aobo33 Review of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

Fun moments, but not a great film; substantially overhyped

[5/10 · 14 June 2019]

(Theater impressions--short review) Semi-casual Pokémon fan here--played through a few of the games (never played Detective Pikachu), watched the anime as a kid, but not super invested in the franchise. A lot of people seem to be giving this movie high ratings. Detective Pikachu is not without merit, but the film's good points (namely, Ryan Reynold's performance, some good humor, some nice character interaction and overall high production values) are unfortunately outweighed by its bad points (namely, a needlessly and hopelessly convoluted plot, hit-or-miss performances from the remaining cast, some jokes that didn't land, some heavy-handed dialogue and some poor character interaction, and lack-luster CGI). The film is overall inconsistent in tone; it doesn't seem to really know who it's for or what it wants to be. I had fun watching the film with my friends in the theater (who are also familiar with Pokémon), but if you're unfamiliar with Pokémon or if you're watching it on your own on the small screen it might not quite be an enjoyable experience.