Having known nothing about Pokémon, the craze that surrounds it—not even its origins—I headed into the screening of Pokémon Detective Pikachu a blank slate. However, since that first trailer premiered some months ago, this film has been high on my “can’t wait to see it” list. Let’s just say this: That anticipation was warranted. What a blast of a movie!
This is the first effort to bring the Japanese born, global sensation to the silver screen in a live action, English written, cinematic experience. As introductions and world building goes, Rob Letterman’s film is an utter joy filled with thrills, suspense, hilarity, heartfelt endearment and above all else it possesses a message of acceptance that we could truly use right about now.
Justice Smith stars as Tim Goodman. He is living his life, far away from Ryme City—a haven where Pokémon and humans live in harmony, founded by Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy). Now, Tim’s father, on the other hand, lives in the bursting with energy locale where he is a detective. Father and son haven’t had much of a relationship since Tim’s mother died and papa chose a life of justice delivering. Our protagonist chose to live with his grandmother. It also happened that he feels a bit of resentment, feeling that his father chose to be part of a societal experiment instead of being a dad to a boy who just lost his mother. Needless to say, Tim doesn’t exactly want a Pokémon, which sets him apart from just about everyone else who has one of these absolutely adorable creatures.
Tim gets word that his father has passed, and he heads to Ryme City to gather his things and has every intention of coming home as soon as possible. Upon arrival, he swings by his father’s police offices and meets his superior, Lieutenant Hide Yoshida (Ken Watanabe, soon to be seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters). Yoshida sees something in his former detective’s son. Tim wants none of it, he just wants the keys to his father’s apartment so he can take care of his family business and get out of Dodge.
Fate has other ideas. He runs into a Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) at his father’s home and something extraordinary occurs. Tim hears him. Nobody else can hear the Pokémon as they speak their own language but are able to discern what we all mean by our emotional intent. Both Pikachu and Tim freak out. It’s kind of a big deal. Thing is, the cute and minute Pokémon has no memory. The only thing he possesses is a detective hat with Tim’s pop’s address written on the inside. They both discern that Pikachu was Tim’s father’s partner and they had stumbled onto something that certain folks did not want anyone discovering. They collectively decide to work together because Pikachu believes that Tim’s dad is not dead, he is merely missing. Tim and Detective Pikachu have a mission, find a father and a cute critter’s memories.
Originality is at a premium in Hollywood these days. The number of fresh worlds movie audiences get to visit are pale compared to those that are presented from sequels, television adaptions, reboots and remakes. Sure, Pokémon Detective Pikachu is not original, per se, but it is new to millions—like me—and as such it does something truly incredible. Filmmakers had a rich world to cull from in the Pokémon world. Capturing that wonder and amazement that fans cherish, through their games and collecting Pokémon cards, is done by Letterman and his team in the most delightful, enlightening and entertaining manner. Few works “world build” in a way that is so brilliantly achieved with Letterman’s film. It should become a blueprint for how to showcase the fantastical and gorgeously glorious in a manner that is charmingly compelling as it pulls in the audience right from the get-go.
Letterman (Goosebumps), co-wrote the screenplay with Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Derek Connolly. Normally when you see a list of writers under the screenplay credits that causes pause. The old adage about too many chefs in the kitchen comes to mind. Oddly, it works brilliantly with Pokémon Detective Pikachu and never comes off as a story by committee creative environment. It is rich, layered and most importantly, emotively engaging. When you can hook the hearts of your audience (in addition to their minds with delicious eye candy) folks feel as if they are personally invested in this world and those who inhabit it, particularly if our primary protagonists are as virtually embraceable as Tim and Detective Pikachu.
Fresh off his success with Deadpool and Deadpool 2, the Canadian actor brings something intangible to the role. He already has a huge advantage before the yellow furry fella says a word. Creature designers have hit a grand slam of the highest order with Pikachu, there is adorable and there is Reynolds onscreen alter ego. When he does open his mouth, there is something sensational about the voice acting clinic that Reynolds puts on with his latest character. The highest compliment an audience member can deliver an actor is to say that not once when you were taking in the goings-on of Pikachu, I never once thought, “Oh, that’s Ryan Reynolds voicing the little yellow cutie.” He and Pikachu were one and the same, lost in a sea of wicked creativity that washes over the audience and grabs our heartstrings in the process. It is one of the actor’s greatest performances, bar none and a triumph in every sense of the word.
Smith (Paper Towns, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is very much our eyes and ears into this world. The way it is laid out by the screenwriters and then brought to life by Letterman is electrically exquisite. Tim is not only a person scarred by the lack of a male role model growing up, but he is—as are many other twenty-somethings—lost and seemingly wandering through a landscape of self-discovery that seems to have no end. Once he meets Pikachu, there is a spark that slowly but surely ignites an inner familiarity that is reflected in his character as the story progresses. He is a talented young actor and Smith’s versatility is showcased through a myriad of situations throughout Pokémon Detective Pikachu that should bode well for the young actor given that this thing is likely to be a massive hit.
Another element that the film has going for it is that, like is happening with Avengers: Endgame, look for it to have a solid number of repeat viewings. It possesses such a lush landscape of Pokémon I wanted to head back into the theater to watch the next showing to see what I missed while mesmerized by the story, Reynolds and Smith’s performances and the pop-off-the-screen characters and locales.
We have opened a can of worms with this successful introduction to the world of Pokémon in Pokémon Detective Pikachu.There is likely going to be much more that follows (mirroring what we’ve seen with the brick to screen LEGO movies) with other characters from the Japanese created universe and if any of them are half as entertaining, lividly plush and emotively enriching, the arrival of this film will be seen as ushering in a welcomed world we look forward to visiting often.
Grade: A-