US / JAP
2019
1hr 44mins
Dir: Rob Letterman
Starring: Omar Chaparro and Kathryn Newton
In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective
This 3D live-action/computer-animated mystery (!) is really bizarre. Based on the Pokémon franchise, the film is a loose adaptation of the 2016 video game Detective Pikachu, yet despite its idiosyncrasies and apparent selective fanbase, it proved to be surprisingly successful. It is also surprising to see that the film features some UK trains, in this case London Overground Class 378 ‘Capitalstar’ EMU’s crossing Shoreditch High Street in scenes that are heavily remastered through computer regeneration.