Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, choose your pocket monster and discuss Pokémon Detective Pikachu, which premiered in the United States on Friday, May 10, 2019.
Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while we are all individuals, even mutual love of something (or hate) can come from different places: you may find everything from critique to fangirling to maybe even hate-watching.
Now, join Nancy O’Toole Meservier, Nicole Taft, and J.L. Gribble as they talk about Pokémon Detective Pikachu! [Note: Spoiler-free!]
Nancy: When I first heard about the film Detective Pikachu, my first reaction was “who actually wants this?” Then I saw the first trailer and realized that it might be good. Would Detective Pikachu finally break the curse that began with Super Mario Bros? Would it show that you could make a good movie based on a video game franchise?
Fortunately, the answer is yes. Detective Pikachu is a charmer of a film that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Perhaps the biggest strength of the movie is how it chooses to embrace the Pokémon universe. From the plethora of Pokémon that populate the background (which go far beyond the original 150 that most people know about), to the importance of the Pokémon/Trainer bond, Detective Pikachu does a wonderful job of embracing the spirit of the franchise.
At the same time, its decision to do the unexpected and focus on random 3DS game (which I, admittedly, have not played) as opposed to retelling Pokémon Red/Blue actually ends up working well. The mystery plot line doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel but manages to provide the film with a real sense of focus, while still allowing the story line to explore many different types of Pokémon.
In addition, the two leads, Justice Smith (who plays Tim Goodman, a young man looking to solve his father’s murder) and Ryan Reynolds (who voices Pikachu, the Pokémon partner of Tim’s father) have wonderful chemistry. Their bond provides the movie with both fun and gravitas. Detective Pikachu has plenty of fun side characters too, my favorite being a seriously stressed Psyduck. Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack, which I am seriously thinking about searching out and listening to.
While the premise may sound silly, I urge you to give Detective Pikachu a chance. I feel like there’s a lot to offer Pokémon fans of all ages (some of the younger members in my audience even brought their own stuffed Pikachus!), and I came out of it with a smile on my face. A solid choice for a summer film.
Nicole: I didn’t grow up on Pokémon. When the show Pokémon came out in the United States I was already 16 and too busy watching Dragon Ball Z. But because Pokémon is so ingrained in the world of anime, manga, and geek culture in general, even I can sing the opening song word for word. Likewise, I can also name a startling number of Pokémon for someone who has seen only one or two episodes of the show. So it may seem weird that I went to see Detective Pikachu, but I did it for a few reasons.
- Ryan Reynolds was voicing the one and only Pikachu. One simply does not pass this up.
- Even I wanted to see Pokémon creatures rendered in a realistic fashion.
- Pure, unbridled curiosity. Why the hell was Pikachu talking to this one kid and what was he doing as a detective?
I went, I saw, and I had fun. You can ignore a lot of the critics — the very morning before I saw the movie, two critics on the news were stating that it was for kids. This movie isn’t just for kids — it never was. Even I know that. This movie was made for the fans and catering directly to them. This movie is filled to the brim with Pokémon, finding ways to fit some of the most classic and well-known ones onto the screen. Charizard, Cubone, and the infamous Mewtwo appear in fun and interesting ways. There’s even a Magikarp in there, and yes, he’s useful.
A few hours after walking out of the theater I did start to realize, “Oh wait…there are some plot holes here,” but then discovered I didn’t care. This movie is purely for fun and to stumble into a city that’s like Hong Kong in 2050 with Pokémon wandering around everywhere. Ryan Reynolds pulls off a cute and occasionally extra-spunky Pikachu. Justice Smith, who plays our young protagonist Tim Goodman, does an excellent job having conversations and interacting with a creature that isn’t there. The plot starts out seemingly rather basic before going into, “Okay, well that’s a weird twist I didn’t see coming,” territory, and for what it is and needs to be, the story is good.
In closing, even if you like Pokémon only a little bit, go see this movie. It’s fun and entertaining. It also solidified my thoughts that I’d most likely end up with a Charizard as my Pokémon.
Also Dittos are terrifying. Screw that.
J.L.: My experience with Pokémon is fairly limited. A few months playing Pokémon Go and casually playing Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee during game nights with friends. It’s a world with weird monsters (some more adorable than others), and you can hang out with them and make them battle for you, right? Luckily, this is all the experience you need to enjoy the hell out of Detective Pikachu.
Most kid movies that try to appeal to adults do so through dirty jokes they think will sail over kids’ heads. This film does it through nostalgia of growing up with Pokémon and/or the sheer strength of Ryan Reynolds’ personality. Most adults will see the plot twists coming from a mile away, but I didn’t care! I still had a lot of fun, and it was entertaining.
As an aside: A friend complained to me and my husband that we kept calling the movie “cute” instead of “good.” Sometimes things can be both!
Justice Smith more than held his own as an actor against Reynolds and was never over-shadowed by his animated partner’s personality. I also give this movie major points for 1) Casting an actor of color in the leading role and 2) Allowing him to have and express emotions. I’m so excited for all the kids who will see this movie. The message may be fairly subliminal, but its there, and we need more of it.
So, the next time my friends get together to play Overwatch, and I snuggle up with my Nintendo Switch and a glass of wine, some wardrobe changes may be in order. The Eevee in my game wears a tuxedo and hipster glasses. But I’m definitely tempted to find out whether I can get a deerstalker for her the next time I dive into the game, in honor of Detective Pikachu.
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