Transcript note: This transcript is based on the original working script. It may contain production notes, draft wording, spelling mistakes or other material that differs from the finished video - these scripts were meant to be spoken, not read.

Ridiculous.

That's the word I used when I first heard of the Detective Pokemon film.

And yet, in 2019 - The film managed to pull off something nothing short of a miracle.

It took a brightly coloured world - A place where 10 year olds wander the wilderness, capturing dangerous animals in tiny balls - to battle strangers for sport.

And - just - pulled it off, beautifully.

No, seriously - it did.

Let's take a look at Detective Pikachu

[intro]

When they made this film, they made two smart decisions straight out of the gate. And honestly?

Everything good about Detective Pikachu flows directly from them.

First of all - they didn't copy the games exactly.

By basing it on the Detective Pikachu spin-off, they freed themselves from the main idea of “Pokemon”.

No gym battles.

No Pokémon League.

Instead, they got a structure that's inherently cinematic: a mystery.

This one choice gives us the core dynamic-a sarcastic Pikachu and a sceptical human partner-and it keeps the stakes personal.

It's not about saving the world, at least not at first. It's about a son finding out what happened to his dad. That's something we can all latch onto.

And secondly - they didn't try to explain too much.

They resisted the urge to lecture us.

Think about it for a second - when was the last time you saw a fantasy movie that just trusted you to get it?

No "As you know, Harry, Pokemon are creatures that..." Nothing.

They built a world where Pokemon are an integrated part of society, and they let the visuals do the talking.

We see a Machamp directing traffic.

We see a Snorlax blocking a street.

We see a Bulbasaur just... chilling in a garden.

It's all small, organic details that sell the big idea.

And because they never stop to explain it, it never feels like a gimmick. It just feels real.

These two decisions-don't copy, don't explain-are the film's secret weapon.

They allow it to be its own thing while still feeling undeniably like Pokemon.

The game sees Pikachu, as.. Well - A detective.. Which.. GIven the name, makes sense…

He helps his human partner solve mysteries in this series instead of battling other Pokemon in the arena.

The film, follows that.

We meet Tim Goodman as he arrives in Ryme City, following the apparent death of his father

Tim isn't convinced by the details and begins poking around - His Dad was investigating a strange case involving Pokemon behaviour at the time.

While Tim is poking around in his Dads apartment he discovers something he wasn’t quite ready for - His Fathers Pikachu.

Who can talk.

A lot like Ryan Reynolds.

Which - Kinda tells you as much as you need to know about what kind of tone the film is going for.

From there - They get caught up in a conspiracy and off they go on the grand adventure that is solving what exactly happened to Tim's Dad

Along the way they follow the trail of the mysterious substance called R and happen across a shadowy corporation experimenting with Pokemon.

And, of course - it all ends up being bigger than they expected.

The central dynamic between Tim and Pikachu does most of the heavy lifting here - And, it’s a good thing.

Watching the pair interact is genuinely amusing.

Tim doesn’t really have time for Pokemon antics and Pikachu is convinced he’s a brilliant Detective, despite having no memory.

And - Only Tim can actually hear Pikachu talk which adds another layer to it all.

It just, works - And - Far better than it has any real right to do.

What they did here was build an entirely convincing world in quite a genius way.

The Pokemon that inhabit are surprisingly grounded.

They’ve always been bright, colourful and exaggerated - Bizarre even.

The film keeps that, but - Integrates them into the world in a way that makes them seem like actual animals rather than a mascot.

They’re textured, furry and scaled - But - Still recognisable, and well - Cute.

You see them working on construction sites, helping the police out -

And some, just wandering around like pets.

It’s a lot of small details that help sell the big idea.

Because - Once you believe the world - The rest of the story just follows along for the ride.

The mystery of Tim's dad, the strange 'R' substance, and the scheming corporation isn't exactly Chinatown.

It's a fairly straightforward sci-fi conspiracy.

But in this context, it's the perfect engine to drive us from one delightful Pokémon encounter to the next.

It clearly understood what people wanted from a Pokemon movie - It wasn’t endless explanations or heavy lore dumps - They just wanted to see it brought to life.

And that’s what it leans into - Glimpses of familiar creatures, Bulbasaur wandering through a forest - Snorlax blocking traffic.

Just little world building details all over the place that feel organic.

Best of all - None of it feels like actual fan service - It’s natural.

Well - Maybe - Some - But - C’mon now…

Mr Mime doing a Sharon Stone parody - Nobody can deny that wasn’t funny even if the kids won’t know why.

But even then, it's functional fan service.

It’s not just winking at the camera for no reason.

There are plenty of moments for the biggest Pokémon fans to nudge their friends and point, but importantly, it doesn't matter if you're not in on the joke.

You don't need to know who Psyduck is to find its perpetual headache and confusion funny.

Finding that balance is probably the film's biggest achievement.

It’s not an easy thing to pull off when adapting something this established.

For people who know nothing about Pokémon…

it still works as a straightforward detective adventure.

And for the fans?

They finally get to see this world they love, rendered in a way that feels tangible and real.

And I’ll give it some more credit - It doesn’t default to action sequences either, which would have also been easy to do.

There are a few sequences here and there - Of course there are - To expect none would be silly.

But, for the most part - It’s fairly contained.

More mystery than spectacle.

Obviously - None of this would have landed as well as it did without Ryan Reynolds involvement.

And - I hate to say it - Let’s be honest, it’s just “Ryan Reynolds being Ryan Reynolds”, again

But - It’s his take on Pikachu that really delivers here.

Instead of trying to play it in any way straight, he, like the film - Just leans into how absurd it all is.

A tiny, yellow, electric mouse - Delivering sarcastic one liners in that gravelly detective voice.

It’s ridiculous.

You know it.

The film knows it.

But, it does it anyway - And does it well.

Ryan Reynolds said he wanted to make this movie so he’d have something to show his kids - And, you can kinda tell

It’s basically Deadpool Lite.

And honestly?

Nobody’s complaining - If it works, it works - Right?

Beneath all the humour though?

There’s still character - It gives the film just enough emotional weight to stop it feeling like a gimmick.

When Detective Pikachu was first announced, a lot of people - Me included - Thought it would be, and even expected it to be a disaster.

Video game movies - Well - They don’t have the best track record - I mean, check out the playlist for more examples, but spoiler - Most of them aren’t great.

But - Detective Pikachu, of all things - A Pokemon movie - It did something, special.

It managed to respect the source material but not get trapped by it.

It’s world is beautiful

It’s story is simple.

And, it remembered to have fun along the way.

Which - Is probably the most appropriate thing it could have done.

It didn’t try and be the ultimate Pokemon film.

It didn’t try and be an epic adventure about collecting badges, or becoming a champion.

It just tried to solve a small and somewhat personal mystery - In a much bigger world.

And because it focused on a small corner of the universe, it proved something.

That a strange, colourful franchise could actually exist in live action - Where - Much more grounded games, couldn’t.

And honestly?

I was wrong about it - I’m man enough to admit that.

But Detective Pikachu proved something I didn’t expect.

Sometimes the strangest ideas are the ones that work best.

If the people making them understand what makes the world tick.

Anyways.

I’ve been Paul and this has been Pixels, Popcorn.

If you’ve enjoyed this video, do me a favour and drop it a like.

Subscribe as well if you want while you’re there - Or, don’t - I’m not going anywhere.

And, hopefully - I shall catch you on the next Rewind.

Thanks for watching.