Your appreciation for Pokemon Detective Pikachu will depend on two things:
How much do you know and enjoy about the Pokemon phenomenon?
How funny do you think Ryan Reynolds is?
If you are completely ignorant of Pokemon lore, and/or you think that Ryan Reynolds is just a pretty face (so his voice doesn’t matter that much), then the live-action/CGI film about a kid (Justice Smith) who goes in search for answers about his policeman father’s death and stumbles into a conspiracy about Pokemon will probably be one you should skip.
But if you’re a Pokemon ace or you think that Ryan Reynolds’ brand of Canadian snark is hilarious, then you’ll probably see a ridiculous genius in the way that the film delivers. [For the record, I’m no Pokemon fan, but Reynolds is a funny cat, er, Pikachu.]
Somehow, Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy agreed to this one as some of the other human characters, so there’s that going for it. And the CGI combination of CGI Pokemons and real-life humans actually looks pretty cool. Along the way, there’s an opportunity to learn a lesson or two about people who don’t look or act like you, and that’s certainly something we could use more of in today’s America.
In special features, audiences can find out more details and such through “Detective Mode,” while also diving into featurettes like “My Pokémon Adventure,” “Ryan Reynolds- Outside the Actor’s Studio,”the five-part “Creating the World of Detective Pikachu,” the music video by Rita Ora and Kygo (“Carry On”), and the audio commentary by Mr. Mime.
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