Detective Pikachu

MFC Review

With an estimated of $90 billion earnings until March of 2017, Pokémon is the most profitable multimedia franchise in history, and Detective Pikachu, the first Pokémon live action movie, took over the world’s movie theaters in May of 2019.

Based on the videogame for the Nintendo 3DS which has the same name, Detective Pikachu, it was directed by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens, 2009), starring Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, 2018), Kathryn Newton (Paranormal Activity 4, 2012) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, 2016) as the voice of Pikachu.

The film tells the story of Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), a young man who travels to the amazing Ryme City looking for his father. In order to find him, Tim will join forces with his father’s Pokémon companion, Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) with whom he shares a strange connection that allows them to understand each other.

After a secret controversy in which Legendary Entertainment, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures competed for the rights, in July 2016 it was finally announced that it would be Legendary Entertainment the company that would make the film, starting its production in 2017 under the supervision of The Pokémon Company.

Counting over 60 Pokémon of more than 800, Detective Pikachu chose a more realistic style in the design of the creatures, based on the work of the artist RJ Palmer, a mere fanatic who, thanks to his skills, was invited to work on the project as a conceptual artist and consultant.

Despite having an average script, Detective Pikachu turns out to be a pretty enjoyable movie. Taking into account the resounding failure that most of the film adaptations of videogames have turned out to be, Detective Pikachu manages to surpass expectations and has been well received by fans and critics alike.

While it is not one of the best movies of the year, Detective Pikachu achieves to recreate the Pokémon world in the best possible way, with a story full of humor that pleases both the casual viewer and the oldest fans of the franchise, leaving them craving for new movies within the same universe.