Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.

Director:

Rob Letterman

Writers:

Dan Hernandez (screenplay by), Benji Samit (screenplay by)

Stars:

Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton

8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Reynolds	...	Detective Pikachu
Justice Smith	...	Tim Goodman
Kathryn Newton	...	Lucy Stevens
Bill Nighy	...	Howard Clifford
Ken Watanabe	...	Lieutenant Hide Yoshida
Chris Geere	...	Roger Clifford
Suki Waterhouse	...	Ms. Norman
Josette Simon	...	Grams
Alejandro De Mesa	...	Bartender
Rita Ora	...	Dr. Ann Laurent
Karan Soni	...	Jack
Max Fincham	...	Young Tim Goodman
Simone Ashley	...	Girlfriend
Edward Davis	...	Boyfriend
Diplo	...	DJ

Storyline

The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City--a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world--they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

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Plot Keywords:

based on video game | pokemon | live action cgi hybrid | cinematic universe | shared universe | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements.

Did You Know?

Trivia

In April 2016, The Hollywood Reporter announced a bid for live-action movie rights to Pokémon. The Pokémon Company started a top-secret auction and the three front-runners were Legendary Entertainment, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures. On July 20, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter published an article stating that Legendary Entertainment won the auction for the live-action movie rights to Pokémon. Both Legendary Entertainment and The Pokémon Company announced Detective Pikachu as the first film, to be fast-tracked to start production in 2017.

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Goofs

During a scene, Psyduck made a powerful Psychic move and stopped three Greninja, it is a mistake because in the game Greninja is a Water-Dark type so it is immune to Psychic moves.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mewtwo: They're outside.

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Crazy Credits

The film title appears in a Japanese kanji design, homaging Pokemon's Japanese roots.

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Connections

Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Why I Quit Mr. Coat (2018)

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Soundtracks

Carry On
Written by Rita Ora, Josh Cumbee, Natalie Dunn, Kygo (as Kyrre Gorvell-Dahll), Ilan Kidron and Afsheen (as Afshin Salmani)
Performed by Kygo and Rita Ora
Produced by Kygo and Afsheen
Courtesy of Palm Tree Records/RCA Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
Rita Ora appears courtesy of Atlantic Records

User Reviews

Fun moments, but not a great film; substantially overhyped

(Theater impressions--short review) Semi-casual Pokémon fan here--played through a few of the games (never played Detective Pikachu), watched the anime as a kid, but not super invested in the franchise. A lot of people seem to be giving this movie high ratings. Detective Pikachu is not without merit, but the film's good points (namely, Ryan Reynold's performance, some good humor, some nice character interaction and overall high production values) are unfortunately outweighed by its bad points (namely, a needlessly and hopelessly convoluted plot, hit-or-miss performances from the remaining cast, some jokes that didn't land, some heavy-handed dialogue and some poor character interaction, and lack-luster CGI). The film is overall inconsistent in tone; it doesn't seem to really know who it's for or what it wants to be. I had fun watching the film with my friends in the theater (who are also familiar with Pokémon), but if you're unfamiliar with Pokémon or if you're watching it on your own on the small screen it might not quite be an enjoyable experience.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official Site [Japan]

Country:

USA Japan UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pokemon

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$54,365,242, 12 May 2019

Gross USA:

$144,105,346

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$433,005,346

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Legendary Entertainment, The Pokemon Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos (Dolby Atmos+Vision) DTS (DTS: X) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1