"Detective Pikachu" Review - One Shocking Noir

Well Pokémon, it’s good to see you again. But my oh my have you aged.

I’ll be quite frank, I didn’t grow up with Pokémon too well. I never got the trading cards, the video games, or the series too much. The only exposure I had was the three main Pokémon films that came out in my early childhood years. That’s not to say I didn’t love it. Ash and Pikachu and all the crazy monsters that I could never remember any names of were all so lovable and a blast to follow even for how idiotic they all might be. Those three films haven’t aged well, but they are all in the category of Space Jam bad. Sure, it’s not so good, but some movies, you just enjoy because it unleashes your inner child. It’s exactly the reason why I went out to see Detective Pikachu. Maybe not the only reason…

First off, THE HOLY AS HELL CGI! Frankly, it shocked me when I saw the first trailer how beautiful and lifelike the CGI came out. That’s what happens when you get the VFX team from Guardians of the Galaxy to do your effects. It’s so flawless. The fur on Pikachu and the craft/animation of most of the little guys from the Eevees to the Charizards to the Jigglypuffs are so damn good. I think it’s one of the only reasons why this film deserves a first viewing chance from any fans of the original DP game. Adding to that, because the movie was shot on 35mm film (I kid you not), the colors stick out so much more and the well crafted noir like cinematography only adds to the mysterious tone this movie establishes pretty nicely. The look is great, the world is established with true love straight from what I think is passionate fans. There’s only one thing that stinks. And that’s the writing.

It’s literally Zootopia with Pokémon. I expected something much better since there are so many paths you can take Pokémon on without having your pets fight for sport. It’s the main reason why I thought a Detective Pikachu movie had a possibility of working. If you make your monsters more like sidekicks and not pawns, there’s lots of potential to bounce off of. But nope, we basically get a Zootopia remake that doesn’t do too well with establishing characters or adding too much suspense or surprise to what is supposed to be a mystery film. I could accept the ending that adds a little more plot hole, but what bugs me the most is in the end, it had to be about the monsters. I guess it kind of has to be this way, but I only wish something better would come out of it than just a remake of a fantastic 2016 film.

It gets almost everything else correct. If you enjoy technical details, the Pokémon universe, or just a PG Deadpool in a Pikachu form, you’ll get a good amount of enjoyment out of it. But it sadly won’t go that extra mile this universe could run to. It may be my outgrowth of this 90s phenomenon, but as the theme song says, I want it to be the very best. And sadly, it still hasn’t gotten there yet.

One Nebs Up!