Ryan Reynolds saved “Detective Pikachu”

Erik Jimenez/Staff Writer

 

The Pokémon franchise has always been one of Nintendo’s greatest hits, by guaranteeing quality in all aspects of the franchise, especially for fans who grew up with it. While films based on Pokémon have hit theaters before, none were in live action.

And the result, while somewhat average for regular pictures, is a godsend for video game movies and shows that they are taking steps in the right direction.

Set in the world of Pokémon, “Detective Pikachu” tells the story of Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) a young insurance salesman who has given up on becoming a Pokémon trainer due to the death of his mother and the absence of his detective father Harry, who lives in nearby Rhyme City. When Tim is informed that Harry has died while investigating a case, he comes across a talking Pikachu that only he understands, that is voiced by Ryan Reynolds.

The Pikachu turns out to have amnesia but only remembers that he was Harry’s partner and believes that Harry is alive. This leads the two of them to team up “Roger Rabbit” style and uncover the mystery of Harry’s disappearance and crack the case that Harry was on–one that has major consequences for Rhyme City and the Pokémon world as a whole.

Unfortunately, the story is not the film’s strongest aspect–especially the non-mystery elements. Whenever the film tries to convince us that Tim is suffering due to a past event with his family, it is utterly unconvincing and boring, from the generic dialogue and Justice Smith’s lack of acting. I don’t know where else Justice Smith could have come from, but between this and last year’s “Jurassic World”, he has demonstrated a surprisingly low lack of talent.

What saves the picture though is a two-pronged assault of visual bliss and Ryan Reynolds. The film manages to bring to life the world of Pokémon with the set design, neon lighting, creature design and CGI bringing to life realistic, but recognizable, visions of these game icons to life.

You can pause this film at any scene in Rhyme City and it would be a fun “Where’s Waldo”-esque game of spot the Pokémon. It feels lived in and viable and will make any fan of the franchise happy.

And of course, there is Ryan Reynolds, who is essentially doing a PG version of his “Deadpool” routine. But it works. So much so, it’s worth seeing the movie just for him. His voice and the Pikachu blend so easily that he will most likely be everyone’s favorite part of the movie. His lines and quips and pure energy throughout make it as entertaining as it is.

Fans of the franchise are the ones who are going to get the most kick out of the film.  “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” is definitely the best live-action video game movie made, but as a film on it’s own it’s an average perfectly enjoyable film with a generic plot that is saved by a funny performance by Ryan Reynolds.

 

Featured Photo was taken from Trending Topics on Flickr.

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