Ever since the mid-90s,
Pokémon has become a worldwide
phenomenon that people either adore and love or just don’t get it. Adults may
scratch their heads on the appeal of this series, but thanks to many Video
Games and TV Shows, so many kids of all ages are able to get attached to this
magical world of so many weird and cute creatures. It was only a matter of time
that a Film Adaptation of Pokémon was going to appear, however no one quite
expected the first Live-Action Pokémon movie to be a film based off of a small
spin-off game known as Detective Pikachu.
Despite how surreal it is, this pans out incredibly well as Detective Pikachu is an incredibly fun
film that will get even the most casual of Pokémon fans joy that a world
they’ve known so much has been properly translated into a Live Action film.
A
Modern Day 90s Live Action Ninja Turtles
Detective
Pikachu’s story centers around a former Pokémon Trainor
named Tim who has been grieving over the loss of his Father who has been deemed
as missing. Things take a bizarre turn when a Pikachu that only he can talk to
comes in and explains how he can find his Father, to which both characters are
in for an adventure in this vast crazy world of Pokémon. The premise for this
film is very simple and what works about it is that the film never truly wastes
it’s time with excessive filler when it comes to exploring the world of Pokémon.
The film gives the audience a bit of backstory on how this world of Pokémon
exist but never dwells on it as the film’s main point is to entice fans of the
series into this world. Though the real question is, does this movie adapt the
source material well? The answer to that is yes, as this movie can be compared
easily to the 1990 Live Action Adaptation of the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles. Much like that film, it is a more
gritty take on the source material, however also like Ninja Turtles, Detective Pikachu is very much aware of its
strange and silly roots as both films manage to stay true the tone of the
material with having a lot of heart and personality attached to it. Fans won’t
feel like this movie did not get Pokémon
wrong, however this is mostly saying for fans. For people who are newcomers to
the franchise, this is not a film that will win you over if you haven’t been a
fan of the series. It is a ridiculous movie and by the third act, the plot get
a little absurd, considering the source itself is bizarre, it has to be
something you would have to accept. This is also like Ninja Turtles in a sense that if you thought Pokémon was dumb and didn’t make sense before, this film won’t
change your mind, but if you have liked the series a bit, then the more
outlandish stuff in this film is par for the course. As it stands, Detective Pikachu is a good spiritual
successor to Ninja Turtles for being
there for the fans even if it is at risk of potentially alienating newcomers.
Light
on Characters, Big On World
Where Detective Pikachu may fall short in the
overall plot, it ends up succeeding more so in the character department. The
human cast of characters which include Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton are
serviceable leads; there is not a whole lot of depth to these characters
outside of being the typical lead and love interest. However, one element that
makes this movie better than a lot of other live action adaptation is that the
humans don’t overshadow the main appeal of the film. Whether its Michael Bay’s Transformers or the Live Action Smurfs, studios feel the need to make
their live action adaptation focus on human characters that aren’t interesting
and have the focus be on them rather than the fantastical element that all the
fans see these movies for. Detective
Pikachu rarely wastes the film on the human characters, the humans are
there as the ones to latch onto but not the main appeal, as it makes good use
of showcasing as many Pokémon as they can. This also goes for the real lead in
the film being Pikachu himself as Ryan Reynolds gives this character a lot of
personality with the voice work. It is arguably his usual Ryan Reynolds shtick
with one liners and pop culture’s references you’d expect out of Deadpool, but considering this is a
movie that doesn’t take itself too ridiculously seriously, it’s welcomed. The
only other downside with the film from a character perspective is that the main
antagonist is a bit over the top especially given how absurd his plan in the
film is, but again, isn’t completely unwelcomed due to the bizarre feeling the
movie strives to be. As a whole, Detective
Pikachu does its characters well because it focuses on the exact characters
that need to be focused on in a film like this, something that is often missing
from so many adaptations.
Realistic
Pokémon, Odd but Neat
Ever since the first
trailer came out, there has been nothing more surreal to see in this modern age
of filmmaking as Pokémon depicted in a more realistic setting. The thought of a
live action Pokémon has been a
possibility fans have thought of but never did they expect it to actually
happen and with them looking as realistic as they are. Even despite how odd it
is, the Pokémon for what they are, look fantastic in this world created for the
film. Mainly due to the fact that for one thing, the film is pretty well shot
in terms of making this world not completely like our own. It is a hyper
realized fantasy setting and the way the Pokémon interact comes across as a
cool idea to see fully realized with them in a more realistic looking setting.
Yet the world itself still retains a fantastical futuristic setting in the vein
of Blade Runner, so you do feel like
you’re watching another world instead of our own which makes seeing the Pokémon
interact all the more enjoyable. The other big element that makes the film look
so appealing is even with the more realistic textures on them; Pikachu and the
other Pokémon are still incredibly expressive. A lot of live action adaptations
of animated properties, such as the Disney remakes fail due to the fact
whenever they bring a character to life with a realistic CG look, they take out
all the personality and expression just from their face alone. You may watch Christopher Robin and you may see Winnie
the Pooh in that film sound like he should with Jim Cummings voice, you don’t
get a welcoming sense of this character due to how soulless his eyes look and
expressionless he face can get, making it look more creepy. Pikachu in this
film on the other hand still has that welcoming smile and face to him with the
facial animation and when you hear him say “Pika Pika”, you just want to hold and pet that little
Electric Mouse due to how welcoming he looks. That goes for most of the other Pokémon
hear as they all retain their expressions and personality due to the great
animation put on them. Whether they are the tougher type Pokémon like Charizard
or another adorable one like Bulbasaur, the animators did their best to make
these Pokémon look as real as they can be without sacrificing any sort of
expression that made these creatures so appealing to look at.
Detective
Pikachu is an incredibly fun film while not a perfect
masterpiece and won’t be appealing for everyone; it does exactly what it sets
out to do and satisfies its fans perfectly. As far as adaptations go, it’s not going
to be one to sell you on the property if you weren’t a fan prior, but that’s
not the movie’s goal. It is a movie meant to cater to longtime Pokémon fans
both causal and hardcore in creating a believable take on bringing Pokémon to
life. With that in mind, it does that job very well with a decent script, fun
characters and some incredibly world building and CG. Who would have thought
the first live action Pokémon movie would be something like Detective Pikachu and be as good as it
is, but it’s something that is welcomed in ever growing world of film
adaptations.
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