Detective Pikachu
Your Memory Will Be Gone, But Your Heart Will Know Who You Are
Summary
Tim Goodman is a young man who once wanted to be a Pokémon trainer but after the death of his mother and his dad moving away, he grew up to be an insurance adjuster with no interest in Pokémon. One day while hanging out with a friend he receives a call saying that his father, who was a detective, died in a car crash. Tim travels to Ryme city, a place where humans and Pokémon live in harmony, and where his dad worked. When Tim goes to his dad’s apartment to collect his things, he finds a Pikachu who was his dad’s Pokémon partner and Tim discovers that he can understand Pikachu. Pikachu has amnesia so he can’t actually tell him what happened but the two begin to figure that if Pikachu survived Tim’s dad might have as well so the two head out on an adventure to solve the mystery of what happened.
Characters
Detective Pikachu has two main protagonists, Pikachu and Tim.
Tim, played by Justice Smith, is a young man who had once dreamed of becoming a Pokemon trainer. A select life event derailed those plans, and he now lives with a disdain for Pokemon. He hasn’t seen or talked to his father in quite some time.
Detective Pikachu, played by Ryan Reynolds, is Tim’s father’s Pikachu. He is a resourceful Pokemon who has an uncanny ability to be understood by Tim, and he has absolutely no memory before the crash.
Austin: 9.0/10
Alrighty, if you don’t know already, I have a soft spot for Pokemon. Pokemon games, movies, anything really. This movie is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed it, mind you it is a little bit of a different approach. I did think the whole, non-animated people worked really well and the Pokemon looked really good.
Overall, the plot is pretty solid. I wouldn’t say it is the most unpredictable plot, but there are plenty of bright spots. It moves along pretty quickly, after a slower start, as the details surrounding the mystery keep flowing in. This plot did do one thing I didn’t expect in the slightest, and it moves away from the battling to victory approach. Detective Pikachu follows a partner in crime type of style, where Pokemon battles see a lot less airtime and hold a lot less importance. I didn’t mind that, a couple more battles would have been appreciated, but I don’t think it would have fit with the plot and it would have felt too slow. It’s a nice touch to see Pokemon as characters in this, instead of a tool to help our protagonists.
The characters are awesome. The character arc for Tim is huge, and Detective Pikachu doesn’t do half bad either. The duo has a little bit of a buddy cop vibe, and the way their relationship develops helps a lot of different things. We see both characters develop in some unexpected ways due to each other and the things they go through, and it pushes the plot in a great direction. Without some of the developed emotional connections between Tim and Pikachu, some of the later scenes would have fallen on their face. Instead, the writers pull off a great emotional ending, with a solid resolution. Leaves me hungry for a second movie, but I’m not so sure we are getting one.
Pokemon fans, go check this movie out. Non-Pokemon fans, go check this out. While this is technically a Pokemon movie, it holds a stronger plot and characters that don’t lean so heavily on Pokemon as we have seen in the past. This leaves the movie open to enjoyment by all, and it made for a great movie.
Nathanyal: 8.8/10
Detective Pikachu is a solid crime movie with a fun mystery. With the inclusion of Pokémon, the possibilities were endless, and I really liked how they were incorporated in this movie. Alongside the implementation of the Pokémon, the plot and the characters were also fun to watch.
The biggest strength of this movie was the inclusion of Pokémon and how they would interact in the modern world. Pikachu and Tim made for a very fun duo to lead the movie. I really liked their interactions with each other, and Pikachu brought some nice comic relief. The other side characters and villains were fun to watch. It was also great seeing other Pokémon existing in this world and how they would influence every day life. The mystery was also well written. It was nice watching the whole thing play out and to theory craft while watching.
The only real downside of this movie are the designs of the Pokémon themselves. As they are based more on real life animals, this could either be a hit or a miss. Personally, I didn’t mind them all too much, but to some, it may be a huge turn off.
Overall, the movie was solid. It was fun to watch a live action Pokémon movie and to see the Pokémon I’ve grown up with interact with the real movie. Besides the designs, which may dissuade some from watching the movie, I still think it’s worth the watch.
Sebastian: 8.8/10
So, unlike my fellow reviewers I do not have a deep connection with the Pokémon franchise and have only watched a bit of the tv show, collected some cards, and only recently played one of the games and I just never really got into it. With all of that said I really enjoyed this movie and thought it was surprisingly heartfelt as well. The human characters seem quite relatable and down to earth which I like and Tim ( played by Justice Smith) being a sympathetic protagonist who just wants to find his dad. Pikachu ( played by Ryan Reynolds) is very cute and adorable but also hilarious thanks to the witty dialogue and comedic timing of Ryan Reynolds.
The story itself is decent throughout though it can be predictable at points I still felt there was enough intrigue to keep me engaged with a good enough mystery. The other thing that really sells this movie is the world. When you see all of these people walking along next to Pokémon who look super cute and cool you just want to join them. The variety of Pokémon we get to see and the glimpse we get at battles made me get excited so I can only imagine how big Pokémon fans felt about it. The chemistry between Smith and Reynolds was really good too and I found their banter to be a big part of the humour and their heartfelt moments landed too. This movie was definitely charming and had moments that would make me excited to see more from this universe.
All in all, whether you are a die-hard Pokémon fan or you have only heard the word I would highly recommend anyone to check out this charming mystery starring Pokémon that is fun for the whole family. So hop on Netflix and see for yourself!
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