In a world where Pokémon really exist in the wild, Pokémon Detective Pikachu brings to life everyone’s favorite characters from the game. When my teenage son and I saw the previews and he wanted to go see it, I really wasn’t interested. I mean, Pikachu is cute and cuddly and his little voice saying “Pika Pika” is adorable, but do I really want to spend the money to go to the theater to see it? It seemed more like one of those movies you wait and rent for a couple bucks and watch at home.
Having an older son who had me running all over town buying packs of trading cards hoping to find a “rare” one and trying to complete his collection, I experienced the Pokémon phenomenon the first time around as a card trading game. Back then, the kids battled each other using the cards they collected, but with the release of Pokémon Go in 2016, they could now battle each other virtually and a whole new generation had to “catch ‘em all.” In case you aren’t familiar with it, Pokémon Go is an app for your phone that utilizes GPS and if you activate the AR function the Pokémon appear in your real-life surroundings.
It is so realistic that it knows where you are, whether it’s daytime or nighttime, and what the weather is which is equally cool and a little creepy. As a way to bond with my son and spend some quality time together, we downloaded the app which allowed me to experience the craze all over again with my younger son and we got some exercise walking around all over town playing the game.
A quiet Saturday night with nothing else to do found as at the theater and, to my surprise, two showings at the first theater we went to were sold out. I thought this movie was probably geared toward younger kids and their parents, so to say I never expected to not be able to get tickets. Fortunately, we had better luck at the next theater we tried which was crowded, but had availability, so we settled into our reclining seats with snacks and watched as the mystery began.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu is primarily set in Ryme City, a place where humans and their Pokémon walk down the street side-by-side. Without giving anything away, the storyline centers around a young man trying to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his estranged father when he meets up with Pikachu. There is a special relationship between the young man and Pikachu, the explanation for which is explained as they search for clues and slowly unravel the mystery. The movie is a classic battle between good and evil with the usual plot twists as to who’s bad and who’s good and as expected, good prevails in the end. Whether you are familiar with Pokémon or not, you will be able to follow what is happening although if you are a fan of Pokémon, I think you will enjoy it a little bit more. While not one of my favorite movies, it was entertaining and a good choice if you’re looking for something that the whole family can enjoy together.
