#and his evolution with how he treats and interacts with the other rabbits is really interesting too

[pbaintthetb]

I love Watership Down (no shit) but for today I am not Bigwig posting but I love Hazel. He's smart and he cares and he's imperfect. He's wrong about Bigwig. He makes stupid decisions because he cares more about his ego and comitting to what he's said (even when it's smarter to backtrack, i.e. the Hutch Rabbits) and he's the best of the Chief rabbits we see despite and in spite and because of it all.

[briangroth27]

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Review

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu was a fantastic surprise!  I’ve only seen a handful of episodes of the show and never got into the video or card games—Pokémon got big when I thought I was too old for it; basically a too cool for school teenager—but if this movie's any indication of this world, I've missed out. I absolutely loved this! 

Full Spoilers...

Detective Pikachu takes a healthy sampling of Film Noir tropes and tones, infusing the Pokémon world with mystery and intrigue. The murder mystery at play ties into Tim's (Justice Smith) search to reconnect with his father after it's too late and his first steps into both a more dangerous world and a more daring expression of himself perfectly. I really liked the added layer that despite once wanting to be a trainer, Tim had never successfully partnered with a Pokémon. Forcing him to do so upon meeting his father Harry's partner Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) tied that dashed childhood dream and his regrets about not going with his father to Ryme City or spending more time with him in general perfectly. Tim and Detective Pikachu's relationship was really well-crafted and endearing: it’s obvious they care about each other and their partnership growing pains hit classic buddy cop beats while feeling fresh and being genuinely funny. Both Smith and Reynolds were great, infusing their relationship with just the right mix of comedy, benign-yet-pointed antagonism, and true affection for one another. Smith's extremely talented and does a great job of balancing the sadder parts of Tim's story with his drive to find out what happened to his father, his initial annoyance at Pikachu, his awkwardness around the reporter, and ultimately his discovered confidence and heroism. Similarly, Reynolds hits all the right notes as a Pikachu without a memory saddled with the son of his dead partner, and the fact that he's a CGI creation doesn't prevent Reynolds from fully emoting or feeling completely real (much like his Deadpool mask disproved the "you have to see the actors' face to feel their emotions" theory about superhero films). These two were a great match and I hope we get many more mysteries with this duo!

The reveal at the end, that thanks to one of Mewtwo's (Rina Hoshino and Kotaro Watanabe) abilities Harry was not dead but had been stashed in his partner Pikachu, was a twist I didn't see coming at all! I totally bought that he had died, but the reveal that his disappearance was actually an attempt to save him didn't change the really solid drama his "death" provoked in Tim and Pikachu, nor did it ever feel like a cheap reversal. Tim and Harry still had a lot of issues to work out even after he was brought back, and it was a refreshing change of pace that even Tim's quest to get to know his father didn't change the facts of their estranged relationship. Even after everything they went through, Tim still had to make the choice to stay in Ryme City with Harry instead of going back home to his insurance job. It's not apparent the first time through the film, but Tim using his trainer knowledge to try and help Pikachu in battle was a nice role reversal putting him in the "dad" role for the father who wasn’t in his life. Pikachu's quips and barbs about Tim's lack of experience talking to women, being a detective, etc. also felt appropriately sardonic, but knowing the twist they also come off as an irreverent take on a dad trying to (embarrassingly) help his son out, which is a fun layer. Their familial relationship was very well done in general (even if we actually see very little of them interacting when Harry is fully himself). I also liked the simple fact that they were an interracial family; it's nice to see that without it being a big deal.

The third investigator in the film, Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) was another great addition to the cast. I loved that she was totally competent as a reporter, which complimented both the Film Noir vibe really well (right down to the lighting and camera angles on her introduction) and made her an integral member of Tim and Pikachu's investigation. The fact that she was a low-level blogger at Howard Clifford’s (Bill Nighy) television news empire rather than the reporter she wanted to be added a socially relevant touch to the world in terms of how little a young professional actually makes and how they're treated. It also makes for a light shot at fake news being spouted by broadcast news, since she's the only one who wants to investigate the real issues. Maybe more than any other character, Lucy also feels like a Pokémon animated series character come to life (without ever feeling cartoonish), which makes her integral to bridging the world of the show and games and the live-action format here. She had good chemistry with Smith and I hope she gets to return in any future installments too.

I initially and briefly thought Howard Clifford might be secretly evil, but the movie did a great job of convincing me I was wrong. I believed in his attempts to create a harmonious relationship between humans and Pokémon and totally thought his son Roger (Chris Geere) was undermining his utopia plans for some nefarious purpose. So, I was taken by surprise by the twist that Roger was just a jerk, not evil. The presence of a well-placed Ditto (Suki Waterhouse) also took me completely by surprise! I remembered that Pokémon from the cartoon, but the film cleverly and briefly includes one early on to prep everyone in the audience for their existence and powers so the climactic reveal is set up and earned rather than feeling like it’s completely from left-field. Ditto using its mimicry powers to act as Howard’s human assistant Ms. Norman is not just a great way to misdirect the audience, but also a smart, subtle reflection of both the truth about Tim's dad and Pikachu and of Howard’s ultimate plan to hijack Pokémon bodies to forcibly evolve humanity. 

Howard's evolution plan to use the Pokémon to enhance himself and everyone else at the expense of the animals' autonomy was a solid evil plan. I loved that it stemmed from (and his evil was concealed by) his attempt to save himself from a degenerative disease: they cloaked his intentions in altruistic dreams of living in harmony with Pokémon really well! In fact, the only note I had about the movie was that they could've made this plan a more pointed effort to only evolve the rich or "desired" humans rather than everyone in scattershot fashion. Only wanting to steal the Pokémon's bodies and use them to enhance the prospects of the people he deemed worthy (old white wealthy people, probably) would've been a great comment on current race and class divisions in our society, but trying to forcibly evolve everyone drove the plan into more generic "crazy" territory. It still totally works, but they could've made a statement on top of their already very-entertaining plot. That’s a really minor note, though! I also initially thought it was a little convenient that Howard was not absorbed into Mewtwo like everyone else was pulled into their Pokémon (allowing Tim to get the neural interface off him and reverse the body-snatching), but that could very easily be chalked up to the mechanics of the interface and/or the Howard/Mewtwo psychic connection or the fact that Mewtwo is not a naturally-occurring Pokémon, so this plot convenience ultimately doesn't bother me.

Ryme City was very cool and, like all the best fictional worlds, was a place I’d like to visit. As a newcomer to the franchise, the Pokémon initially feel somewhat like everyday animals so the idea of living with them in a cooperative fashion seemed like kind of a weird idea, but they really sold it and how it would work. The comparisons I saw online to Who Framed Roger Rabbit were well-earned, through the mystery vibe, the lost family member aspect, and the idea of humans coexisting with animated characters (not to mention the overall quality!). The CGI was great and the interactions between humans and Pokémon felt totally natural (and for the vast majority of the time, they looked that way too; there were only one or two moments where the CGI bent the illusion a bit). 

Like me, you don’t need to be well-versed in the world of Pokémon to understand or enjoy what’s going on. I'm sure you'd get more out of the film and you'd probably catch references they included if you were a fan, but the film is plenty enjoyable and engaging even if you've never seen or played Pokémon before. Tim's introductory scene of trying to capture a Pokémon was a nice introduction to his trainer aspirations and inclusion of the central conceit of the show (and universe in general): capturing Pokémon to partner with, train, and battle. The importance of human/Pokémon connection also showed through in that scene beyond illustrating the norms of this society by making it clear that this world hinges on working together rather than going it alone (which ties into Tim and Harry’s fractured family perfectly). Despite Ryme City being a place where battles are outlawed so everyone can live in a more evolved harmony (though I wonder if that's secretly a measure to lure Pokémon there and keep them in pristine health), the film also includes an iconic battle in the underground Pokémon duels. That was a clever way to tie into the seedy Noir vibe while also giving us the first taste of live action Poké-battles from the animated series. The parade balloons were also a fun way to homage the classic, iconic look of the characters.

The writing is clever and funny, the acting is great all around, and the pacing is brisk but they know when to take a moment and let dramatic moments breathe. The music is fun and Pikachu despondently singing the show's theme song was a nice touch, but it would've been cool to hear an orchestral version of that over the climax (or the credits) too. Again, the nods to and touches of Film Noir angles and lighting were really well-done, but the movie is also completely unafraid of breaking that generally more grounded world to be big and bombastic: the film's tone is flexible enough to seamlessly accommodate both styles. I also loved how colorful the world was! The various Pokémon (and the experiments conducted on them) generated a huge variety of challenges for our trio of heroes without feeling like this was all the universe has to offer, so I'm definitely looking forward to further adventures! At the same time, I loved that this has a conclusion and could have totally worked as a solo movie. 

Without a doubt, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is one of my favorite movies of the year so far! I'm glad I caught it in theaters (even after it having been out for a while) and I can't wait to see it again on home video. If you can still find it in theaters it's definitely worth the trip, but either way you should absolutely check this out!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!