Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.
I’ll start off by establishing that I’m not really a big fan of Pokémon, I don’t hate it as such but I just never really used to collect the trading cards or watch that kind of thing on TV so when I saw that a film had been released I wasn’t too fussed. Nevertheless, I thought it would be a good idea to check it out, especially as I managed to get a ticket for the 1st day of release. Pokémon Detective Pikachu is a really really strange film actually, not only is it one of the first films to really introduce them into the real world but with the addition of Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, the film is actually opened up in a way that fans and non fans alike can watch and enjoy the film because of the way that the culture behind the Pokémon world is really well combined with a general detective film. The main question though, is this film a Magikarp or will it leave you feeling drowzee? Here are my thoughts.
As usual, I’ll start with what I liked about this film and there’s a lot! One of the key things about this film that I especially enjoyed was that the film introduced the characters and the Pokémon world in such a clever way that means that it can be enjoyed and understood by all, the starting sequence was key to this and really helped to introduce the characters to us in a really engaging way. The film started by throwing us right into the action which really helped to make it exciting and engaging, but also building up the mysterious theme to the characters and the Pokémon right from the very beginning, by seeing Harry‘s car crash and a mysterious Pokémon right at the very beginning, not only did this help to build up the plot and clearly establish the plot but it also just helped to ensure that the film started in a really fun and exciting way. But it also really cleverly introduced us to all of the characters in the film and to establish their relationships, not only with other humans but also their Pokémon too which just added a really fresh and exciting element into the film - because I went into the cinema expecting them to be OK but nothing special, but I was really surprised because they were actually done and implemented into the film really nicely in a way that made them all feel unique and exciting because they were made to be really exciting and realistic which actually helped to make them engaging and establish the main ones in the film as really unique and powerful. One thing that surprised me was how I was amazed by the emotions expressed by the Pikachu character - not only did he feel "real" in the movie, his face, ears, body language conveyed emotion clearly and strongly. It's hard to explain, it was kind of like a cross between looking at a child and a puppy... I don't know how they did it, but when Pikachu was saddened, you really felt it and it was really powerfully done, but when he was happy, you knew it and it felt really good. The way in which the characters and their emotions were portrayed in this film was actually really good and really made the Pokémon characters and their partners feel realistic and really engaging so that their partnerships felt exciting and funny - adding in a really enjoyable element to the film. Even the ways in which Pikachu interacted with other Pokémon felt really exciting and funny to experience too, the VFX are so spectacular and well done, that it feels like the Pokemon are real along with the world-building and this really contributes to helping make the film feel immersive. I really liked the characters though because the acting behind them felt really good and immersive, which helped to keep the characters fun and enjoyable throughout - Ryan Reynolds is of course the standout actor here because he is the most well know, and he really excels in this role, possibly even better than how he is as Deadpool, because the comedy element to his acting is slightly toned down here - not so much that he isn’t funny but just enough so it doesn’t feel forced upon us. Ryan Reynolds is a great actor, and like any great actor, you only see and hear the character he's playing - not his past ones and that really helps to make Pikachu feel unique and realistic. Surprisingly though, the acting from the other characters feels really on par with him, not only did they help to make the characters feel enjoyable but also realistic and engaging which is really well done here and helps to create a really strong series of performances in this film which is reflected by the great characters. The way in which the film interacts with us as an audience though is really clever and well done which keeps the film interesting and surprising at various stages, seeing the characters on their hunt to find Harry alive and finding various clues and traces on their detective mission is really engaging and helps to get us involved with the film because it makes sure we are actively involved with what is going on, constantly looking for clues and hints as to what happened to Harry - this then is the main piece about the film which keeps it really exciting throughout. Yes it’s interesting and characters are fun, but what keeps the film flowing and keeps us involved in the mystery and the mission incentive, this keeps us guessing as to what has happened and then, in turn, helps to make the film as engaging as possible which I really liked.
Not only were the characters and acting really engaging but the actual plot and idea behind this film was really good too and felt very well thought through. "Video game movies" are something that historically was a "wait til it's on TV" type of thing - no real reason to see them on the big screen; they weren't much different than the games they came from. Detective Pikachu, on the other hand, is an actual movie. Yes, it's set in a world where Pokémon actually exist, and this one can talk to both humans and Pokémon (Doctor Doolittle, anyone?), but unlike a "video game movie", the plot isn't just a vehicle for the setting. It's an actual mystery/adventure, with characters you come to care about, both human and not. Similarly to ‘Ready Player 1’, this film got the mixture of games and film really well and actually made it a film that felt like anyone could watch and enjoy it, although Pokémon fans would enjoy it just a little more, but that’s ok because, with films like this, the main target audience is always the fan base of the games. The storyline for the movie was great and Rita Ora was a great adaption to the movie, her part as the scientist was surprising well given a common fact that not many singers can't act. As well as this, the storyline and overall film actually felt really fresh and well put together, not just because they integrate humans/Pokémon really cleverly together but also because the actual plot is really well introduced, explained and it feels easy and simple to follow, whilst being exciting and enjoyable too at the same time. The plot of the film contained a lot of switches and unpredictable scenes, which for me as a Pokémon Amateur definitely felt really exciting and engaging, I also really liked seeing the infamous Pokémon battles and I feel that they really captured the intensity and excitement of the film really nicely, and seeing the various switches in the characters and their motives also kept the storyline fresh and exciting too.
This film wasn’t all positives though, there were a few issues and problems that I caught from this film though which was a shame - however, none of them took away much from the overall entertainment value of the film. The main problem that I had with the film was that the ending scene felt very rushed and not as entertaining or effective as the rest of the film, this was because it felt like a lot seemed to really develop and happen right at the very end in a very short amount of time, which made the ending of the film seem a little confusing for some. Some of the characters and their relationships didn’t really feel very believable either which hindered some of the character developments because they didn’t feel very realistic or genuine and that had an impact on the overall flow of the film, it’s probably just me but I also found the Mewtwo character quite confusing as to what its intentions were as towards the end, I wasn't too sure as there seemed to be a variety of different inputs and shots suggesting different stories.
I was also a bit disappointed as to the chemistry between the actors too, don’t get me wrong, Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton are both good actors but they weren’t very good alongside each other, I haven’t seen them really in any other films so I can’t compare them really, but it just didn’t feel like they were very suited together I’m the film.
Overall, I would give this film an 8.5. I thought it was really entertaining and enjoyable and seeing the world of Pokémon and humans was really entertaining and exciting to witness, even as someone who isn't really a fan of the series. Nonetheless, I thought it was fresh, exciting and a breath of fresh air which was really good and enjoyable to see, there were a few problems of course with the actor chemistry and some scenes towards the end maybe being a little confusing but overall it’s definitely worth seeing, regardless of whether you’re a die hard Pokémon fan or just a general film fan like myself, you’re sure to really enjoy this film and find it immersive and entertaining.
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did watching the film and writing my review! Have a lovely day :)
Comments