Video games are, in many ways, more immersive than movies. The experience of interactive narrative requires a level of investment and engagement that exceeds that of watching a film.Detective Pikachuwas undoubtedly the best video game movie ever made when it came out in 2016. It still had several notable issues that plagued previous attempts, but it accomplished something few others had tried.Detective Pikachulets the audience feel immersed in the world ofPokémon.
Pokémonis still a cultural phenomenon, but it’s one of the worst victims of Nintendo’s approach to IP. The game company undoubtedly creates some of the finest pieces of art in the medium, but it also tends to get stuck in its ways.Pokémon, likeSuper Mario, relegates most of its new and interesting ideas to side games and spinoffs, while its mainline games can get a bit stale. Many fans complain about the repetitive elements of newPokémontitles. Though it’sexpanded in many ways, it still feels far less impressive than a 28-year-old franchise could be.
Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Rob Letterman, and Derek Connolly
Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Nicole Perlman
Stars
Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, and Bill Nighy
Release Date
May 14, 2025
Detective Pikachuis a loose adaptation of the 2016 game of the same name. It follows Tim Goodman, an office worker who gave up his dream ofbecoming a Pokémon trainer. His estranged father, Harry Goodman, dies in a car accident, forcing Tim to travel to Rhyme City, where his father worked as a police detective. Once there, he encounters a Pikachu clad in a deerstalker cap who appears to speak perfect English. That Pikachu explains that he was Harry’s partner, and he’s here to ask Tim to help solve the hidden mystery behind the detective’s seemingly straightforward demise. The resulting effort takes Tim and Pikachu on a tour of Rhyme City’s unique highs and lows. It’s a charming, family-friendly mystery adventure film with a ton of heart.The story isn’t groundbreakingand the writing can be a bit hit-or-miss, but the presentation is nearly note-perfect.
Rhyme City is the perfect setting
The true silver bullet ofDetective Pikachuis in the setting. Rhyme City comes from the game, though the movie takes it in a few different directions. In the narrative, unscrupulous businessman Howard Clifford created Rhyme City as a place free from Pokémon battles. Fighting is illegal within city limits, but everyone lives alongsidetheir preferred pocket monster. Almost every denizen of Rhyme City travels with a single companion Pokémon for work, fun, or comfort. This mingles with a selection of Pokémon that seem to carry out pedestrian tasks in the city, like directing traffic or cooking at diners. It’s a flawless environment that perfectly captures the beauty of the Pokémon world in a way that even the games rarely do.
The joy of Rhyme City inDetective Pikachuis seeing how a world of this description might function day to day. Pokémon are a part of everyday life for just about everyone in the world. The restriction against battling fundamentally changes the audience’s interaction with the creatures. They’re no longer monsters to be fought, enemy soldiers to be conquered, or even wandering creatures to be tamed. They are citizens of the city. More importantly, they’re charming little guys who immediately bring joy to every nook and cranny in Rhyme City. The Pokémon world often feels awkwardly segmented as a result of the central focus on combat. A thousand parodies have pointed out the odd elements of a society that values animal fighting so highly.Finally, inDetective Pikachu, these creatures do more than fight and die for the audience’s amusement. While elements of this concept exist in the games, they’re always on the sideline. Rhyme City, the surrounding forest, and the world outside its boundaries feel like the most studied version of this concept. It is also, critically, utterly uncynical.
Detective Pikachuhas an open heart
For all of its goofy jokes and family-friendly humor,Detective Pikachuisas sincere as a multi-million dollar extensionof a multi-billion dollar brand can possibly be. In a world of endless eye-rolling snark directed at any even slightly silly concept that manages to earn a big-screen adaptation,Detective Pikachudares the audience to open their hearts and find joy in its charming world. Looking at something likeA Minecraft Movie, the difference is night and day.Detective Pikachupulls its terrified hero on a leash through every possible extension of its premise. It’s not afraid to be ridiculous, but it also remains dedicated to its central genre conceits. The future of video game movies needs to look more likeDetective Pikachuandless likeA Minecraft Movie.
Detective Pikachuestablishes its alternate reality with beautiful visuals, countless fun ideas, and a complete willingness to be ridiculous. Some critics chastised the film for its inability toexplain Pokémon to newcomers. The counterpoint to that assertion is that it hardly needs to explain it. The film shows its audience a world of humans and creatures who live and work together. It’s as straightforward as one could imagine, and it’s everything fans have wanted since the 90s.
