10 Best Pokémon Appearances In Detective Pikachu

It was probably to be expected, with the movie being about Pikachu and the hugely talented Ryan Reynolds voicing him, but with that came a lot of pressure. Thankfully, Pikachu delivers in spades and is undoubtedly the star of the show here.

Obviously there’s the trademark Reynolds wit, and you really get the sense the filmmakers gave him license to let loose. He’s no Robin Williams’ Genie, but he carries the movie in a similar manner and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to find out that he’d improvised just as much.

Away from Reynolds’ stellar contribution though, Pikachu itself is brings a lot to the party. The flashes of the cute ‘pika pika’ cries pull your heartstrings, arguably more than the slightly convoluted emotional plot strands.

The body language is brilliant too, combining the adorable scurrying typical of the short, fluffy Pokémon with the more anthropomorphic expectations that come with Reynolds’ voice. Not since Stitch has a movie character used their body movements so well.

It’s disappointing that we don’t get to see much of the electric powers the little mouse is known for, but that’s a minor issue. The anime is jam packed with that if you need your fill.