Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Directed by: Rob Letterman
Written by: Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit and Rob Letterman and Derek Connolly
Starring: Justice Smith, Ryan Reynolds, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Chris Geere, Omar Chaparro, Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora, Karan Soni
Animation/Action/Adventure - 104 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 7 May 2019
Written by: Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit and Rob Letterman and Derek Connolly
Starring: Justice Smith, Ryan Reynolds, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Chris Geere, Omar Chaparro, Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora, Karan Soni
Animation/Action/Adventure - 104 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 7 May 2019
Pokémon Detective Pikachu reviews fall into two piles, reviewers who are familiar with the world of animal-like creatures with special powers and those of us who experience these things for the first time. I was too old to latch on to Pokémon when it descended upon the Western Hemisphere in 1996, but I can see why kids accepted the quest to “collect them all” including cards, videos, books, and anime, and get excited about which special powers won out in battles. I even downloaded the Pokémon app along with the rest of humanity a couple years ago, but deleted it soon after because I felt no rush from capturing a Squirtle. As there is nothing inherently repugnant or mundane about the creatures, it must be the story. Pokémon Detective Pikachu’s part film noir, part buddy cop comedy is dull, shockingly routine, and ensures those of us unfamiliar with the realm walk away resolute we didn’t miss out on anything.
It took four credited screenwriters to create an atmosphere this bland. It’s filled with magical creatures - some can shoot fireballs, lightning bolts, evolve into enormous fish monsters, and one can even mime. It should not be this ashen and pale. New worlds and vibrant creatures are an excuse for filmmakers to run amok to shove in detail and fantastic creations audiences have never experienced. Swing and a miss from director Rob Letterman, a man whose specialty is to translate young adult fare to the big screen (Goosebumps, Jack Black’s Gulliver’s Travels, and Monsters vs. Aliens). It is so rote, a handy informational video introduces us to Ryme City, its creator, and the fact that this is the one place on Earth where humans and Pokémon live in harmony with one another.
It took four credited screenwriters to create an atmosphere this bland. It’s filled with magical creatures - some can shoot fireballs, lightning bolts, evolve into enormous fish monsters, and one can even mime. It should not be this ashen and pale. New worlds and vibrant creatures are an excuse for filmmakers to run amok to shove in detail and fantastic creations audiences have never experienced. Swing and a miss from director Rob Letterman, a man whose specialty is to translate young adult fare to the big screen (Goosebumps, Jack Black’s Gulliver’s Travels, and Monsters vs. Aliens). It is so rote, a handy informational video introduces us to Ryme City, its creator, and the fact that this is the one place on Earth where humans and Pokémon live in harmony with one another.
What person in that dimension would ever need a video like that? Are there vignettes like that in our dimension I am so numb to I do not even see them? Apparently, Pokémon is one of the most successful franchises of all time, but now it’s time for the first live-action film in the pantheon. Our way into the world is through the eyes of 21 year-old Tim Goodman (Justice Smith, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom). Tim is a loner. He sells insurance, is one of the few human-beings without a Pokémon partner, and does not seem too distraught when he learns his father, a Ryme City detective, was killed in the line of duty. Based on a particular video game, “Detective Pikachu,” Tim gets the feeling not everything is on the level when he meets his dad’s Pikachu friend and can understand him.
In the Pokémon world, humans and the creatures cannot talk to one another. The creatures may talk amongst themselves, but humans only hear them say their own name on repeat. Even Pokémon ignoramuses like me are familiar with the sound a Pikachu makes when it says its own name. Voiced by Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool 2), Detective Pikachu is sure Tim’s dad is alive but it would go a long way to helping solve the mystery of his disappearance and the emergence of the most powerful Pokémon ever, the MewTwo, if Pikachu didn’t have amnesia. The film transitions from a painfully slow beginning to more of a buddy cop scenario as Pikachu convinces Tim to stick around and try and find out what’s going on.
I have no doubt the film is full of inside jokes and Easter eggs. First, this is a movie foremost for the fans and second, most of the audience was chuckling at things that were not inherently amusing. I am 100% in favor of fan films being stuffed to the gills with winks only those in the know will understand - that’s why Avengers: Endgame worked so well at points. Pikachu and Tim break down walls and develop a kinship over time, which I believe is the raison d’être for Pokémon, humans and the creatures bond and evolve together. There is really no skin in the game watching Tim and Pikachu bond because the care factor is so low. Tim denies his obvious daddy issues like when the eye-rolling cliché of a police Lieutenant (Ken Watanabe, Isle of Dogs) says, “If you are anything like your dad…” and Tim interrupts him with, “I’m not.” To complete the baffling cliché of that character, wait until he yells at Tim that he better stay away from this case and that it’s getting too hot in Ryme City for him. Seriously, four writers.
Relationship between absent father and conflicted son - check. Relationship between Tim and a pesky Pikachu - check. Throw in the quirky love interest, a news intern who just knows she can crack the story, and all the kids in the audience are about to set their baselines for the half the movies they will see the rest of their lives. Adults will laugh at the Home Alone reference but will be confused about Ryme City as a place - it appears to be both Tokyo and London. Both the informational video and newscasters we hear now and then mention a parade later in the week celebrating human/Pokémon harmony - I wonder if that piece of information will come in handy later on. Mention a positive you say? Well, I guess thank you for a little nostalgia as the villain copycats the Joker’s evil scheme from 1989’s Batman. Way to keep the classics alive.
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