The Flickering Myth writing team share their thoughts on the first trailer for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu…
Earlier this week, Legendary Pictures gave us a look at next year’s live-action Pokemon feature Detective Pikachu with the release of the first trailer for the movie. Here’s what our writing team made of it…
Andrew Newton: Looks brilliantly entertaining. Adds a refreshing darker side to the Pokemon world.
EJ Moreno: I am not one for nostalgia, but that trailer hit me in all the right spots. Looks like a world I want to be a part of and can’t wait to journey into this strange live-action Pokemon world. Sorry Happytime Murders, this will be this generation’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.
Chris Cooper: I’ve played the games since Blue. I love myself a Blastoise and a Cubone. I know how to wake up Snorlax and I will tell you that Black and White were the weakest generation. This is easily the most excited I’ve been for anything Pokemon related since I nearly got run over playing GO. I think they’ve nailed the designs, with enough fur and texture whilst keeping the designs. Ryan Reynolds works. I just cannot wait to see this. And then see it with my Pikachu loving daughter. This might be her first cinema visit. Damn, I’m uncomfortably excited for this film.
Red Stewart: I hate to be THAT guy, but I wasn’t really stoked by the trailer. The story reminded me too much of a mash-up between Cats & Dogs and Underdog. I personally think Reynolds was miscast- he’s just using his Deadpool voice for the role. And Justice Smith was one of the worst parts of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, so I don’t expect much out of him for the lead role. That being said, the CGI creations for the Pokemon look absolutely gorgeous- it reminded me of how The Peanuts Movie 3Dified the 2D drawings of the Peanuts shows. So I like that they put thought and effort into that part at least. I hope it’s good overall, but don’t have high hopes at the moment.
Chris Cooper: Red Stewart, you’re killing me!
Red Stewart: I love being proven wrong for what it’s worth. I thought Spider-Man: Homecoming would suck and it’s now one of my favorite superhero films.
George Chrysostomou: I was really impressed by this new trailer. I actually think going with Detective Pikachu rather than an Ash story was the right move, as it avoided the inevitable fan backlash with potentially miscastings etc. I think the Pokemon look phenomenal and am impressed by both the cast and the direction that the film looks to be going in. Really excited to see more from this!
Tom Jolliffe: I’ve never got the Pokemon fascination. I suppose it’s a generation after me (being from the He-Man era), but I will say that I think this trailer looks pretty nice. The visuals are engaging, Ryan Reynolds gives it an irreverence and impish charm that will make this watchable for those who might not be overly enthralled by a Yellow ball that squeaks out ‘Pika’ over and over again. It looks colour, imaginative and fun (potentially anyway). It also looks like it could potentially be a ruddy great mess, but colour me intrigued anyway.
Gary Collinson: As someone who’s never played a Pokemon game, seen about 3 minutes of the cartoon, and can’t name a single Pokemon other than Pikachu, I have to say this trailer did nothing for me. Perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised by the film.
Red Stewart: Damn, was hoping for that first sentence to culminate in a “LOVED it”.
Ricky Church: I got a bit into collecting the cards and playing with them when I was younger as well as playing the original Gameboy game (Red all the way!) but I was never really big into the Pokemon scene and only saw a few episodes and the first film. When I first heard about Detective Picachu I thought it sounded like a bit of a cash grab. However, after seeing this trailer I am somehow really wanting to see it. Chalk up to Pikachu and the Pokemon actually looking pretty cool or Ryan Reynolds’ performance, but this actually seems entertaining. I am intrigued.
Tom Beasley: As a fully inducted member of Pokemania back in the 90s and 00s, the prospect of seeing those characters brought to life again for a huge multiplex blockbuster is a thrilling one. Even more exciting is the fact the team behind this seem invested in making the strangest wide release movie of all time. Combine that with Rob Letterman’s track record of turning Goosebumps into a 21st century movie hit and you have all of the parts necessary for a winner. I suddenly want that Oscar for Popular Film to happen…
Allen Christian: I have little nostalgia for the games (though I occasionally pop back in on the series) and even less for the cartoon, but I think this looks like a lot of fun, and very well might stand to be the first decent live-action video game based film.
What did you make of the trailer for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu? Let us know in the comments below…
“The story begins when ace private eye Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.”
The first-ever live-action Pokémon movie, “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu” stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular character in the first-ever live-action movie based on the iconic face of the global Pokémon brand—one of the world’s most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and most successful media franchises of all time. “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu” also stars Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”) as Tim; Kathryn Newton (“Lady Bird,” TV’s “Big Little Lies”) as Lucy, a junior reporter following her first big story; and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe (“Godzilla,” “The Last Samurai”) as Lt. Yoshida.
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is set for release on May 10th.
