Detective Pikachu

As a child of the 90's, the word Pokemon has been a part of my vocabulary for decades.
Not only that, but Ryan Reynolds has been a part of every era of movies I've been watching. 
That meant I had to see Detective Pikachu, the new film combining these two things in one potentially adorable and action packed ride.
Twenty-one-year-old Tim finds out his father has died in a suspicious and fiery crash, and only a Pikachu partner can help solve the mystery.

How did this movie make me feel?
I'm not sure what I expected walking in - something funny, child-friendly, and heartwarming.  What I got was...close. I walked out of this movie glad I'd seen it, but I also forgot about it a few hours later.

The Positives:
I wasn't a huge Pokemon fan - I had the Gameboy Blue game, but I never got into the cards. Because of this, I didn't know a lot of the names of the pokemon. This never seemed to be a problem, and I had a great time. 

The acting - Ryan Reynolds is always fantastic. There's something about his irreverent humor that goes well with everything. Even as a fluffy, CGI pikachu he's cracking jokes and adorable.  I have to admit that the pokemon were my favorite part of the film, not the humans. Justice Smith won me over eventually with his heart.

The story - Pokemon make things unique. The story isn't technically anything new - a parent dies, the child follows the clues to solve the mystery, all is not as it seems. I've been watching a lot of detective movies lately, so I had the ending pegged pretty early on, but there was still a twist or two I didn't see coming that made it fun. The ending was sweet and touching, and it tugged at all the heart strings.

I wasn't sure if this was for adults or for kids, but I will throw out that Pikachu says a few curse words and adult jokes, so if that makes you uncomfortable for your kids, don't go.
However, if you're comfortable, it's very bright and colorful - kids will love how fun it is.
There are also a few scary Pokemon, but unless you have a very sensitive kiddo, you should be fine.

The Negatives:
The acting - Lucy. Wow. I don't even know how to begin. I'm not sure if her character was just poorly written, if the director rushed a few of her earlier scenes, or what, but I was instantly antagonized by Lucy's character. She rubbed me the wrong way in all manners. She felt forced, silly, and shallow. I didn't see Tim's attraction to her, but I liked her psyduck.

The story - There were a few moments where the story lagged and my mind started to wander. I think they could have tightened it up as opposed to throwing in pointless scenes (and especially Lucy scenes) for the sake of scenes. However, this may go over better with true fans who love everything Pokemon.

The Rating:
2.5 feathers

Final Verdict:
If you love Pokemon, Ryan Reynolds, or silly fun, go see Detective Pikachu. If you're lukewarm on any of these things, wait for Netflix.
If you have kids, be aware that there's cursing and some adult humor coming from Pikachu. While the jokes will go over your kids' heads, the cursing likely won't. If you're sensitive to that, you've been warned.