Pokémon is currently the highest-grossing media franchise in history. It has generated over 90 billion USD in revenue and it’s set to add another few hundred million in coming weeks. POKÉMON Detective Pikachu is out in movie theaters this week. Is it worth the watch?

Very twisty

Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) gets a call from the Ryme City Police Department about his father. After a car accident, Tim’s father Harry and his Pokémon partner are presumed dead. The circumstances of the accident are put into question however, when Howard’s partner Detective Pikachu shows up. With Pikachu’s memory gone, he and Tim try to find out what happened to Harry.

Storywise, POKÉMON Detective Pikachu does not stand out. The plot feels very generic and in places, rushed. During the first act, we see a completely indifferent Tim. His father’s death does not seem to affect him very much. On top of that, some characters seem forced into plot. On the way to his father’s apartment, Tim runs into Lucy (Kathryn Newton), an intern at a large news network. She seems to come and go as the plot requires. Newton’s flat performance does the character no good either.

During the second act of the movie, the pace picks up a little. Tim and Pikachu start to connect and do detective work together. The flow of the movie is interrupted by a few weird moments that seem shoehorned into the story. This culminated in a third act that has a few plot twists.

Despite its flaws, the movie is carried by Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of Pikachu. He brings the humor we have seen from him before, like in Deadpool. Justice Smith has a few good moments as well. The few Pokémon battles that we got were good and fun to watch. It’s a fun one-time watch for Pokémon fans, but don’t go out of your way to see the movie.

6/10

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