One of the MANY perks of having a five year old grandson is his sense of wonder and fun about many kids shows and films that I would never have any exposure to without him.
It's not lost on me that every TV in my house is on the Disney Channel when I turn it on. ESPN has lost its former stature in that spot.
I never knew anything about Pokemon before Jonah, but know WAY too many of the characters names by now.
Thankfully POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU arrives with a tinge of "Deadpool" for adult viewers, providing some nice sarcasm to spice up a pretty predictable kids flick.
Visual effects create a unique world where humans live alongside Pokemon creatures of every variety and mood. It looks great, with plenty of tiny details to keep you visually intrigued, even as boredom sets in.
Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is college student (who seems about 15 years old) Tim Goodman, on the trail of his police detective father's mysterious disappearance.
When Tim goes looking for him, he meets the tiny Detective Pikachu, who only he can hear talking.
Thankfully for the film, he's voiced by a very game Ryan Reynolds, bringing a mild-PG13 version of his "Deadpool" snark to the role.
Pikachu and Tim set off on the trail of his father's last days, taking off on an adventure that's sometimes exciting, often predictable and eventually a bit dull for all it's visual treats.
Moments with terrific CGI recreations of giant Pokemon creatures highlight the movie, but Smith is kind of an annoying lead actor, grating on my allergy to whining.
There are some terrific actors involved, including the always enjoyable Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai), but they're mostly wasted.
With $150 million in special effects, Ryme City is jaw dropping to look at, especially in 4K, but after an hour or so, you're left with the story, which is only saved by Reynolds non-stop enjoyable patter.
I'm clearly not the target audience here, but there are kids movies I've loved the past few years like "Coco" and "Missing Link". PIKACHU isn't even in the same zip code.
I'll give it a C (but bump that up a grade if you get to watch it with your kids/grandkids, they make everything more fun).
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