"Pokémon Detective Pikachu" Review
5/10
There are certain aspects of Pokémon Detective Pikachu that don't require a crash course in pocket monsterdom, naturally. You don't need to know the difference between a squirtle and a sandslash to follow, because the movie takes the time to explain every single Pokémon that comes onto the screen! Detective Pikachu works as a fun pass time only because it is such a weird film for its mainstream sensibilities, but does not completely break the mould of blockbuster movie narrative. It is not bizarre enough to be a classic. It's a hodgepodge of elements we've seen in countless other places - take the rough outline of the Detective Pikachu video game, add a few elements from various Spider-Man flicks, and give it a couple of whirls - but the movie is more interested in mood and banter than it is in anything resembling a compelling narrative shape. What almost saves it all is Reynolds's characteristically above-it-all cadence - that playfully sneering quality to his diction that makes him ideal for playing inept con men, entitled frat boys, and self-satirizing comic-book mercenaries. It's not so much that there's any particular art to his delivery, but his voice does sound funny coming out of a cuddly little magic creature beloved by young children. The visual milieu has been designed to play up a similar contrast: The nocturnal world of Detective Pikachu feels more like something out of Blade Runner. The Pokémon look like rubber except for the main Pokémon Pikachu, it seems as though all the budget went to making Pikachu look realistic, and all the other Pokémon just seem to be there. People say that this is the best video game movie, and I can somewhat agree. For me I never considered Pokémon a video game, I consider it a tv show, because that's what I grew up with. I was one that never got into Pokémon and I just liked Picachu growing up. So for this movie to focus on Picachu was a check for me, but it just falls short of being a solid narrative story.
There are certain aspects of Pokémon Detective Pikachu that don't require a crash course in pocket monsterdom, naturally. You don't need to know the difference between a squirtle and a sandslash to follow, because the movie takes the time to explain every single Pokémon that comes onto the screen! Detective Pikachu works as a fun pass time only because it is such a weird film for its mainstream sensibilities, but does not completely break the mould of blockbuster movie narrative. It is not bizarre enough to be a classic. It's a hodgepodge of elements we've seen in countless other places - take the rough outline of the Detective Pikachu video game, add a few elements from various Spider-Man flicks, and give it a couple of whirls - but the movie is more interested in mood and banter than it is in anything resembling a compelling narrative shape. What almost saves it all is Reynolds's characteristically above-it-all cadence - that playfully sneering quality to his diction that makes him ideal for playing inept con men, entitled frat boys, and self-satirizing comic-book mercenaries. It's not so much that there's any particular art to his delivery, but his voice does sound funny coming out of a cuddly little magic creature beloved by young children. The visual milieu has been designed to play up a similar contrast: The nocturnal world of Detective Pikachu feels more like something out of Blade Runner. The Pokémon look like rubber except for the main Pokémon Pikachu, it seems as though all the budget went to making Pikachu look realistic, and all the other Pokémon just seem to be there. People say that this is the best video game movie, and I can somewhat agree. For me I never considered Pokémon a video game, I consider it a tv show, because that's what I grew up with. I was one that never got into Pokémon and I just liked Picachu growing up. So for this movie to focus on Picachu was a check for me, but it just falls short of being a solid narrative story.