Detective Pika-eh?

So let me start this review with two things. The first thing is I am a MAJOR Pokemon fan. I played for years until my income just could not support it and even then I still did everything I could to stay up to date. That being said as a Pokemon Movie graphically it was brilliant but the writing and story could have been so much more.

Second, for those who need such things, If you dont want spoilers of the movie go ahead and skip to the bottom. You will see a “SPOILERS END HERE!” heading marking my final review in pints of ale and of course my final decision on whether you should go see this movie.

SPOILERS START HERE!

So lets start with the obvious core concept of this movie: Boy’s father goes missing due to messing with *Insert megacorp here* and then his son must find out what happened to his father via a wild adventure. Once you have that thought in mind you have the core of what this movie is about. It is the standard narrative plus Pokemon. I guess the question is can Pokemon, and of course Ryan Reynolds, make up for this cardboard narrative.

So with that core concept in mind lets make a compliment sandwich. Start with some good stuff, then rip into the bad stuff, then of course end on a good note. On the positive side, HOLY SHIT ITS POKEMON! The Pokemon look so great I can not even began to explain just how excited I was to see these on the big screen. I love the other reviews talking about the “not so cute” factor of some Pokemon but I must remind you, these are POCKET MONSTERS! In essence, these are monsters. Some of them, Pikachu for example, are cute. Others, such as Mr.Mime, should be creepy as hell. They are MONSTERS. I feel that the movie itself fully presented a pocket of the world of Pokemon and carefully written in are references to other regions and immersive details into the world.

The choice of actors was interesting to say the least but I think the overall decision was positive. Although I had a hard time connecting to the main character at the beginning he evolved in such a way that I could understand his position a little more. Honestly though, Ryan Reynolds made this movie. Without the comedic pull coming from a talking pikachu this movie just would not have been the same. That funny voice in the backdrop drove the narrative and overall connected the story together all the way to the end.

That being said not all is well in the land of Pokemon. I feel that the inclusion of Mew-Two was forced just for a fan reaction. The idea that he was transported to this city seemed like it was not completely part of the original script. I saw the giant parade balloons and gas plot device a mile away (thank you batman and Joker) and the entire idea that he wants humanity to evolve? By Devlolving into Pokemon? I mean the entire concept is laughable to say the least. I would have loved if the adventure went the way of Detective Pikachu and his human unveiling a massive plot to rid the world of pokemon, or even a pokemon human hybrid! There are so many other plot devices that could have been used rather then this regurgitated story that we have already heard!

Ending on a good note I will say that overall the experience was good. The introduction of other pokemon felt natural and the story flowed easily from beginning to end. Although I have heard this story before, the fact that it was told via pokemon still made it worth the watch.

SPOILERS END HERE!

So my final review gives this a 4/10 Pints. Although buzzed I am not as plastered as I had hoped. The story was retold a million times and although Ryan Reynolds is GREAT he just is not good enough to bring this up higher. Honestly, if this was not pokemon, I would not have gone to see it