Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

  Tyler has been a fan of Pokémon since he was a kid.  I remember seeing Pokémon cards but I was not interested or involved so I have missed something like 20 years of history through cards, games, TV shows, and movies.  But I heard really good reviews of Detective Pikachu so I thought I'd just wade in anyway.

Tim (Justice Smith) receives word that his estranged father, Harry, has died in an accident, so he goes to Ryme City to pack up the apartment.  His father's Pokémon partner, Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds), finds him and the pair discover that they can understand each other.  Pikachu was with Harry, working the case, but is suffering from amnesia and needs Tim's help to piece together the path they were on when Harry's car was attacked.  With the help of unpaid intern/journalist Lucy (Kathryn Newton) and her Psyduck, Tim and Pikachu uncover a conspiracy that has the potential to destroy the lives of humans and Pokémon alike.

As a complete Pokémon novice, there was a lot of stuff in the movie that I instantly realized was not for me.  There were musical cues I didn't get, an army of various adorable creatures I couldn't identify, and callbacks to the movies and TV shows.  I could see those things and recognize their purpose, but they had no intrinsic meaning or value to me.  So my experience was completely different from Tyler's, who has seen every iteration of Pokémon since its inception.

I will say that you do not need to be able to flawlessly execute the Pokérap to enjoy this movie.  Ryan Reynolds is still Ryan Reynolds even when he's family-friendly and fuzzy.  Smith and Newton are relative newcomers but show the professionalism of actors decades their senior.  The Pokémon and the world they inhabit are meticulously crafted and realistic, making the film a joy to watch.  The only thing that lets it down at all is the plot, which is formulaic and predictable.  Given its target audience demographic, however, that may not be much of a concern.

I don't know if I'd call it Best Video Game Adaptation Ever but it's definitely got to be near the top of that list.