Detective Pikachu Review · 7:23pm Dec 27th, 2020
Okay, so yeah, I know, I'm lame for only just now getting around to watching this film. Y'all are free to lynch me for not being a true Pokemon fan. deadpan But, truth be told I haven't been that interested in Pokemon in years. The anime went stagnant until Ash finally won a league, and I doubt he'll do it again for years and I've never been good at the games.
But yeah, anyways, I've been dealing with the Post Christmas Blues and needed something to tide me over till I can finally say 'goodbye and good riddance' to 2020. Imagine my surprise when I found this on Amazon Prime through HBO. I decided, what the hell, you only live once.
Now, my thoughts. The movie looks stunning, like there's no doubt in my mind this was how Pokemon were always meant to be seen. There were 12 very talented artists working on this film, and it does show.
That first image over the horizon as we come into Tim's home town is just stunning, like that's how I always imagined the world to look. There's some cute touches that do require a bit of thought, such as the whole thing with the Cubone. For one, Tim's rightfully offended that his friend would choose a Pokemon that's known for wearing it's mother's skull while Tim carries his grief around by never leaving his hometown. Two birds of a feather, and it is entirely possible Tim either deliberately flubbed the catch or the cubone sensed he was hesitant about the whole thing. Also, nice touch from the exploding bone. Shows how dangerous the world really is.
...not that this won't be the last time we see this. Greninja hoard attack anyone?
There's also a few other nice touches, such as Pikachu loving coffee. For one, coffee addicts are known to be 'charged' and considering Pikachu's likely sassy nature, he probably loves bitter things. Also, my god was Ryan a perfect choice for this role. He's got that perfect level of snark that... well, honestly, I always imagined Ash's Pikachu to have. Like, I can see them sharing a voice.
And speaking of perfect casting choices, Bill Nighy. Just... uh, wow! Okay, I've always said Philip Bartlett is Mewtwo and let's face it, I'm right, but Bill Nighy is a worthy contender. He has that sheer 'presence' you'd expect from a godlike Pokemon. ...though I do get a laugh about how he's referred to as the most powerful pokemon at one point when there is a statue of Arceus right there AKA literal PokeGod.
Also, huge props to the directors and such for basically all but saying that this Mewtwo is the one we all fell in love with 20 years ago in 99. ...hell, come to think of it, he probably thought Harry was Ash.
Also, nerd's note, huge love for the casting crew getting Ryoma Takeuchi AKA Kamen Rider Drive himself to basically play Red for a cameo.
Other thoughts, the Torterra Garden was amazing. Like the build up alone, and then you see in full scope what the Garden actually is. It's a masterwork, and oh now I so want to see Gigantimax Torterra. Do it now GameFreak! Some of the pokemon, Mr. Mime aside as it's intentional in his case, just look... off. Like, Machamp just looks off compared to everyone else. And while I like Lucy Stevens, she... really gets sidelined in the climax. She easily could have kickstarted city evacuation only for a few people to get caught up in the R-Gas anyways. Instead, all that happens to her is she becomes a Psyduck. What a waste.
The reveal of Ditto was awesome. Like, we all know Ditto's signature ability, but seeing it used in this way was ingenious. Class act!
Mind, it's not a perfect film as you've guessed. I'm not a fan of the father twist, I'd have thought it more interesting if the Pikachu really was just that unique, and it's a bit of a cliche to make him a mirror to Howard. Good dad, bad dad. If they had to keep the Harry as Pikachu twist, could they at least kept Harry as Pikachu? Like, that'd make some interesting stories right there.
Also, the movie has the same problem I had with Legends of Korra season 1, they kinda hurry the plot along before we can fall in love with the world some more. Like, the underground Pokemon fights are worthy of expansion alone.
But all in all, not a bad film. 7/10. Just doesn't quite stick the landing, but worth a watch.
Solid review.
And the 7 out of 10 is definitely fair.
I really liked it, but I have a passing interest in pokemon and it was neat to see it come to life, so for me it was an 8/10, but your reasoning for your opinion is great and I'm glad you liked it. It sure is worth the watch, if nothing else!
I saw this movie in the theaters. I throughly enjoyed it as what it was, a good popcorn movie that was entertaining. I want to know though is how you reacted to the part when Pikachu was singing the original English theme. My theater busted out laughing and cheering.
As for world development I agree it was beautifully done and did show how they would probably look if they where real. From helping out with mundane tasks like cooking to beatboxing it felt like a real world.
Pretty solid review right here. The movie looks like a million bucks, the world is amazingly realized, even if the plot twist is really basic and the side characters just kind of fade out after a certain point. But I can forgive all that. I had a lot more fun than I expected to, seeing this on the big screen (holy shit, that Torterra sequence was amazing XD) and I can look at a lot of this movie's core - especially everything with Tim and Pikachu - with great fondness.
I agree with this review. I saw the film in theaters on acid and then biked 3 miles back to my place in the middle of the night on acid. Really cheesy but fun.
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I fell over laughing, though I gotta wonder where he *heard* it. ...what, is Ash a TV show character as well in this universe as well as a real man?
My favorite bit had to be the Loudred at the arena match, providing the music. Like, so beautifully mundane but so apt.
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Oh lord yes, I should have mentioned this in my review but I wasn't happy with how Ken Watanabe's character got treated. He's one of my favorite actors and his character was basically a bit part. Like, he could have been used more honestly, given his relationship to Harry.
yeah, that's the part that works. Like, that's what you came to see and you get your money's worth.
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...um, okay then.