Chris Pierdomenico
Pokémon has been a part of my life since I bought a copy of Pokémon Blue for my Game Boy way back in 1998. That fall, I caught the very first episode of the anime on UPN the day it premiered. And soon after, I was collecting the trading cards and battling strangers every Saturday at the local comic book shop. Later I played in a Game Boy tournament and got my very own Mew, the uncatchable 151st Pokemon, officially licensed by Nintendo. And I’ll never forgot going to see Pokémon: The First Movie on a middle school date. So to say that Pokémon was a part of my childhood is a bit of an understatement.
And that’s exactly what the new movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, is counting on in its audience. Now, to be fair: at its core, it’s clearly a kids’ movie. But that doesn’t just mean the current kids. If you were ever a kid (at least a Pokemon kid), this movie’s for you.
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD
We all live in a Pokémon World
The film begins in a setting very eerily similar to 1999’s Mewtwo Strikes Back. Following an action-packed opening, we meet Tim Goodman, a young insurance salesman who once had dreams of being a great Pokémon trainer. Though he’s tried to forget his own childhood for reasons that are revealed later (and perhaps this could be a stand-in for the Pokémon fan who grew up), this doesn’t stop his friend from sneakily trying to trick him into catching a Cubone. In this world, every person gets a Pokémon partner, but it’s never quite worked out for Tim.
All that changes when Tim finds out that his estranged father, a world-famous detective, has died under mysterious circumstances. He decides to visit the metropolis that his father worked in, Ryme City, founded by Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy) as a sort of utopian world where humans and Pokémon live together with no battles and no Pokéballs. It’s a neat idea that addresses something I’ve long thought about (“wouldn’t Pokémon battles be animal cruelty if they were in the real world?”), but don’t worry – we still get a few good duels.
After going to his father’s apartment and running into Lucy (Kathryn Newton), a cable news intern with a Psyduck who is eager to break a big news story to start her career, Tim encounters a talking Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) that only he can hear. As it turns out, Pikachu was Tim’s father’s partner. Despite suffering from amnesia, Pikachu joins forces with Tim to discover what really happened to his father as they uncover the truth behind this so-called utopian Pokémon world.
The Ryan Reynolds Factor
Ryan Reynolds gained a lot of attention for his casting as the titular Detective Pikachu prior to this film’s release. Many folks thought that he would simply be doing a PG version of Deadpool. Is that the case? Not really. It’s clearly Ryan Reynolds, but he’s hilarious and so committed to his role that I never once thought of the merc with a mouth while watching this. I was completely transported.
And while the rest of the cast does a pretty solid job as well, it’s Reynolds that steals every scene he’s in. And for being the only actor portrayed as CGI (…for the most part…), that’s really saying a lot.
Celebrating our childhoods
What I love about this film is that it doesn’t spend a whole lot of time explaining the world of Pokémon; it simply embraces it. Admittedly, this may make the film less enjoyable to someone who is not familiar with the franchise. But if you don’t like Pokémon – then why are you here? Pokémon Detective Pikachu was clearly and thoughtfully designed for the kid in us all.
Part of the joy in watching this is simply trying to identify the Pokémon that pop up in each scene. Fans all have memories of Pokémon we’ve trained in the various games over the years or caught in GO. And although nearly all of the generations are represented in someway, the filmmakers are wise (and maybe a little too safe) to focus most of the attention on the iconic Generation I.
Yes, it’s shameless marketing at it’s finest. Yes, our childhood memories are being harvested for monetary gain. Yes, maybe my nostalgia is blinding me. But I had so much fun at Detective Pikachu that I really didn’t care.
That’s not to say the movie is perfect. The human characters are underdeveloped and more-than-needed exposition is spouted (but then again, so was the anime. And as much as I love Ash, Misty, Brock and the rest of the gang, the characters are better developed in this film). A romantic component to the plot is alluded to, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. Some plot elements don’t make sense, and the movie feels slightly short.
That being said: this film is a love letter to everyone who grew up enjoying this franchise. As a fan, this is exactly what I wanted out of a live-action Pokémon movie. Young kids will love it, as will the adults who have spent over twenty years with these creatures. The film isn’t flawless, but the franchise never was. Our childhoods weren’t flawless either. It doesn’t mean they don’t hold a special place in our hearts. I have a feeling this film will too.
Chris Pierdomenico is a filmmaker, a teacher of television, video production & journalism as well as the founder of DorkDaily.com.
