This is the first post-Avengers Endgame movie I see in theaters from someone who knows barely about Pokémon,so don't expect an expertly made review from some diehard fan of the games.
Or even one where it's shortened out because they want to spread hate toward critics. Lord,are they the worst…
What a relief to finally talk positively about a Videogame Movie (for a while),yeah? Pokémon Detective Pikachu is a delightful experience that is indeed going to entertain a lot of people.
A Videogame Movie that is a Slappy go-lucky version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit set in this Fifth Element type world surrounded by adorable fuzzy creatures must be a dumb concept,but Writer/Director Rob Letterman injects some life to it thanks to a Screenplay (written alongside Jurassic World's Derek Connolly) that,surprisingly,takes the Audience seriously,while still being a fun albeit Emotional buddy cop movie with Pokémons.
The emotions factor may be the most interesting thing to talk about. It starts seriously,but then it goes full-on buddy cop movie until the end. This is because it's mostly centered about the friendship between Tim Goodman (played by Justice Smith) and Pikachu,played with life by Ryan Reynolds,who sometimes feels like Deadpool in a CG Fursuit.
Everything about the story seems like they cared about the project instead of “We're going to do this thing for money!” (That new Doom movie from Universal looks great!),and the Effects surrounding it are beautiful to look at. From *insert Pokémon name here* to the Set Design and concepts,the movie must have a gorgeous Artbook!
But there are big low points with the movie. For starters,this seems like a great Screenplay,but it's also one that reminded me a lot of The LEGO Movie. Think about it. “Big city where everything is flawless because the President wants to” , “Ethical Evil President threatens to destroy city with this powerful MacGuffin”...It even becomes ‘89 Batman at some point in the 3rd Act (for 30 Seconds) with the Balloon Parade. Add to that an overuse of Plot Twists (that are “very twisty”,but annoying at a point) and a set-up for a Sequel,and you almost had a misfire.
But hey,at least it was a fun romp from start to finish. When I talked about the controversy of Depp and Heard on Instagram,I said “GOD,what a plot twist!”,but I'm starting to think that,for all its flaws,this is probably the better Plot Twist. A good 2ht Movie filled with 40 something Hours of Gameplay must be something we all wished for,right? Especially one that we needed after we saw a big 3hr Superhero Funeral. So yeah,Detective Pikachu is a blast,and that's all that matters. Go see it.
