I knew that Detective Pikachu was going to be a movie I went to see as soon as it was announced. My son who is 11 has been a massive Pokémon fan since he was about 3 and he was stoked for this. In all honesty, I am surprised it took this long for there to be a live-action Pokémon movie.
How to Stream or Download Pokémon Detective Pikachu
You will be able to pre-order and download the movie from iTunes once it becomes available. To check availability click on the button below this review. And if you like Pokémon, check out these cool RPGs:Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
The Movie Review
As the title of the movie suggests, Detective Pikachu is a take on the Nintendo 3DS game of the same name that was released a few years back. The movie is set in Ryme City which is a place where humans and Pokémon live together side by side and things like Pokémon battles are supposed to be illegal.
The reason the movie is set there is that the main character, Tim (Justice Smith) heads to Ryme City to deal with the “death” of his father. Upon doing so he meets a strange Pikachu that he can understand and the two of them set out on an adventure to find out what happened to Tim’s father, Harry.
I will say right now that I would probably describe Detective Pikachu as a kid’s movie but do not let that put you off. This is a very, very good kids’ movie. Justice Smith actually has a lot of range and the movie has some good emotional moments when it delves into his past and why he feels the way he does about his father.
The trailers have done an excellent job in hiding away most of the plot and there is actually far more to it than they suggest. This is why I feel that Detective Pikachu is going to be a movie that is a hit with kids and the parents who go to the movie theatre with them. There is also a lot of Pokémon fan service for those older, longtime fans that they will surely get a kick out of.
Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu is awesome. He is a lot of fun and he plays Pikachu is as good a way as anyone really could. He has some funny moments, but I love how expressive they managed to make his face as he can also be sad, scared, hurt and ready to kick some major butt too!
The special effects are very well done there is one particular section with Torterra that stands out as the major action highlight of the movie. The Pokémon all look fantastic and I thought it was a lot of fun how you saw them just going about their lives in Ryme City. For example, you see a group of Squirtle’s working as firemen and that was awesome.
I have to give major props to everyone behind this movie. I really do think that they did a fantastic job and that so far Detective Pikachu is a standout movie of 2019. Heck, I would actually say this is the best kids’ movie I have seen so far this year. It really is a great time and a movie I certainly recommend that you make the effort to see on the big screen.
