FILM REVIEW - Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Aah, the fads of the 90′s. They never seem to die down, do they? Every few years they’ll have a resurgence and before you know it, everyone is a kid again just wanting to be the greatest master of them all.
I originally went to watch the ‘Detective Pikachu’ film on a whim thinking to myself it’d be a decent way to pass the time. I wasn’t particularly ready for the seriousness of ‘John Wick 3′ so I thought, this film probably won’t require my brain. I wasn’t necessarily wrong.
Starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular character, ‘Detective Pikachu’ tells the story of a young man, Tim Goodman, who learns that his father, an established Police Detective has been killed in an accident whilst undercover during a secret mission. As Tim goes to set his father’s affairs in order, he stumbles upon his father’s partner Pokémon, a Pikachu who has the ability to speak to Tim. The two of them set out to find out what really happened with Tim’s father, encountering a number of Pokémon along the way, all of whom are fairly rememberable.
The twists and turns of the film are fairly unpredictable and I found myself smiling more times than I’ll admit as the genuine humour and silliness of the whole movie really got me. However, underneath the obviously commercial image lay a deeper message about people and their relationships with each other and also with the Pokémon that they befriend.
The CGI for the film was actually very impressive in my opinion and it was evident that the developers had spent a considerable amount of time thinking about different textures and colours of these pocket monsters. The plot was pretty good too as was much of the acting, despite the fact that I’m not the biggest Ryan Reynolds fan. Most of all however were the feeling of nostalgia, of seeing the very world many of us had immersed ourselves in from a young age finally be shown on the big screen, and be done right. An admirable success for the studio with hopes that there will be many more!
Rating:
Story:★★★
Acting: ★★★
Cinematography: ★★★ ½
Music: ★★
Enjoyability: ★★★★