Pokemon - Detective Pikachu

Director- Rob Letterman


Cast- Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith

Country of Origin- U.S.

Distributor - Warner

Number of Discs - 2

Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald

Date- 08/76/2019

    When The Lego Movie came out a few years back to say that I was surprised over the quality of the film would be an understatement. When Detective Pikachu trailers started dropping in the last year, I tried to keep a more open mind on the end result. I did buy the game for my son and I to play, and neither one of us got terribly into it.  However, I can say without a doubt both of us loved the Detective Pikachu movie.

    I am a late-comer to the Pokemon franchise. It became very popular when I was a teenager, and my friends who were into CCG's (Collectible Card Games) suddenly got very into it.  I looked at the imagery which seemed lame and childlike to my pseudo-angsty teen self and promptly ignored it, as it began to take over the world with TV series, and video games such as Pokemon Red and Blue for the Nintendo Game Boy, or Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo 64.  A few years ago my own kid got into Pokemon during the X/Y Generation, and we promptly picked up the games for his 3DS. I was shocked to find how much we enjoyed the games, and how they reminded me of a lite version of the JRPG's I love and grew up obsessing over. So needless to say, when Sun and Moon came out we bought both for our respective portables.

    Now, of course, I am a full-fledged Pokemon fan, and Detective Pikachu, the movie ended up being a solid realization as the Pokemon world in our reality. The story follows Tim Goodman, a young man who lives in a small village on his own working for an insurance agent. He once aspired to be a Pokemon trainer, but at a certain point in the past gave it up.   One day, Tim gets word that his estranged father Harry died in a fiery auto accident in Ryme City where he worked as a detective.  Harry goes to Ryme City to tie up, what his Father left behind, and in doing so finds that things might not be as straightforward as they first seem. Harry meets his Father's Pokemon, a Pikachu who has taken on the traits of a film-noir detective, but has amnesia. The pair work to get to the bottom of Pikachu's amnesia, and the mystery surrounding Harry's untimely death.

    Pokemon - Detective Pikachu feels like a film-noir set in a Blade Runner-esque society. Stylistically this film looks like a dark and occasionally flashy Los Angeles 2019, as depicted in the Scott film, but with a less dour town more acceptable to family audiences. The central performance by Justice Smith works well for the material, and Ryan Reynolds does exceedingly well as a film-noir Pikachu. The story itself will win no points for originality, but the world the film creates,  the fun nodes to the franchise as a whole, and the overall excitement of the piece is sure to have fans quite happy with the end result.

    Pokemon - Detective Pikachu was shot on 35mm film and scanned in 2k resolution. The result here gives off a nice film-noir like ambiance, while creating a gorgeous well-detailed image where reality blends well with the numerous instances of visual FX used to bring the film to life. Audio is handled by a True HD 7.1 track, that is crisp, clear, and well-balanced. Extras include a Detective Mode where the director pops in from time to time with tidbits about the film, an interview with Justice Smith, a few behind the scenes pieces, and more. Detective Pikachu was a real surprise hit for me personally, and the Blu-ray brings that film to life in gorgeous style. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.