Pokémon Detective Pikachu Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs
Downs...
5. The Plot & Dialogue Are Totally Forgettable
Though it's fair to say that Detective Pikachu was never going to tout a first-rate story, you'd be forgiven for expecting something a little more interesting than...this.
Without getting into spoiler territory, the bulk of the film's plot is basically a rehash of every generic breadcrumb-following detective story you've ever seen, yet without any of the satirical or subversive qualities you might expect from a freaking Pokémon playing detective.
Even the more outlandish moments later in the movie are eye-rollingly predictable, and never once does the story feel like anything more than a means to present the titular digital creatures.
The dialogue might be even worse, and while you can argue that the film needs to keep things simple enough for children, Pixar has proven time and time again that they can do this without talking down to young viewers.
Here countless scenes smack the audience over the head with ham-fisted exposition, explaining things to the audience through the spoken word which are basically already implied or could just be conveyed visually.
It's also decidedly less funny than you might be expecting from the trailers, which severely handicaps Ryan Reynolds' ability to fully exploit his motor-mouth potential in the role of Pikachu.
Basically, if you were hoping this film would be rife with memorable one-liners in the very least, you might want to lower your expectations.