Raking in over $200 Million worldwide, Detective Pikachu has finally given us an enjoyable video game movie that sticks to world lore and has an exciting adventure to experience. Finally getting to see our favorite childhood monsters thriving alongside real humans, this film took us on a journey not too different from the game counterpart it was based off of. The design team did a great job of bringing our favorite Pokémon to life while the actors brought relatable characters that everyone could love. And really, Ryan freaking Reynolds was playing the most iconic Pokémon to ever be created; do we really need more reason to love this movie?
This movie did quite a few things right. From sticking to Mewtwo’s original character type to putting a lot of effort into showing some of the most iconic Pokémon, there were a lot of reasons why this movie did so well. However, no movie is without its flaws, and Detective Pikachu certainly had a few. Some had to do with seeing disturbing Pokémon in a realistic setting, such as Mr. Mime, or having a few odd ends that were never really tied up. We’re here to give you 15 of the best things you can look forward to seeing in Detective Pikachu, and 15 of the worst things you’ll need to brace yourself for. Be warned that there will be spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen the movie this is your chance to turn back now! Don’t forget to tell us what you thought in the comment section.
30 Best: The Lead Character
Justice Smith did an excellent job playing his role - in fact, we really found him relatable. His acting wasn’t overblown or dramatic like many of the other actors in the film. And, because his character seemed more socially awkward than anything, he balanced out Ryan Reynolds perfectly.
Together, they made a really great dynamic duo with loads of comedy to spare. What’s great is that many of the gamers and Pokémon nerds out there probably understand exactly how Tim Goodman is feeling, making it hit home a little more.
29 Worst: Mister Mime
We need an entire entry dedicated to this because Mr. Mime was absolutely frightening. We’re talking the stuff of nightmares. This Pokémon should have never been included in this movie. The Pokémon Company was also incredibly hesitant on the film including one, highly discouraging seeing him in HD.
Compared to some of his other Pokémon pals, Mr. Mime doesn’t translate well to a real world setting, making him even more disturbing to look at. Also, did Tim actually set that poor guy on fire? We never saw what happened to it!
28 Best: The Pokémon
Hands down the reason a majority of the public are going to see Detective Pikachu is because they want to see all their favorite childhood friends come to life. While not every Pokémon was going to make it into the film, since there are so many, the ones we did see were super enjoyable.
Either they were cute and cuddly, like Eevee or Aipom, or they were incredibly cool looking like Mewtwo! We absolutely adored seeing what a fantastic job the animators did.
27 Worst: The Lead Villain
Bill Nighy plays a fantastic villain, so we’re not at all upset with his job playing Howard Clifford. However, this villain doesn’t entirely make a lot of sense in what he’s trying to do.
Specifically because he’s hurting Pokémon to make ends meet, which seems even worse than having actual Pokémon battles and trainers. The tests being run on Mewtwo should have been enough to deter him from evil, so it was a little strange to see him lean into it.
26 Best: Mewtwo
For starters, being able to see a realistic Mewtwo is a serious bonus no matter what. He was fantastically designed and everything we could have hoped for. In fact, even the voice work done for him was eerie, reminding us of the animated version we grew up with.
This Pokémon is a big deal because he’s one of the strongest out there and has a very complex relationship with the humans who made him. If Mewtwo had been done wrong, this movie would have been a whole different experience.
25 Worst: Jack Never Showing Up Again
Karan Soni is a fun actor and it was really sad to see his character completely disappear. In the beginning, we’re to believe that Jack is a close friend of Tim who’s really concerned that leaving the town will somewhat abandon him.
But Jack never comes up again and we never see what happens to him or his relationship to Tim. Since our lead never goes back to his hometown and doesn’t seem to keep in contact with anyone, we simply don’t know what happened.
24 Best: Ryan Reynolds/Detective Pikachu
You had to have known this was coming; Ryan Reynolds did a fantastic job as Detective Pikachu, it’s ridiculous. If you played the original game, we’re almost positive you wouldn’t have thought of him for this role. But after seeing just the promos alone, it looked like a match made in heaven.
The original Pikachu from the animated series always had a huge attitude. While the Detective Pikachu from the game series wasn’t all that bad, Reynolds’ take seemed to remind us a lot of that iconic childhood pal. He’s perfectly sarcastic, humorous and all around snuggly as everyone’s favorite Pokémon mascot.
23 Worst: Did Tim Ever Even Get His Own Pokémon?
The whole point of Tim’s involvement with Detective Pikachu was to find his father, Harry. When he discovers that the Pikachu he’s been talking to this entire time is actually the dad he’s looking for, we see a different take on the story. Instead of finding a partner in Pokémon, he found a partner in the estranged father he’d been looking for.
While that’s exceptionally touching, it still seems sad that Tim didn’t really bond with a Pokémon along the way. Especially considering it was his childhood dream to become a trainer, it would have been nice to see him relate with a partner of his own.
22 Best: Wardrobe And Soundtrack
For those who’ve played the games and seen the animated series, you may have noticed a few key direction choices that added a nice touch. Both the outfits that lead characters played and the soundtrack seemed to fit a real world version of the franchise we grew up with.
Especially with characters like Lucy and Tim, they always seemed to be wearing generic clothing that matched the look of plenty of trainers in game. The music also seemed to be inspired by the original soundtrack of countless Pokémon games.
21 Worst: What Happened To The Cubone From The Beginning?
We really need to talk about that adorable Cubone from the beginning of the movie; was he not the absolute cutest? A crying Cubone should never be left alone, but to make matters worse, he was clearly all by himself in the beginning.
This is part of the reason Jack picks him out to be Tim’s new Pokémon partner, but it’s clear that doesn’t last long. We never see what happens to this Cubone again, which is a little disheartening. It would have been cool to see Tim come back to get him and maybe start again with the little guy.
20 Best: Dedication To Pokémon Lore And Pokédex
One reason why video game movies tend to fail is because they don’t stick to the lore or have to create a new storyline that will fit a film audience at large. Fortunately for the world of Pokémon, this shouldn’t be too hard; there’s plenty of information on the world of Pokémon from your handy Pokédex to the animated series.
Throughout the film, there were little bits of information dropped about the various creatures we interacted with. From the Cubone in the beginning, who was wearing his mother’s skull, to Psyduck’s unfortunate headaches, the film did a good job of sticking to the original information.
19 Worst: Lucy's Personality In The Beginning
Kathryn Newton is a great actor, but Lucy Stevens is a totally new character to the Pokémon universe. In the beginning, she seemed a little extra if not unrealistic; in some ways she was acting the way we would have expected a Pokémon villain to behave.
Later on you realize she’s just a tad bit silly in personality, but it’s unfortunate because she is the only female character we really get to interact with. It would have been nice to see the more determined side of Lucy who didn’t have to put on these airs, ruining her character and diminishing the talents of the actor.
18 Best: Lucy's Personality At The End
While Lucy’s introduction is a bit rough, her personality by the end of the film is fantastic. She seems more empowering versus humorous and overblown. Whether this was a director’s choice for character development, we’re not entirely sure.
Seeing Lucy achieve her dream and not be super clingy to Tim is a really nice development not a lot of male-leading movies do for their female roles. The script respected Lucy as her own character with very different ambitions that she could make real herself.
17 Worst: Not A Large Variety In Pokémon Appearances
There was one very disheartening thing about the Pokémon on screen; Ryme City seemed to have a few selective creatures inhabiting it. For a place that prides itself on variety and bettering itself, it seemed to stick to a few species of Pokémon like Pikachu, Growlithe, Aipom and your occasional Snorlax.
The reality is that the animators could only do so much since there’s such a large variety of Pokémon these days. However, it’s still sad to see that some of our beloved ones didn’t make the cut.
16 Best: Seeing Every Original Starter
One thing that did not get cut out of the movie was our original starters; thank you animators for not taking this away! You were able to see all three of the original Kanto starter Pokémon; Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur were all present and accounted for.
While we all may have a favorite Pokémon that may not be one of these three, there will always be a special place in our hearts for them. Seeing them in real life was honestly a real treat.
15 Worst: Where Was Tim's Grandmother?
We got a few tidbits of information on Tim’s background story, most of which was to explain why he and his father were so distant. We see that Tim grew up with his grandmother after the death of his mother. Despite his father asking Tim to live in the city with him, Tim decides that his childhood was better spent with his beloved grandma.
Except, despite her apparent importance, we almost never see this woman outside of flashbacks. Did something happen to her? We may never know.
14 Best: Test Subject Pokémon
The Pokémon laboratory that was testing Mewtwo was absolutely perfect; it gave you all of the creepy feelings you’d expect. What made it even better were the test subject Pokémon that become such an important part of the storyline.
In the original Detective Pikachu game, there are actually quite a few Pokémon being tested on in hopes of bettering society. The evil Greninjas were horrifying and the giant Torterras were incredible to look at. You would think that with a test subject like Mewtwo, nothing else could be nearly as cool, but these Pokémon were awesome!
13 Worst: We've Seen This Plot Before
The plot revolving around a drug that makes creature crazy is not really unheard of. Not only was the R chemical an important factor in the original Detective Pikachu game, so we can’t really blame the creators bringing back for the movie.
However, even the idea of an antagonist having “good intentions” or going too far down the rabbit hole is also a little overdone in the movie industry. This was, by no means, the worst thing to happen to the movie, but it is something we should acknowledge.
12 Best: Psyduck
We’ll be honest, when we saw that a Psyduck was going to be a major factor in this movie, we weren’t too sure. Remember Misty’s Psyduck? The poor thing could never take care of its headaches.
Lucy’s Psyduck is very similar, but it’s incredibly adorable and actually comes in handy. Since a Psyduck is literally a bomb when it gets stressed out, it’s a constant factor Lucy, Tim, and Detective Pikachu have to keep in mind when they go literally anywhere.
11 Worst: Ditto Was Horrifying
Making Ditto a villain was completely unforeseen and incredibly creepy. There was nothing in a thousand years that would make us want to see those tiny beady eyes in a realistic setting, but the creators decided it was necessary.
The interesting thing about Ditto is that he could become a human in the movie; something we never really saw in the games. We see one change into a human in the background, to help Howard move his chair, but never see him up close. When Howard’s fake son takes off his glasses and we’re faced with a smiling nightmare, we just want to cry.