Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 2, 2019

The Pokémon franchise has enjoyed massive popularity for well over two decades in a variety of media including TV shows, comics, animated films, and video games played by people who don't mind being hit by cars. Detective Pikachu is the juggernaut's first foray into live-action film and is itself based on a less offensive game released for the Nintendo 3DS back in 2016. It therefore holds the distinction of being one of the most well-received video game adaptations of all time, which isn't too hard when your competition includes Street Fighter, Doom, and Alone in the Dark.

This does not make Pokémon: Detective Pikachu an awful movie, of course...just kind of boring and uninspired from a storytelling standpoint. Staying true to its mostly real-world visuals, the plot mainly follows Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), a 21-year old man who settles for a job in insurance after giving up his childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer. His mom passed away several years ago, but Tim has just received more bad news: his absentee dad Harry, who worked in nearby Ryme City as a police detective, recently died in a fiery car wreck. Tim is now completely alone but prefers it that way, even rejecting the notion of training his own Pokémon due to those fractured childhood memories. After recovering his dad's remaining possessions in the city -- where he meets journalist Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton), who's been following Harry's case in recent weeks -- Tim encounters "Detective Pikachu" (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), who knew Harry personally but seems to be suffering from amnesia. Following a narrow escape from deadly Aipom under the influence of a mysterious purple gas simply known as "R", Tim and Pikachu reluctantly join forces to help solve each other's separate mysteries...which may or may not end up converging.

It sounds pretty simple and straightforward, but there's an awfully lot to unpack here and many of Detective Pikachu's sub-plots and supporting characters do very little to advance the story. Exposition is sloppily revealed, and the human characters -- which leaves out Ryan Reynolds, who imbues Pikachu with an entertaining "Deadpool-lite" brand of boyish playfulness -- are largely flat and lifeless. I daresay the movie as a whole really doesn't have much in the way of legs whenever our title character is off-screen, but even his presence isn't quite enough to salvage what ultimately amounts to "My First Film Noir". That wouldn't be a bad thing if Detective Pikachu were aimed strictly at kids (as its PG rating implies), but the franchise is well over 20 years old and thus appeals to an extremely wide demographic. Simply put, most of them will be looking for much more than what this tame and tepid mystery ends up revealing.

Still, it's not a total loss. Where Detective Pikachu clearly excels is its organic world-building, a thoughtful mixture of film (yes, film) and strongly-rendered CG elements. Simply put, a lot of love and care went into Detective Pikachu's all-in concept of humans and Pokémon living side-by-side, which gives the final product a lot of visual appeal that die-hard fans will appreciate. They'll enjoy picking out their favorite characters from a supporting cast of several dozen species, most of which are beautifully designed and blend seamlessly into backgrounds largely devoid of green-screen elements. It's a surprisingly old-school approach that could have doomed the production but, quite honestly, ends up being its most obvious strength. I'll admit that, due to the visuals alone, I was largely entertained...but as a whole, Detective Pikachu isn't exactly a film I'll be returning to on a regular basis. Your mileage may vary, of course, but only the franchise's most feverish fans will be able to overlook so many fundamental shortcomings.

Regardless, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray offers an admirable amount of support for the main feature, including an outstanding A/V presentation and a grab bag of entertaining, informative extras. Detective Pikachu is obviously recommended for those who saw and enjoyed it in theaters, but newcomers should definitely try before they buy. (Especially those completely new to the franchise, as it almost requires a few years of "training" to follow without trouble.)

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although shot entirely on 35mm Kodak film (a conscious decision to enhance its clearly noir-influenced atmosphere), Detective Pikachu was scanned at 2K resolution to blend more seamlessly with the film's 1,500+ VFX shots. It's an interesting choice that yields excellent results on Warner Bros.' 1080p transfer, capturing the film's intentionally soft and grainy visuals with stunning clarity and detail. The textures and overall feel of its CG characters, from the electric yellow title character on down, feel like natural and organic extensions of the real-world material. Its color palette is, not surprisingly, somewhat subdued with occasional neon punches that extend far into shadowy backgrounds, which often creates a striking level of contrast and visual punch that likewise doesn't feel overcooked. As a whole, the image is clean as whistle with no obvious dirt or debris, while compression artifacts, noise reduction, and obtrusive sharpening are nowhere to be found. Overall, it offers a pitch-perfect marriage of analog and digital elements, and one that likely represents the best that Detective Pikachu will look on home video. Aside from the saturation boost provided by HDR, it is extremely doubtful that this film's upscaled 4K counterpart will offer any meaningful improvements.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly "maxed out" is the film's outstanding Dolby Atmos audio track, which automatically unfolds to TrueHD 7.1 if your system does not support the format. This is another wonderfully organic effort that uses a lot of subtle touches to enhance its terrific atmosphere...but everything ramps up considerably during its more fantastic moments. Dialogue is typically anchored right up front in situations featuring three or less characters, while more crowded sequences tend to introduce side and rear channels in a well-placed, logical manner. Rear channels are employed more regularly during music cues, action scenes and, of course, any time a creature makes use of their special abilities. Height channels are also used effectively in some of these moments, as well as establishing shots and the climactic fight high above Ryme City. It's all tied together with plenty of smooth panning effects and other little sonic touches which, like other aspects of this Atmos track, collectively enhance the film's overall atmosphere in a grounded, organic way.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles, as well as a few others, are included during the main feature and all applicable extras. These are formatted nicely with no obvious sync issues and are contained within the 2.40:1 frame.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a two-disc keepcase with great looking poster-themed cover art, a matching slipcover, a Digital Copy redemption slip, and even a collectible trading card featuring the title character. While none of the included on- disc bonus features dig too deeply below the surface, they at least provide a good cross-section of franchise trivia, behind-the-scenes info, and light-hearted humor.

• Detective Mode - This feature-length pop-up track features an introduction by director Rob Letterman, who also periodically serves as a tour guide. Curious fans will discover lots of little secrets along the way including Pokémon character stats, trivia, Easter eggs, and a few behind-the-scenes featurettes with key members of the cast and crew. It's put together really well and might help rope in a few brand-new fans.

• My Pokémon Adventure (2:13) - Justice Smith briefly talks about his lifelong love of the franchise.

• Creating the World of Detective Pikachu (5 parts, 21:22 total) - This multi-part behind-the-scenes piece includes "Uncovering the Magic", "Colorful Characters", "Bringing Pokémon to Life", "Welcome to Ryme City", and "Action". The titles pretty much tell you all you need to know and, collectively, these featurettes include comments from Ryan Reynolds, Rob Letterman, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, animation supervisor Ferran Domenech, production designer Nigel Phelps, stunt coordinator Franklin Henson, and others.

• Alternate Opening (1:41) - An extended scene of Tim at his insurance job.

• Mr. Mime's Audio Commentary (3:00) - An informative mini-commentary for the interrogation scene.

• Ryan Reynolds: Outside the Actor's Studio (1:32) - Ryan Reynolds discusses his intense method acting approach, which may or may not have required him to miss his daughter's first steps.

• Music Video: "Carry On" by Rita Ora and Kygo (3:51)

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Pokémon's first live-action adventure is half of a good movie: it clearly favors organic world-building over compelling characters, which makes for a great atmosphere that deserved better reasons to go there. A few laughs can be had along the way and Ryan Reynolds' performance is a highlight, but the production as a whole feels padded and sluggish even at just over 90 minutes. Still, the ambitious visuals go a long way; perhaps even long enough for the franchise's most forgiving fans. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray, on the other hand, is a solid effort with great A/V specs and a nice mix of extras. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu comes recommended, but only to those who saw and enjoyed it already.