By Jason Pyles

I can accept that “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” was not made for me. I’m older than most Pokémon hunters or whatever you call people who do such things. Therefore, I’ll confess right up front that I know nothing about this universe.

In fact, when I first heard of this film, I was very dismissive and even annoyed. But then my buddy Ryan told me to watch the trailer because I would be surprised by how “not terrible” it looks. To my shock, he was right! And the fact that Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool”) was voicing Pikachu was another feather in this film’s cap, so to speak.

Even so, I probably would not have seen this movie. But I’m a dad, so I took my two kids and had a great time. Sure, there’s something to be said for seeing a movie when you’re in a great mood and already having a great day after some Chinese food, Wendy’s, movie shopping, and of course, Dairy Queen.

Sometimes when I read a Roger Ebert review where he seemed grouchy and incredibly dismissive, I just assume that he saw the film when he was tired or hungry or already having a terrible day. (This might not be true at all. But because I believe this, I am very mindful and careful about allowing my mood to affect my opinion of a movie.)

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” was directed by Rob Letterman. He also directed “Monsters vs. Aliens” (2009), “Shark Tale” (2004), “Goosebumps” (2015) and Jack Black’s “Gulliver’s Travels” (2010). What ever happened to that movie?

This film is right on par with Letterman’s other movies. Sufficiently entertaining, family-friendly, colorful and occasionally funny. Perhaps my biggest disappointment with “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is that it isn’t nearly as humorous as I thought it would be. But it still has its moments. And of course, my kids loved it. This movie is very family-friendly, by the way. It’s rated PG for action / peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements.

By the way, here’s the premise: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy tries to find out what happened to his missing father by teaming up with a Pikachu detective.

My most important note about this film — and the majority of the reason I’ve written this review — is because I realized something while watching this movie: “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is this generation’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988), also rated PG.

I know it has become fashionable to say this in movie reviews — probably because it’s just and proper — but it is wonderful to see mainstream films whose protagonist role is inhabited by a person of color. The lead character in this movie is played by Justice Smith, whose father is African-American and his mother is Italian and French-Canadian, according to IMDb. I’m a white dude, so I’m grateful that my kids are growing up seeing all sorts of different types of people in lead roles, as we have seen in “Black Panther” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

As the father of a little girl, I’m especially grateful to show my daughter films led by a strong and powerful female, such as “Wonder Woman” or “Captain Marvel.” I know it’s naïve, but I’m still holding out hope that the cinema can eventually normalize diversity and equality among the sexes. To some degree, I think it’s already working because my kids don’t even blink when they see a young Polynesian girl as our heroine and titular character in “Moana.” It warms my heart that my son’s best buddy at school is a young man of Pacific Island descent.

Aside from its skimping on humor, my other major complaint with “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is that it takes at least 15 minutes to introduce Ryan Reynolds’ Pikachu character! What were they waiting for? Because Pikachu is a detective and he’s teaming up with a human partner to solve a mystery, the other movie this reminds me of is the disastrous, off-color puppet movie, “The Happytime Murders” (2018). But of course, that film wasn’t funny at all.

There’s another sequence with giant balloons that emit harmful gas that evoked The Joker’s parade balloons in “Batman” (1989). (I was waiting for the Bat-Wing to show up.)

What I think impressed me the most was a sequence where the ground appears to fold upward, something like we’ve seen in “Inception” or “Doctor Strange.”

Though my kids didn’t figure out the mystery halfway through the movie, I sure did, so it is a bit predictable for adults. This movie unfolds into a nice little surprise, but I saw it coming from miles away.

Rating and Recommendation: Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
Jason = 5.5 ( Redbox rental with your kids )

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