Detective Pikachu, the live action Pokémon movie was released on May 3 in Japan and on May 10 in the United States. The movie is based on the Pokémon franchise and the 2016 Pokémon game Detective Pikachu and is the first Pokémon film to be distributed theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros.
The story follows 21-year-old Tim, son of Ace detective Harry Goodman, as he tries to uncover the events after his father’s mysterious disappearance. Along the way, Tim meets Harry’s former Pokémon, Detective Pikachu. Since Tim is the only human who can talk with and understand Pikachu, the pair decides to work together to unravel the mystery.
The movie is centered around Pokémons and how they interact with humans and having Pikachu’s point of view is a huge advantage. Since Pikachu is able to communicate with both Tim and the rest of the pokémons we get to see a new dynamic that other Pokémon movies weren’t able to offer.
As the stars of the movie, Pokémons had to be impeccable and appealing to the audience and the production team succeeded in doing it! The character designs and CGI work were the perfect mixes between cute and accurate, especially when it came to Pikachu. Ryan Reynolds also did an amazing job bringing the character to life.
The way Pokémons fit seamlessly into any random shot of the movie made the experience more immersive and created a world where Pokémons are as important as humans, especially in Ryme City, where the majority of the movie takes place. The first few scenes introducing the city when Tim went there were breathtakingly beautiful and perfectly showcased the Pokémon universe. Even before going to Ryme City, where Pokémons are treated as equals and partners, shots of Pokémons living their lives in the wilderness showed how important they were in this world and it made the whole experience feel much more real.
Even though plotwise, the story was a bit predictable and not as intriguing as you could expect, the movie didn’t really need an intense storyline to be successful. It is still a movie mainly directed towards kids and adults who want to have a bit of nostalgia. It transports the viewers to the magical world of Pokémon for two hours. It is funny, cute and has enough twists to keep you hooked up!
Rania Harrathi
JET Press Team
