POKÉMON Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Review

By: Lynn Barker

Mythical Ryme City is home to happy humans and Pokémon partners in Pokémon Detective Pikachu.  Unhappy insurance appraiser Tim (Justice Smith) goes to the city to wrap things up when it seems his detective dad Harry has died in a car crash. Inside dad’s apartment, he finds Pikachu (voice of Ryan Reynolds), his dad’s former Pokémon partner who is suffering from amnesia but seems to believe dad isn’t dead. 

I'm a great detective!Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

After reluctantly teaming up with would-be reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) Tim and Pikachu, whom, for some reason, only Tim can hear speak in complete English sentences, set out to find dad, confronting danger and solving mysteries in the process.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu Trailer

Creature Causes Crash

In a secret lab deep in the woods, something goes horribly wrong, releasing some kind of dangerous, large creature who ends up forcing an escaping car off a bridge to crash below.

MewTwo in the lab

Annoying Pokémon

Lonely insurance appraiser Tim Goodman gets a phone call from police telling him his detective dad Harry has been in a fatal car accident. Distraught, Tim takes a train to Ryme City where dad lived and was on a case. We learn that after Pokémon battles in the past, industrialist Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy) created the city for Pokémon and humans to live a peaceful co-existence. Tim, who wanted to be a Pokémon trainer as a kid, finds all the partnerships in the city annoying. After talking with Harry’s police lieutenant friend Yoshida (Ken Watanabe) he learns that both dad and his Pokémon partner were killed in the crash.

Lieutenant Yoshida tells Tim about his dadCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Pikachu says Hi

In dad’s apartment building, Tim is confronted by would-be reporter Lucy Stevens and her Psyduck Pokémon. She tells him that his dad was into some big story and she is going to find out what. Inside, Tim discovers cute, yellow Pikachu who is looking for clues to his own identity. He was dad’s Pokémon partner, wasn’t killed in the crash but has no real memory. He just knows he is a first-class detective as his Sherlock Holmes hat would indicate.

Tim finds a vial of the weird smokeCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Tim finds a vial of purple liquid, opens it and a purple smoke fills the room. Tim finds a 21^st birthday card dad meant to mail to him with a ticket inside asking him to come and visit. Tim is sad. He wasn’t sure dad loved him. Tim and Pikachu are attacked by angry Pokémon critters entering through the window. The smoke had something to do with this. Pikachu is sure Harry isn’t dead. Will Tim help him investigate?

Pikachu hopes to win Tim's love and helpCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

On the Case

Tim, Pikachu, Lucy and her Psyduck team up to investigate the purple vials of smoke and whether or not dad Harry is actually dead.  After a confrontation with a Mime Pokémon informant at a warehouse, Tim and partners head for an underground Pokémon Battle club where Pikachu must have a re-match with a scary Charizard. Pikachu has forgotten how to use his electrical powers and is losing. A ton of the purple “R” smoke is released making all of the Pokémon in the audience angry.  Finally, the team is taken to wheelchair-bound Clifford who says his son Roger (Chris Geere) is the bad guy, wanting to destroy Pokémon.  The giant creature escaping from the lab was Mewtwo. Dad escaped from the wreck but Mewtwo took him.

Pikachu fights the CharizardCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

At the Lab

Tim and pals learn that Pokémon were being genetically altered at the secret lab run by Roger. Tim watches one version of the car crash on a holographic projection. Dad survived the crash! The purple smoke was made from giant Mewtwo. Harry had been hired to track this info and Mewtwo down. When Roger learns they are there, Tim, Pikachu, Lucy and her “duck” escape danger caused by more fantastical Pokémon gone wild but Pikachu is badly injured. Healing him is….Mewtwo!

Lucy, Psyduck, Pikachu and Tim on way to labCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Where’s Dad and Who’s Bad?

Is Mewtwo good or evil? Who is really the bad guy? Did dad Harry live after the car crash? How did Pikachu lose his memory? Will Tim, Pikachu and Lucy ever get to the bottom of dad’s disappearance? Can they keep the purple “R” compound from altering peaceful Pokémon creatures?

Tim, Pikachu and Lucy see giant MewTwoCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Special Extra Features

The home entertainment set comes with quite a few enjoyable extras. Many are short “selling” pieces but fun none-the-less.

• Alternate Opening is a short scene featuring Justice Smith in his Tim character at work. It stresses how Tim is anti-social and dislikes Pokémons. Okay but we see why it wasn’t really needed.
• Ryan Reynolds- Outside the Actor’s Studio features the actor talking on studying the Pikachu character, taking it seriously and pleasing fans. Very funny!
• “Carry On” Music Video by Rita Ora and Kygo –fun, a nice song.

Lucy and Psyduck are on the caseCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

• Detective Mode is an interesting extra in which pop up screens give you an insider look at scenes as they are happening. Director Rob Letterman reveals Easter Eggs for Pokémon Universe fans, info on actors, on set tidbits etc.  Nice and seems to take the place of a Director Audio Commentary.
• My Pokémon Adventure features lead actor Justice Smith talking about being a huge Pokémon fan as a kid, reveals his fave Pokémon, adventures with Pokémon Go, etc. Short but nice.

Kathryn and Justice host the making of featuretteCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

• Creating the World of Detective Pikachu is the “making of”, 5-part featurette that presents lead actors Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton serving as hosts. It covers: Ryan Reynolds, the director and the two actors discussing their own love of the Pokémon Universe and showing us on set adventures, the film’s New Noir style, all about their characters and ad-libbing with Ryan on set. You see how filmmakers created on-screen Pokémons, designed the production including Ryme City, shot in London and stunts and training in Scotland.  Very entertaining!
• Mr. Mime’s Audio Commentary – Huh? A mime doesn’t talk. This is the whole silly point of this extra. The mime character introduces his scene in the film with “translation” on screen and…then we see it.  It’s a one note joke and not really necessary.

Wrapping Up

As usual, I would have liked a gag or flub reel. The actors messing up while acting with nothing really there would have been cute. The provided extras however are mostly great. The five part “Making Of” featurette is thorough and entertaining. We love Ryan Reynolds talking about….anything. He is hilarious.

Ryan Reynolds at the New York premiere of the film

As we said when we reviewed the movie in theaters, Pokémon Detective Pikachu is packed with colorful and creative action and beyond adorbs creatures. Ryan Reynolds steals the show as the voice of little Pikachu and ups the cuteness factor. His zippy one-liners are witty, ironic and, since Reynolds was fitted with motion capture gear, many of the cute Pokémon’s facial expressions are his and win our hearts.

Is Industrialist Howard Clifford behind the plot?Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

However, the over-packed, convoluted, over-complicated storyline is where the film fails. It is difficult to keep track of who is running the show and why as action scenes buzz by without much explanation.

Pikachu and Tim are a teamCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

This home entertainment offering gives you crisp and bright audio and video and enough fun extras to collect or gift! We go four stars.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Rating: 

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Collect or gift Pokémon Detective Pikachu, available now!

Will You Collect or Gift this Blu-ray Set?

Do you love Pokémons or did when you were younger? Are you a Ryan Reynolds fan? Do you want to buy this home entertainment Blu-ray/DVD/Digital set? Talk up everything Pokémon with a comment