By JASON GUYER
Pika, Pika.” These words are only spoken once by Ryan Reynolds who voices Pikachu in the new film “Detective Pikachu.” These are words the Pokémon community have been longing for in a live action Pokémon film. “Detective Pikachu” may not be the live action story many would want or expected but that is a good thing.
There are often expectations and lofty ones with telling certain stories or storylines of well known of popular comics or cartoons. The communities that love or are fans of certain comics or cartoons can be notoriously hard to please. “Detective Pikachu” should please the Pokémon community.
Now, admittedly, I am not the biggest Pokémon fan or really a fan at all. I missed that generational pop culture movement by a couple years. However, I am a cinema fan and “Detective Pikachu” delivers on that front.
The film may not seduce hardcore Pokémon fans and may not be good enough for them, but even if it is only on the merits of moviemaking that “Detective Pikachu” is a wonderful film, that is enough.
“Detective Pikachu” tells the story of the disappearance of police detective Harry Goodman. When Goodman mysteriously goes missing and is pronounced dead, his 21-year-old son, Tim, goes to Ryme City to deal with his father’s death. In the Pokémon universe, Ryme City is a city where Pokémon and humans live together in harmony.
When Tim Goodman arrives at his father’s apartment, his father’s Pokémon partner is there, the jocular super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. When both find that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu and does not just hear “Pika, Pika.” Now, with their combined forces, they start to unravel the tangled mystery of Tim’s father’s, Harry Goodman’s, disappearance.
Ryan Reynolds voices Pikachu. No, you do not get the typical Ryan Reynolds, the vulgar crass verbal sparring that is patented Ryan Reynolds. Reynold’s Pikachu does does some fast talking verbal sparring, but it is always PG.
Pikachu is a central Pokémon character and one you would not want to ruin or do a poor job portraying. Reynolds does a fantastic job as Pikachu. He is fun and I doubt there are many that could have voiced him better. If, perchance, you do take issue with Reynolds voice work with Pikachu the story has a built in escape route for that. Justice Smith plays Tim Goodman, the son of Harry Goodman and the film’s lead character. Smith does well enough for a younger actor, especially for someone with as light a resume as his. Although not perfect, Smith is relatable as a son who is in disagreement with his father and who is reluctant to enjoy a world with Pokémon in it.
Smith’s best scenes come when it is just Smith and Reynold’s Pikachu. The burgeoning friendship between Smith’s Goodman and Reynold’s Pikachu are why you want to see this film.
The other two reasons to see this film are the abundance and array of Pokémon characters in “Detective Pikachu. There is also the wondrous CGI work that went into building the fictional Ryme City. Ryme City is built as a cross between Batman’s Gotham City and Tokyo, Japan. The CGI metropolis of Ryme City brings this noirish feel to “Detective Pikachu” that amplifies the films detective story. “Detective Pikachu” shows slight shades of older noir detective films like one of my favorites, “The Maltese Falcon.” Detective Pikachu is the Pokémon world version of Bogart’s Sam Spade.
One of the staples of noir films is the so called “dame,” although, this common cinema trope is no longer PC in 2019. In “Detective Pikachu” this character is Lucy Stevens and is played by Kathryn Newton. Newton’s Stevens does not get enough screen time in “Detective Pikachu” for Newton’s talent level. The story is about Smith’s Goodman and Reynold’s Pikachu but if there is a downside to “Detective Pikachu” it is the underwhelming use and side story of Newton’s Lucy Stevens.
Newton is best known for “Blockers” and her work as Claire Novak, a wayward sister from the television show “Supernatural.” I may be impartial due to my affinity for “Supernatural,” but I believed she deserved more screen time.
“Detective Pikachu” is fun, silly, and is most definitely a children’s movie but that does not mean adults can not enjoy it. The noir aspect sold me from the opening credits. “Detective Pikachu” sells the noir style and detective aspect of the film, and I enjoyed that fact all the way until the end.
The ending of “Detective Pikachu” is too grand for the story they tell through ⅔ of the film. Pikachu and Tim Goodman grapple their way through this fantastic detective plot that has twists and turns that are as good as any detective film. Yet, the final outcome turns into this god vs monsters with its villain Howard Clifford played by Bill Nigh. The preferable outcome would have been to stay on the subtle detective style storyline but, to be fair, they do give one last twist that is pretty good.
“Detective Pikachu” in some ways is one of my favorite films of the year so far, one that both adults and children can enjoy. There are few better film experiences than one you where you can enjoy a film with your children. “Detective Pikachu” is that film, so go and enjoy this Pokémon filled and delightfully fun noir tale.
“Pika, Pika.”
IRATE SCORE: 3.5/5
Jason Guyer is an avid moviegoer and works in the graphics department at the Eagle Times. For questions or comments he can be emailed at [email protected]
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