Written by an ass-ton of people and directed by Rob Letterman
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton
Runtime: 1 hour and 44 minutes
MPAA rating: PG for action/peril, some rude and suggestive humor, and thematic elements.

by Deborah Krieger

I was never a Pokémon master. I didn’t play the video games (except for about a day’s worth of Pokémon Go hunting), and I was more interested in the Kids’ WB Yu-Gi-Oh! offerings than the adventures of Ash, Misty, and Brock. I did collect the cards with my brother; I’m pretty sure I still have a shiny original Vaporeon in a binder in my childhood bedroom. So while I’m definitely not the precise target demographic for Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, I’m familiar enough with the lore and the world-building to understand the strange beauty of a Pikachu with the voice of Deadpool, and to be entranced by a world where Pokémon look and feel like real better-than-pets you could live with. (Even if I was initially put off by the idea of such a fluffy-furred Pikachu.)