Pokémon Detective Pikachu

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2:23

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

PG

Released May 10, 2019

1h 44m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

317 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

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Critics Consensus

Pokémon Detective Pikachu may not take its wonderfully bizarre premise as far as it could have, but this offbeat adaptation should catch most -- if not all -- of the franchise's fans.

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

It's a delight for fans to see how immersive this world actually feels.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 10, 2020

Full Review

Justin Chang

FilmWeek (LAist)

I found this weirdly diverting... It's a counterintuitive fit for this character, and I kind of liked that about it.

Sep 28, 2019

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Pretty well-done, and when it got to the end, the bits that are meant to tug on your heart strings twitch the very top register...

May 22, 2019

Full Review

Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

Despite some hiccups Pokémon: Detective Pikachu can’t seem to overcome, there are moments when the film truly soars...

Jul 14, 2024

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

For hardcore fans, it might be everything you’ve ever wished for, but for fans of the 2000s Pokémon, who stopped following the franchise (...) the numerous Easter Eggs and references might not be enough to overcome the undeniable narrative issues.

Rated: B-

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

Ash Jefferson

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Detective Pikachu is a great time that is well worth watching in the theater if for nothing more than it’s gorgeous visuals. It’s a film that you can take the whole family to and everyone will find something to enjoy.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 22, 2023

Full Review

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Terry G

it was a live action pokemon film, could have been much better. heres hope for a legend of zelda film at some point.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/22/22

Full Review

Xavier

such nostalgia ,loved it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/04/22

Full Review

Steven

Really dumb kids movie. Visual effects were nice though.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/28/22

Full Review

Emily B

Worst. Acting. Ever.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

Full Review

Blu B

It's Not Bad. It's probably the best Theatrical Pokemon Movie ever made for what it's worth. There's always been two problems with these films. The fact they assume you already know all the characters AND know what Pokemon is going into it. This solves...half of that problem. It defeintely assumes you know what Pokemon are beforehand but it introduces characters in a traditional fashion. The cinematography is actually good here. The CGI designs are nice, it's bright and colorful, plenty of action, and the direction is pretty good. It reminds me of Blade Runner sometimes visually. Everything else isn't that bad here. The characters are kind of bland and generic including the bad guy but Reynolds is solid and the best thing here. He's got energy and charm and it never feels weird seeing a Pokemon talk. This has a very odd tone in terms of genre mixing. This is a Buddy Detective/Cop type of plot mixed with a Sci-Fi type of family adventure with Pokemon and a hint of Neo Noir. The plot is suprisngly complicated and honestly it kind of got a little hard to follow at the end but also got kind of mindless too. It's a Pokemon Movie so it ends still how you think it will for what it's worth. But it's fun, it's respectful to the source material, and a very original idea. It just needed to maybe better explain Pokemon better and make it more accessible. Like Battles, evolution, and all they just expect you to know that going in. That or either making more interesting characters would've helped too. But anyone who is a fan of Pokemon or any actors in this should check this out.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/25

Full Review

Conor P

It's awesome fantastic superb

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/25

Full Review

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Rob Letterman

Director

Ryan Reynolds

Detective Pikachu

Justice Smith

Tim Goodman

Kathryn Newton

Lucy Stevens

Bill Nighy

Howard Clifford

Ken Watanabe

Lieutenant Hide Yoshida

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Pokémon Detective Pikachu: Trailer 2

2:23

Pokémon Detective Pikachu: Trailer 1

2:21

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Synopsis

Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

Director: Rob Letterman
Producer: Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Hidenaga Katakami, Don McGowan
Screenwriter: Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Rob Letterman, Derek Connolly
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Legendary Pictures, Toho Company Ltd.
Rating: PG (Some Rude and Suggestive Humor|Action/Peril|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 10, 2019, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $144.1M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, SDDS, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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