita Ora, and you’ve got a supporting cast that is, perhaps, entirely forgettable next to the adorable fluffiness of Pikachu.
There’s a lot to enjoy in the adventure Tim finds himself on with a talking Pikachu who’s addicted to caffeine, but if you didn’t grow up a Pokémon fan, a few cracks start to show in Ryme City’s asphalt once the initial novelty of a talking Pokémon wears off. If you aren’t familiar with the lore of the series, some aspects of the story can be confusing when they aren’t explained properly, and both the beginning and the end of the film feel a bit messy, like the writers suddenly realized they had to actually craft a plot beyond Tim and Pikachu’s friendly banter.
There’s a faltering, awkward stop-and-start opening sequence with the use of a Pokeball that only succeeds in not being annoyingly expository because of Justice Smith’s comedic timing, and entirely wastes Deadpool star Karan Soni, who appears in a small cameo role. (Even Unicorn Store used his talents better.) He and the rough start are quickly forgotten once the action picks up, but the film’s third act quickly unravels during the final, climactic sequence, wherein things just get a bit….weird. The final boss battle, to put it in video game terms, feels oddly more adult and intense than the rest of the film, and some of the novelty of what makes Detective Pikachu as a concept so fun is lost in trying to create a unique, surprising ending. It feels like the last thirty minutes of the film were created for some other project entirely and then Frankensteined onto the fun, campy children’s film I’d been watching up until that point. There’s a part of me that thinks it was put in to appeal to adult Pokémon fans that grew up with the video game franchise, and that they leaned so heavily into that appeal that they nearly fell over. I am not personally a Pokémon fan and never will be beyond thinking they’re cute, and because of that, I left feeling moderately dissatisfied at the way the writers had chosen to wrap up the story.
But, ultimately, it has to be said that this isn’t a film meant to make a hundred percent sense, nor is it one catering to adults. It’s a film made for children, made for families to take their little ones to see on a Saturday afternoon. It’s not perfect, but it’s incredibly cute, and based on the reactions of the children in the theater with me when I saw it, the creators of Detective Pikachu hit their target audience dead on.
And I want a talking Pikachu of my own now, dammit.
Detective Pikachu is in theaters everywhere now. Some action sequences may be intense for younger viewers.
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