Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
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A man and a talking Pokémon must team up to solve the mystery of a missing father in a world where humans and Pokémon coexist.
The story
Tim Goodman, a man who gave up his dreams of being a Pokémon Trainer, is reunited with his estranged father's memory after the man's disappearance. In the city of Ryme City, where humans and Pokémon live together, Tim discovers his father's partner: a deerstalker-clad, amnesiac Pikachu who only he can understand. When Tim accidentally releases a mysterious gas, they are attacked by aggressive Pokémon. Together, the unlikely pair must navigate the city's secrets to uncover the truth behind his father's disappearance and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the Pokémon's own memories.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tim Goodman, a former aspiring Pokémon Trainer, travels to Ryme City to settle the affairs of his missing father, Harry. There, he meets a deerstalker-clad, amnesiac Pikachu who only he can understand. After accidentally releasing a gas called 'R' that turns Pokémon aggressive, the pair begins an investigation. They learn from a hologram that Harry was abducted by a genetically engineered Pokémon named Mewtwo. They team up with a reporter, Lucy Stevens, to find a hidden laboratory. During their journey, Pikachu is injured and healed by Mewtwo, who reveals he was also a victim of the conspiracy. Pikachu eventually realizes that the true mastermind behind the 'R' gas is Howard Clifford, who seeks to fuse humans and Pokémon. In a final confrontation, Tim defeats Howard, who had merged his consciousness with Mewtwo. The truth is revealed: Harry is alive but was merged with Pikachu's consciousness to survive an attack. The film ends with Tim choosing to stay in Ryme City as a detective to be near his father and Pikachu.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Letterman
- Writers
- Dan Hernandez · screenplay; Benji Samit · screenplay; Rob Letterman · screenplay; Derek Connolly · screenplay; Dan Hernandez · story; Benji Samit · story; Nicole Perlman · story
- Cast and characters
- Ryan Reynolds · Detective Pikachu; Justice Smith · Tim Goodman; Kathryn Newton · Lucy Stevens; Suki Waterhouse · Ms. Norman; Omar Chaparro · Sebastian; Chris Geere · Roger Clifford; Ken Watanabe · Lieutenant Hideo Yoshida; Bill Nighy · Howard Clifford
- Genres
- urban fantasy; mystery
- Themes
- friendship; partnership; identity
- Tone and mood
- adventure; mystery
- Setting
- Ryme City, a city where humans and Pokémon live together side by side.
- Premise and plot tags
- live-action; video game adaptation; partnership
- Source material / true-story basis
- Detective Pikachu (2016 video game)
- Franchise connections
- Pokémon
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was praised for its visual effects and the performance of Ryan Reynolds, though some critics found the plot to be messy.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 48; PostTrak · score: 4 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film was the first Pokémon film in the US not to receive a G rating.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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