Detective Pikachu REVIEW: Ryan Reynolds’ Pokémon is worth catching, but needed to evolve

It’s the highest-grossing media franchise of all time with $90 billion made from video games, trading cards, Tv shows, movies and toys. So it’s no surprise that after 21 animated movies, Pokémon now has its first live-action film in Detective Pikachu. Based on a Nintendo 3DS game of the same name, the first trailer was mind-boggling with its CGI furry Pokémon and Deadpool’s voice coming out of a Pikachu in Sherlock Holmes deerstalker. It was bizarre and nostalgic but strangely not terrible. In fact, Detective Pikachu was looking extremely promising.

Detective Pikachu follows Justice Smith’s Tim Goodman, a former Pokémon trainer who is looking for his missing father Harry, following an accident.

Heading to Ryme City, where Pokémon and humans live as equals, he comes across Harry’s Pikachu, who only he can hear talking.

Working together, the pair set off on a film noir mystery, much akin to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

In many ways, Detective Pikachu is a triumph. Based on a video game, this certainly doesn’t come under the so-called Hollywood curse of such adaptations like Super Mario Bros or potentially the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog.

It’s hard to go into the specifics of Detective Pikachu without spoiling the story, but there’s some surprising twist to come.

But on the whole, this live-action CGI romp is funny, charming and full of impressive visual effects.

The live action Pokémon may look a little odd, but the interactions with them and the battles than ensure are hugely entertaining.

And it may be hard not to think of Reynolds as embodying a non-swearing Pikapool, but despite reservations that the role should have gone to Danny DeVito among fans, the star pulls off the character perfectly.