I am probably the least qualified person to take a critical look at the Detective Pikachu trailer as I have played some of the Pokemon games and watched some of the show, but never truly got into the franchise. I definitely respect the series for being as massive and influential as it is, but personally, it isn’t quite my cup of tea. That being said, Detective Pikachu looks like it will be so much fun to watch.
The trailer opens as if it were going to be a generic sci-fi schlock of a film with a boring backstory for the main character with him living in his father’s shadow at a police station somewhere in the Pokemon universe. The police chief yaks about exposition for a few seconds and the first impression of this trailer for me was “wow this looks boring and uninspired.”
As soon as Pikachu appeared, the whole trailer did a 180 turn for the better. The miracle to humanity, Ryan Reynolds, has his glorious and sarcastic voice come out of an adorable Pikachu sporting a two-billed detective hat. Reynolds’s voice is definitely off-putting at first, but as the trailer went on, the voice fit in a sense that the movie wanted to be a fun, campy adventure with a relatable character and his wise-cracking, fuzzy sidekick. However, Pikachu will likely take the main stage in the movie as the rest of the trailer focuses on him rather than the human main character.
The more the trailer went on, the bigger the smile grew on my face. It looked like it would be a PG version of Deadpool but without the Deadpool. What really made the trailer for me was the Mr. Mime scene. It was perfect in that child-like manner and slapstick comedy which sealed the deal for me going to see the movie. However, this movie is made by Warner Bros, who are infamous for putting out excellent trailers but delivering lack-luster movies Like Batman v. Superman and Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald.
All in all, the movie looks like it would be a treat for kids and Pokemon fans, and the rest of us would have a good time too. This movie is slated to hit theaters, May 10, 2019. However, if you don’t find the trailer or the movie interesting, I would highly suggest looking on YouTube for the Detective Pikachu trailer, but with Danny Devito.
