Detective Pikachu (2019)

 

Full disclaimer: I know absolutely fudge all about Pokémon. I know what it is and I can certainly name a few of the more well-known beasties (Bulbasaur is my jam, come at me punks), but other than those measly bits and bobs of information, I am not well versed in this world. So for an absolute noob like me to be able to actually enjoy this speaks volumes to how the makers managed to get this story accessible to everyone.

Unless you really can't abide brightly coloured creatures, a villain so telegraphed they might as well have labelled him thus as soon as he appears on screen and a storyline that is pretty predictable. But we're talking abotu a film directed primarily at kids, so in a way it's sort of excusable.

We're immediately thrust in a world where people and Pokémon exist and there's nothing odd about this. Everyone has a Pokémon partner except for our lead Tim, who still is struggling with the passing of his mom several years ago and a father who is never there, as dad works as a detective in the big city. But when he hears his dad has died in a car crash, things get even worse, because for some reason Tim can understand the Pikachu that was his father's partner and now they both want or need to find out what happened because there are plots within plots. 

But not really: shady organisation experiments on Pokémon, detective found out about it, detective is taken out of the equation, but thanks to an extremely powerful Pokémon named MewTwo the plot thickens... You know the drill pretty much from the get-go. 

But as a whole, the film works. That there isn't an overabundance of exposition is a plus. Yes, the hamfisted exposition there is during a film on the train is a bit much, but you can't win it all. Justice Smith is actually sympathetic in this one, where he grated on my nerves in 'Jurassic World - Dominion'. But let's be honest here: the main attractions are the Pokémon and even though they are extremely close to their cartoon counterparts, they look and feel as if they belong in the world. And when you get Ryan Reynolds to voice Pikachu, you can't really go wrong. 

If you think that is a weird choice, it does seem so at first. But it works in some twisted, bizarre fashion. And of course Reynolds slips in some minor adult jokes left and right. Kids won't always get them, but they are pretty funny. 

Oh, and Bill Nighy is excellent every bloody time he's in something, but it's a shame his role here is so cookiecutter it almost becomes insulting. 

It's predictable and aimed mainly towards children, but as entertainment, 'Detective Pikachu' delivers the goods. It's a fun time, provided you don't expect too much going in.