Neon-lit streets at night. A mysterious car crash. Drugs and underground fights around the docks. And two unlikely partners on the case. DETECTIVE PIKACHU has all the elements of a neo-noir; a genre I’m particularly fond of. But it’s a genre that seems rather surprising for the first live-action Pokemon film. Lovable creatures and juvenile jokes thrown into a world of detectives and mad scientists? It’s an odd formula that has proven successful before in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT and more recently in ZOOTOPIA. And yet, even Pikachu can’t provide enough electricity to bring this bizarre amalgamation to life. At times leaning a little too seriously for its own good while other times more silly than clever, DETECTIVE PIKACHU never plays the right cards leading to an uneven tone.
The story begins when detective Harry Goodman suffers a fatal car crash after racing from a laboratory late one night. His 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith) attempts to find out what happened and uncovers Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) at his father’s former office. They discover that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with and understand Pikachu outside of the sounds “Pika-Pika.” Chasing clues together reveals a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and a shocking plot that could destroy the co-existence between humans and their Pokémon companions.
Given the amount of coffee Pikachu drinks throughout the movie, it’s no wonder that he won’t stop talking. In typical Ryan Reynolds fashion — a schtick that is becoming worn out — Pikachu rattles off multiple wise-cracks every minute he’s on screen. Ryan Reynolds plays the cute and cuddly creature like a motor-mouth teenager, pushing the film’s PG-rating with some sexual innuendo and sneaking in some other language (though tame in terms of DEADPOOL standards). At the rate he’s firing them off, he was bound to have a few jokes that land. However, he’s definitely aiming for quantity over quality, creating an endurance test for most audiences.
Ryme City — a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world — is fully realized and looks absolutely stunning. How humans and creatures interact with one another is absolutely seamless. What’s more awe-inspiring is the look and movements of the creatures. From the blowing of fur to the texture of their skin, each Pokémon leaps off the screen in its own unique way. The highlight of the film is a scene where the detective duo interrogates Mr. Mime, a Pokémon who only communicates through miming. The Mr. Mime scene plays with film-noir tropes but incorporates the Pokémon’s unique characteristics. Unfortunately, it’s the only time where the noir and Pokémon worlds perfectly come together.
DETECTIVE PIKACHU rests heavily on the title character’s popularity, cute demeanor, and charming voice-actor. Not much energy is put into crafting a clever buddy-cop story despite actor Justice Smith trying terribly hard to make us care about how it will unfold. Ultimately, this approach to bringing these characters to the big screen is more baffling than inspired. For instance, why the Pokemon battles are presented as an illegal activity in the film even though it has defined the game and tv show up until now is extremely bizarre. Sure, tinkering with and exploring different ways to bring to life this world is admirable, but it also defies one of the establishing elements of the property. Enough creatures adorably bounce and scatter about the film to appeal to both kids as well as nostalgic adults. While taking this unique non-game-centric approach to the first live-action film is a bit of a gamble, it’s one that might only win over die-hard fans.
Overall score: 2.5 out of 5
Pokémon Detective Pikachu opens in theaters everywhere May 10
