Detective Pikachu Review

Detective Pikachu is a jarring and bizarre film, a live action/CGI blended noire brimming with familiar creatures from the global phenomenon Pokémon. Similiar to films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and more recently Zootopia, Detective Pikachu creates a child friendly version of the classic detective narrative. An unexplained death, questions with no leads, the neon glow of an expansive unventured city, people with shady and unclear motives - the film checks these boxes and presents them in a glossy enough way that will please the main demographic of children that this world applies to. However, past the films surface is a linear and predictable story driven by cliché characters and out of place humour that often moves glacially.

Detective Pikachu takes place in the Pokémon universe and follows Tim Goodman, a young and energetic 21-year-old. Considered a “loner”, a label reserved for people who live their lives without the fellowship of a Pokémon, Tim lives his days in a quaint town working aimlessly as an insurance salesman. But Tim’s life changes when he finds out that his sleuth father Harry has been killed in a car accident while investigating a case. This sends Tim to Rhyme City, a metropolis where Pokémon and people thrive together equally, and eventually to Detective Pikachu, the former companion of Tim’s father. Together they set off to figure out the events that caused Harry’s demise and complete the case he never lived to solve.

The film is crucially dependent on Ryan Reynolds, who voices the titular Detective Pikachu. Reynolds gives an energetic performance as Tim’s small yellow partner, however its Pikachu’s incessant quips and one-liners that quickly become tiresome, making the character feel one dimensional. The humour in Detective Pikachu rarely delivers, with Reynolds jokes often sounding more like outtakes from Deadpool rather than anything that melds well within the world of Pokémon.

The enjoyment of Detective Pikachu will be had through the visual world that many CGI and effect artists have worked tirelessly to create. The plentiful cameos of familiar Pokémon are wonderfully engaging and unique, while Rhyme City truly feels like a place that has achieved a harmony between industry and nature. Many pieces of fan surface are tucked in the background of various scenes, which will reward fans who pause each frame and analyze all the goings on.

However, the visual world building that Detective Pikachu is successful at can’t help save the film from the generic and flat storyline that eventually culminates into an uninspired ending of meaningless values. Despite taking place in a world full of memorable creatures, Detective Pikachu lacks memorable moments.

A hackneyed story and a lack of consistent humour helps make Detective Pikachu a shockingly poor effort.

Produced By: Warner Bros.
Runtime: 105 minutes
Rating: PG