Young Tim goes to Ryme City to investigate the death of his father, Harry. He falls in with Pikachu, an amnesiac Pokemon who is also looking for what happened to Harry. And the plot thickens.
Pokemon fans seem to love this film. They say that it captures what they love about Pokemon very well. And this may indeed be true.
Pikachu, please explain
But there is a bit of a problem for anyone who isn’t familiar with what Pokemon is. Or are. Me, I have a vague idea, but I am by no means up to speed, so I found myself floundering at times. For that reason, I think the film needed to be more front-loaded with information about the nature of this world.
Enjoyable on its own merits
But, taken as a stand-alone, it is good fun. The visual design is good and looks to be faithful to source material. The story is a workmanlike detective story with lots of twists and turns. And the characters and cast are all very good. Justice Smith as Tim is a good foil for Ryan Reynolds’ wisecracking Pikachu, and the little fella’s sarcasm takes the edge of his visual cuteness.
I may collect this when it comes out on DVD. And if there’s a sequel, I’ll probably collect that too. In fact…
…no, I’m not cruel enough to say it!