Review of movie Pokemon Detective Pikachu

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Rating:3.5/5

 In a world where Pokémon live in the wild, Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) struggles to find his purpose. When his estranged, detective father goes missing under mysterious circumstances, he ventures into Ryme City in search of him. But the city isn’t any sprawling metropolis; it’s the only place where humans and Pokémon have learned to peacefully co-exist. That’s when he encounters Pikachu. Tim's ability to understand the wise-cracking little Pokémon leads them to work together in search of Tim’s father, Harry. Tim and Pikachu begin to uncover the strange world of Pokémon and the larger scheme at play in Ryme City.

The absurd, yet adorable set of live-action characters from the anime Pokémon universe took the gaming world by storm in the mid-90s. The massive success of the games lead to expansions into TV series, comic books and animated films, so it shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that it’s the latest attempt by a film studio to convert the franchise into a movie universe. It’s a pretty bold move by Warner Bros. to introduce us to such a ridiculous premise, but the risk pays off. Chalk it down mostly to the endearing title character Pikachu, played by the actor at his irreverent best – Ryan Reynolds. He infuses the tiny, yellow, rodent-like creature with a distinct personality that instantly draws you into the film. The best scenes involve Pikachu bringing in Reynolds’ trademark impromptu humour and witty dialogue with both his Pokémon counterparts & humans.