"Pokémon Detective Pikachu" - It Deserves a Cute Ribbon Award

Detective Pikachu, I choose you!!!

Pokémon Detective Pikachu is a mystery film based on the Pokémon franchise and the 2016 videogame Detective Pikachu. It was directed by Rob Letterman, and was written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Derek Connolly, from a story by Hernandez, Samit, and Nicole Perlman. It stars Ryan Reynolds (Detective Pikachu), Justice Smith (Tim Goodman), Kathryn Newton (Lucy Stevens), Suki Waterhouse (Ms. Norman), Omar Chaparro (Sebastian), Chris Geere (Roger Clifford), Ken Watanabe (Detective Hideo Yoshida), and Bill Nighy (Howard Clifford). The movie was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures,  Legendary Pictures, and The Pokémon Company, and was distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and by Toho in Japan.

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

(You’ve been warned!)

In a world where Pokémon exists, Tim Goodman, a young insurance salesman, received a tragic news that his father had died in car crash while working on a case. When he came to collect his father’s assets, he met an amnesiac Pikachu that for some reason, he could communicate with. Together, they must investigate to solve the mysteries revolving around Pikachu’s lost memories and the truth behind his father’s disappearance.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu is the film that Pokémon fans (especially, the 90's kids who have been playing Pokémon games since the original Game Boy generation) had been really excited to see, since it's the first live action film entry in the franchise. It did trigger some nostalgic feeling seeing our favorite Pokémon, such as Pikachu,  Charizard, and Mewtwo, once again and now in a modern CGI animation.

The movie was enjoyable and is truly a film for the whole family. It had a story line that didn't dwell much on complexity for everyone, especially the younger audience, to easily understand and keep up with the flow of the narrative. The humor thrown into the film is one of the good factors in it, kept the viewers entertained. And another thing you would appreciate were the lessons we can get from this movie, such as the importance of family and that you should not give up on someone.

Despite being enjoyable, its plot and the twists are quite predictable. The revelation on who the true villain was a bit obvious, from the moment Howard Clifford warned Tim and Pikachu about his son and seemingly direct the blame for Harry's disappearance on Mewtwo, it was easy to know that something was off about him, it's either he was working with his son or he was the true mastermind behind the conflict. Plus, from the trailer alone, you can guess that Detective Pikachi was the missing father. For most part of the movie, the face of Harry Goodman was kept as a mystery, but his figure would be shown, with that, it wasn't that difficult to distinguish that Reynolds is also playing the role of the father (Of course, the big reveal was he was fused into Pikachu by Mewtwo).

What the fans were looking forward seeing were the Pokémon and how they would appear in the film and watching them in action. Pikachu didn't fail to charm the audience with almost everything he did in the movie seemed to catch the viewers' hearts. Other Pokémon as well were very adorable that the viewers would go "Awww..." upon seeing the cuteness of the CGI creatures, such as the Bulbasaurs that helped Tim and Pikachu, and even that Charizard that Pikachu fought when he got frightened by the Gyarados. They just looked really cute.

How they showed the Pokémon using their special moves and clashing against each other in the movie were amusing. It's how I would have wanted and expected it from this film.

Of course, a movie based on a popular video game series wouldn't be complete without some easter eggs that were there for the viewers to spot. These waster eggs include the Pokémon trainer Red making a cameo, Snorlax sleeping and blocking the way, Jigglypuff singing, Pikachu riding a Pigeot just like in the anime intro, the Pokémon trading cards, and the Pokémon Red/Blue theme music and the iconic theme song, Gotta Catch 'Em All.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu can be considered as one of the good movies that came out this year. An enjoyable movie with a simple story line that Pokémon fans and non-fans alike can still appreciate. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a film to watch with your kids.

Rating: 7/10