While his career appeared in serious jeopardy a few years ago, Ryan Reynolds is now one of the most popular stars in the world. Sure, a lot of it has to do with the success of both Deadpool and Deadpool 2, but the actors impressive charisma even managed to help make The Hitman's Bodyguard a hit last summer. Now the Canadian star is hoping that his winning streak can continue with the arrival of of Detective Pikachu, and based on the first trailer it looks like he's going to succeed in a major way.
It's been years since we last saw a new Pokemon movie hit theaters, but this one looks like an amazing treat. Directed by Rob Letterman, the film stars Justice Smith as Tim Goodman, a young man living in the shadow of his father, who was an immensely gifted police detective and is presumed dead. The whole narrative changes, however, when Tim meets Detective Pikachu - who can apparently not only speak perfect English, but is convinced that Tim's dad is still alive. The situation is made more challenging by the fact that the yellow fuzzy creature's memory has taken a serious hit, but together they will try and solve the mystery and in the process Tim will prove his worth both to others and himself.
Prior to this trailer it was hard to fully understand what a Detective Pikachu movie would be, particularly given the live-action/animation blend approach, but this preview is definitely eye-opening. It's a smart setup to have Tim be the only person who can understand the little yellow Pokemon, and it was a slam dunk idea to bring in Ryan Reynolds as the voice. The man simply has impeccable comedic timing, and his delivery on some lines here is perfection - whether he's slowly trying to explain his electrocution threat, or Freudian slipping during a charades session with a Mr. Mime. This film went from a "maybe" to a "must see" instantly.
Pokemon is a brand that has now been around for decades, but this is still a pretty special new adventure for fans. Not only is this the first time that the property has been rendered in live-action, but this is the first time we've ever seen these creatures rendered in such realistic fashion. Pikachus look just as cute and fuzzy as we imagined they were while watching the 2D animated series back in the 1990s
And it's amazing to see Bulbasaurs, Charizards, and Jigglypuffs come to life. I think what's particularly fantastic about these designs is that the animators didn't go too far in trying to make them look seriously realistic. Instead, they look like realistically textured cartoon characters, and it lends Detective Pikachu a unique aesthetic.
In addition to Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith, Detective Pikachu co-stars Ken Watanabe, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Suki Waterhouse and Karan Soni - and sadly is still a long way from hitting theaters. The movie is set to be one of 2019's big summer titles, currently scheduled for May 10th, but between now and then be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates.
