Detective Pikachu (2019)

[Henry88]

Pokemon May Be Taking A Huge Step Forward Towards A Live Action Reboot, Here’s What We’ve Heard
http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1533820 ... weve-heard

[mr.negativity]

"It's like 'Harry Potter' and 'Rocky.'"


The character was introduced in the "Great Detective Pikachu" video game earlier this year.



James Stumbo and Kevin Norton pleaded guilty to bringing weapons and ammunition to the 2015 Pokémon World Championships in Boston.

[mr.negativity]

[mr.negativity]

[Benjamin Haines]

^ The last Legendary production to move from Universal to WB was Kong: Skull Island. Clearly this can only mean that Detective Pikachu is set in the Monsterverse.

[Dai]

[mr.negativity]

[lhb412]

I think their decision to pretty much exclusively adapt Japanese pop culture properties into major Hollywood motion pictures... might actually work and pay off?! Like, in a big way?

Anime and video games held the same pop culture place with 90s and 2000's kids that DC and Marvel Comics did in generations before.

[jellydonut25]

[TerranigmaFreak]

That was Pokemon.

[klen7]

i am definitely down for this.

[Benjamin Haines]

The Pokemon franchise has always had a lot of potential for a iive-action film format. It looks like they've hit upon a solid premise here for a monster-filled family comedy, rather than just adapting the classic video game/TV anime premise of a Pokemon trainer embarking on a journey to collect Pokemon and win gym badges to compete in the big tournament. I was wondering how they would make this premise work when they announced Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu but having one kid who can inexplicably understand Pikachu is a brilliant hook. I'm looking forward to this and I'm glad WB and Legendary have taken a shine to adapting Japanese entertainment properties as big-budget Hollywood films.

[lhb412]

^ They could always try to adapt a more traditional Pokemon story, capturing and training and competing in tournaments and whatnot - later. I think the choice of Detective Pikachu is something of a masterstroke; introduce the world of Pokemon while telling a self-contained, easy to grasp story in one movie. Likewise, I can't help but feel that when Legendary makes their Gundam movie it should be something like 08 MS team, a side story that is easy to understand and can be wrapped up quickly. If people respond to that one then they could get into adapting the Char vs. Amuro stuff.

[Benjamin Haines]

I didn't dive far into the Gundam franchise as a kid. I just saw the occasional episode of Gundam Wing or Mobile Suit Gundam on Toonami and I never wrapped my head around the lore enough to get drawn further in. I am definitely down to check out a Gundam film adaptation from WB and Legendary.

I'm sure there will eventually be a chorus of fans clamoring to see this Gundam film franchise merged with the Monsterverse just like the calls for a Pacific Rim crossover. Instead of biting off more than they can chew with the Monsterverse, which is already working just fine unlike most recent attempts at cinematic universes, I hope WB and Legendary realize that a live-action Pokemon film franchise has enough potential for spinoffs and sequels and character crossovers to make for a de facto cinematic universe unto itself. Retrofitting the brand into a detective caper is a great way to break the ice and they could follow it up with virtually anything else: the traditional Pokemon trainer quest; a workplace comedy/medical drama set at a busy Pokemon Center; a Team Rocket movie that's like Suicide Squad for the whole family; a horror-tinged paranormal mystery set in Lavender Town; a riff on star musician biopics starring Jigglypuff. There are so many possibilities if they play their cards right and make sure the movies are actually good.

[Henry88]

a super high-quality version of the trailer
https://we.tl/t-rkPKwPtDuA

[mr.negativity]

'Detective Pikachu' Sequel in the Works With '22 Jump Street' Writer (Exclusive)

[mr.negativity]

[Benjamin Haines]

This looks like a blast.

I remember the whole Poke-Mania that swept America in the late '90s. It peaked with the release of Pokemon: The First Movie in November 1999, with Burger King offering a slew of merchandise and hosting "Pokemon Night" every Tuesday for kids to gather and trade the cards and toys. Between that and Godzilla, I learned that Japan had a knack for great monster-based entertainment.

[lhb412]

^ and the marketing for this movie has done a great job of targeting both kids and all the adults that grew up at the height of the Pokemon craze. I really think that shot of Mewtwo in that second trailer sold a bunch of tickets!

[Benjamin Haines]

It's really impressive how the Pokemon franchise is still thriving after 20 years. I stopped watching the TV show in late 2000 and I didn't play the video games past the second generation (Gold/Silver/Crystal) but the Pokemon franchise has continually managed to connect with the newest generation of kids, again and again. As quickly and as massively as its popularity spread in the late '90s, Pokemon could have easily ended up as a generational flash-in-the-pan, something that modern kids would look at skeptically and wonder why their parents think it's so cool. I guess maybe the fact that people grow out of keeping up with the franchise instead of remaining lifelong devotees is what allows the next generation to claim it as their own.

[mr.negativity]

[Benjamin Haines]

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is funny, wondrous and heartfelt, exactly what a live-action Pokemon movie should be. My friends brought their little daughter to our showing and she wore her Pokemon shirt and hat. She loved the movie as much as the rest of us so it is definitely fun for the whole family. The theater was filled with kids and there was a lot of laughter throughout, although there were a couple of boys who ran around impatiently during some of the dialogue scenes. It all reminded me of going to see the animated Pokemon: The First Movie on the big screen back in 1999, right down to the Pokemon cards that came with our tickets!

Visually, the film brings the world of Pokemon to life and just immerses you in it, much like the Speed Racer movie but with a lot less green screen and more sets. Most of the more prominently featured Pokemon are ones that first-generation fans like me will recognize but even the ones I didn't know before (Greninja and Torterra) are utilized to great effect.

[klen7]

Caught this today on account of the weekend basically getting rained out. Decent enough story, the Pokemon that get screen time are all impressive to behold. I'd be game for a sequel.

[Baltan II]

It was fun, enjoyable, a bit nostalgic (weird to say for a franchise I've never actually dropped, but still), and I'd watch plenty more movies like this. Also, hey, definitely does not suffer from the video game movie curse.

[jellydonut25]

In a weird way, I'm more excited for this than anything for the next several weeks aside from Godzilla. I feel like I just know what I'm getting into with John Wick, and Dark Phoenix looks blah, and I also know what I'm getting into with Toy Story 4...but this...this is an enigma to me and I'm curious and excited to check it out because of that.