Directed by Rob Letterman
Produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Hidenaga Katakami, Don
McGowan
Screenplay by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Rob Letterman, Derek
Connolly
Story by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Nicole Perlman
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki
Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy
My sibs and I share a
special love for the Pokémon
franchise. From the early episodes of the TV show we always looked forward to
watching Friday nights on GMA (that first opening theme song is ingrained in us
like a nursery rhyme), to the handheld Nintendo video games that come out every
couple of years or so, to the trading card game, there’s something about
collecting fictional creatures for companionship (or sport?) and roaming around
beautifully illustrated, environmentally sustainable landscapes that ticked
something within and has stayed with us for the better part of the past two
decades.
So imagine our sheer
delight when we saw the first trailer for Pokémon:
Detective Pikachu debut sometime late last year. After the awwws we made fawning over a furry, live-action
Pikachu, we kept our fingers crossed. Hollywood has a bad reputation for
fucking up video game adaptations, and their attempts at translating Japanese
properties for English-speaking audiences haven’t gone so swell either (think
2017’s Ghost in the Shell). When we
finally got around to watching this movie after months of anxious anticipation
(and still a bit hungover from Endgame, which
I will get around to writing about soon), our trepidation was, for the most
part, quelled.
The key selling point
of the Pokémon franchise is the world-building, and Detective Pikachu delivers on that front on a stellar level. The
neo-noir urbanscapes that feature prominently in the trailer are even more
stunning in the film, while a certain set-piece taking place outside Ryme City
and toward the film’s climax is just the right level of over-the-topness you’d
expect from this bonkers world. For anyone who’s always wondered (and wanted)
to live in a world populated with Pokémon (who, by the way, are rendered
excellently here—neither too real nor too cartoonish), this film will give you
a pretty good, fun idea of what it’s like.
The titular Detective
Pikachu, voiced by a snarky Ryan Reynolds, is undeniably adorbs. Justice Smith,
who plays protagonist and reluctant hero Tim Goodman, interacts flawlessly with
the Pokémon around him, who—according to director Rob Letterman—were really
just anything from a tennis ball to a bunch of stuntmen jostling him around.
Kathryn Newton as reporter Lucy Stevens excellently channels the quick-talking,
strong-willed female characters of the anime like Misty and May. On the
flipside, veteran actors like Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe feel underutilized,
but you can tell they’re having a blast with the material they’re given.
My one major gripe with
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is the
story. For such a sprawling world full of potential, the narrative feels too
thin and predictable; the motivations that compel the characters feel either rushed
or clunky. Overall, though, whether you’re a longtime Pokéfan or a casual
moviegoer looking for a fun adventure, Pokémon:
Detective Pikachu delivers. I’m definitely looking forward to a sequel and
immersing myself in this world again.
Score: 8.5/10
About the Reviewer
Charles SanCheese is an avid reader, student of literature, and pop-culture vulture. He works as a copy editor in Mandaue City and has lived in Cebu his whole life.
He has authored several essays, short stories, and lengthier works of fiction, all of which can be found in the grand annals of his personal hard drive. Follow him on Twitter at @charlesancheese.
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