Pokemon Detective Pikachu (2019)

In the 1990s, there was a craze that eventually became a phenomenon, and that was Pokémon. With Pokémon, kids around the world were hooked with the unique characters, distinct battle systems, and of course, all of the merchandising that came with this franchise. Most notably, video games. It was here, that Pokémon really flourished in popularity. Eventually, movies based around Pokémon emerged, and while they were not hits with critics, the fans did enjoy them. Now, Pokémon is bigger than ever with even more characters, and more merchandising. This is has become such an incredible realization, that Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and The Pokémon Company have teamed up together to create a movie based on the franchise. Sure, there have been other Pokémon movies in the past, but this one is involves blending live action with animation. And it's called “Pokémon Detective Pikachu”. And while the actual result may not please the general movie going public, the fans will get a kick out of the finished product. “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is an interesting take on a popular franchise that so many people love to this day.

The story involves a young kid named Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) who lives in a world where humans can exist with Pokémon. One day, Tim receives a call from the police that his father has sadly passed; he goes to his dad's old apartment, and there, Tim is greeted with a living breathing Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) that speaks English, but only to Tim. Now, Tim and this Pikachu must explore this world of Pokémon in order to find out what happened to Tim's dad.

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is a mixed bag of sorts. Let's talk about what works in this movie first before getting into the negative aspects.

For starters (no pun intended), the interactions between Smith and Reynolds works pretty well. Each of them hold each other by interacting in a great manner; this comes in handy thanks to the direction from Rob Letterman. On top of this, both actors do great with what they are given.

But the real kicker for this film, and the main selling point of the movie in general, is the actual Pokémon. Sure, the realistic designs are a little offsetting, but from making the transition from 2D to 3D, the visual effects team really worked well with The Pokémon Company on how the creatures are designed for this film. There are literally hundreds of creatures, and in the film, it's a guessing game of which one can be recognized. Seeing all of these marvelous characters on the big screen, it truly brings out the inner child in audiences, as it takes them back to when played Pokémon way back when. The movie does a great job at recapturing that nostalgic feeling that its target audience knows so well.

The music in the film provided by Henry Jackman is a nice balance of video game music and film scores, which pleases the ears greatly. The sets really stand out, as they make use of the world and environment that this movie takes place in. The costumes fit each character well, and the movie does sound decent enough that a lot of fans will take notice on what the filmmakers incorporated from the franchise. “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” will please fans of the series in ways they have never before.

But, that's not to say the film is perfect.

For one thing, some of the characters like the love interest Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and the villain, really don't have that much motivation other than to further the plot along.

Speaking of the plot, while it is easy to jot down on paper, the execution is not that simple. For instance, as this movie is trying to be a mystery, there is a lot of plot devices that make it seem obvious to the general public as to what's going on; therefore, it makes the movie predictable and rushed in the process of the movie's run time.

Plus, the main villain's plan is actually quite stupid, despite it being an interesting concept, but again, the execution is not handled well.

In conclusion, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is a pleasing entry in the franchise that will satisfy the fans, but with some improvement, it could have been perfect.