Just as Ryan Reynolds promised, a new Pokemon: Detective Pikachu trailer debuted online. The film, which brings the hit Nintendo video game series to live-action, unites a sleuthing Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) and Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) to find Tim’s missing father. The movie looks like a blast, and this new trailer contains a lot more plot hints to keep fans guessing (while at the same time still protecting what we hope will be a lot of surprises when the movie finally drops).
Pokemon fans will immediately notice all the new Pokemon shown off in the trailer, but there are plenty of reveals that hint that there’s a whole lot more going on here than one missing father. Like a true detective Pikachu (for the record, I would absolutely watch True Detective Pikachu on HBO), let's take all the clues and piece them together before seeing how it all plays out on May 10. Here are all the coolest reveals in the new trailer.
Warning: I basically never forgot anything about Pokemon from when I was a kid, so this will be super nerdy. You have been warned.
Detective Pikachu Has Amnesia
Maybe the biggest mystery about Detective Pikachu is how Tim -- and only Tim -- can understand him. However, it looks like even Pikachu doesn’t have those answers. The trailer reveals that Pikachu has amnesia and doesn’t remember anything before arriving in Ryme City. That’s certainly suspicious, and it looks like the famous electric mouse is a part of the very mystery he’s trying to solve. Also, he sounds so much like Deadpool. So much. That's not a bad thing. At least, we don't think it's a bad thing. Not yet, anyway. Cute Deadpool can be a thing.
Pikachu Is Connected To Tim’s Father
The disappearance of Tim’s father Harry is what sparks the adventure, and it’s going to be a bit more interesting than a missing person’s case. As it turns out, Detective Pikachu didn’t just find a deerstalker cap lying around in the dirt. The hat belongs to Harry, and it somehow ended up in Pikachu’s hands...paws? How Pikachu got that hat and what his connection to Harry is will no doubt be fueling some fan theories.
Psyduck Girl Is Also Investigating Something
This character’s name is actually Lucy (Kathryn Newton) and not Psyduck Girl, but carry around a Psyduck long enough and you’re going to get a nickname. Lucy is a reporter, and she’s on the hunt for a scoop of her own. How this is connected to Harry Goodman is unclear, but Lucy is investigating some kind of laboratory. Snooping around labs when you’re not supposed to usually leads to trouble, and Lucy finds it in the form of ninja frogs. Speaking of which…
Greninja Emerge From Pods
We’ve seen lots of footage of three Greninja chasing and attacking our heroes, but there might be more going on to these frogs than meets the eye. Normally, Pokemon live in Poke Balls (which we see in this trailer), so it’s all the more suspicious that these Greninja emerge from these strange pods. I’d wager that these Greninja aren’t your typical Pokemon and that it has to do with the remote laboratory that seems to be a major location in the movie.
Lots Of New Pokemon
It’s nice to see that Detective Pikachu isn’t trying to be shy about the magical monsters at the heart of the series. The new trailer showed off lots of Pokemon we haven’t seen in live-action form yet. Fans can find Pokemon such as Machamp, Snorlax, Growlith, Blastoise, Ludicolo, Cubone, and a nightmare-inducing Aipom -- plus tons of others hidden in the background. Some Pokemon look super creepy in photo-realistic CGI, but its definitely fun to see which are included in the film.
An Eevee Evolves (Probably)
Evolution is a key part of any Pokemon game and it looks like we’ll get to see what it looks like in live-action. A brief shot in a lavish office shows a glowing Flareon, and my guess is that it just finished evolving. The desk the Flareon is on looks to have items that include evolution stones, objects that automatically evolve certain Pokemon. Flareon’s pre-evolution is Eevee, otherwise known as the Evolution Pokemon. Evolving is kind of its whole gimmick, and if anyone is going to evolve on screen, it’s Eevee.
Pikachu Has Got Some Firepower
Detective Pikachu is smarter than your average Pikachu, but it wasn’t clear if he could use attacks until this trailer. In the Detective Pikachu game, he couldn’t use any attacks at all, but it looks like the movie version has both brains and brawn. It was kind of implied during the earlier fight scenes against Charizard that Pikachu stinks at battling but that’s not the case by the end of the film. It looks like he uses Thunderbolt and Volt Tackle, which is super cool. As for why Pikachu is fighting so hard, well, that’s the coolest reveal of all!
Mewtwo Arrives
He was rumored to be in the movie but the trailer finally confirmed it: Mewtwo is in the picture. The legendary Pokemon is a fan-favorite and was the subject of the very first anime movie, so it’s only natural he should play a role in the first live-action movie. Mewtwo is a genetic clone of the legendary Mew, but he’s a tortured soul and is usually depicted as having been created by evil people. That might be the case in Detective Pikachu as Mewtwo seemingly battles Pikachu. Whether or not Mewtwo is the true villain or being manipulated is unclear. All I know is that its super rad he’s here.
And there you have it! Detective Pikachu is definitely shaping up to be a major blast, and I think it's fair to say that a lot of people are surprised by just how good this looks. For Pokemon fans, this movie looks like a real treat as it shows off the famous creatures in live action but in the vein of a noir detective film. There's intrigue, mystery, and Mewtwo afoot, and I for one can't wait for May 10 to roll around. Do you think everyone will be done watching Avengers: Endgame by the time this opens? Probably, right?
