Pokémon Detective Pikachu Parent Guide

When Tim (Justice Smith) hears from the Ryme City Police Department that his estranged father has been killed in the line of duty, he sets out for the big city to clean out his father’s apartment. Once there, he finds a strange vial full of purple gas and an amnesiac Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) snooping around. To his astonishment, Tim can understand the Pikachu and learns that he has a connection to Tim’s father. Together, they decide to get to the bottom of his father’s disappearance and begin to follow the leads on his final investigation. With the help of reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and her Psyduck, Tim and Pikachu find that the investigation goes far deeper than they ever could have imagined…

I’ll admit, I was kind of expecting this movie to be 90 minutes of boiled trash. Instead, it’s 104 minutes of surprisingly funny and heartfelt storytelling. Ryan Reynolds brings his usual repertoire of high-speed deadpan comedy, but at a much more child appropriate level than his similar turn in Deadpool. Much like Shrek and Toy Story, this film features good mix of comedy: there’s loads of slapstick and silly jokes for younger viewers, and plenty of wry observations (and the odd mild double entendre) for parents.

The plot is admittedly pretty goofy (especially for a movie with four credited screenwriters), but it doesn’t require much attention. For the most part, the fun of this movie is in the interactions between the characters. But the production’s other big downside is the CGI. While it works fairly well on Pikachu and a few other Pokémon, in some cases it’s just…. really creepy. Lickitung and Mr. Mime are both somewhat unsettling, although the kids in the screening I attended didn’t seem put off. Frankly, the whole premise of Pokémon is a little disturbing if you really think about it – it basically amounts to legalized dogfighting, but with highly intelligent creatures who get stored in miniature balls… it makes me wonder when the animal rights protestors are going to turn up.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is one of the funnier family movies I’ve seen lately. It may not be brilliant, but it is entertaining, and it won’t kill the parents in the audience like some children’s movies seem intent on doing. Best of all, the movie keeps its runtime down so the kids don’t get bored and the adults won’t get irritated. With its minimal use of profanity, cartoonish and sanitized violence, and lack of other serious problems, the film is largely suitable for most audiences, although some scenes could be a little frightening for small or sensitive kids. But if you’re looking for entertainment for a wide age range, you can definitely choose this Pokémon tale.