I was the biggest Pokémon fan as a child, so when I saw the first trailer for Detective Pikachu I knew I’d have to see it.

I was a little worried about this film coming out, as adorable as Pikachu is, I was concerned that perhaps cute Pokémon might have proven to be the only good thing about it. Thankfully, I was wrong.

What Detective Pikachu Is About

Detective Pikachu chronicles Tim Goodman’s adventure of finding out what really happen to his estranged father with the help his father’s partner, Pikachu. Tim’s told that his father died in a car crash while working on a case, but something doesn’t add up, and the fact that Tim’s the only one who can understand Pikachu is too much of a coincidence.

My Thoughts

The plot was really engaging, and they had some good twists – or as Pikachu would say, it was very twisty.

At first I was wondering why they decided to cast Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, which isn’t a dig at him because I love him (and Deadpool), I just couldn’t see it. The movie actually wouldn’t have been half as good without Ryan Reynolds.

Tim was definitely a likeable character, but Lucy had the worst first impression. I think they were trying to replicate the genertic pretentious things people introduce themselves with in the Pokémon games – you know, when you have to pass someone you really don’t want to because they’re gonna challenge you to a duel you can’t decline, like those people. She did grow on me as the film went on, but I cringed a lot during her first scene.

I felt there were a few all too convenient saves by characters of Pokémon swooping in at the last second, which is often lazy story telling, but it wasn’t a huge issue. Overall, it still exceeded my expectations and I’d watch it again.

As someone who grew up with Pokémon, it was great to see them come to life in new forms and reminisce over my old favourites, and point out the ones I recognised. It was refreshing that they also didn’t try load the film with nostalgia from the TV show, I had expected a reveal to be that the R-serum stood for Rocket, but it didn’t. Although, I’d have liked to see Meowth.

Overall, I’d absolutely recommend Detective Pikachu. For something heavier, check out my thoughts on Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile.