WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Detective Pikachu, in theaters now.
Video game movies, deservedly or not, have a reputation for being the same level of quality as most films. While there are plenty of fan-favorites and guilty pleasures, including the original 1995 Mortal Kombat, the successful Resident Evil franchise, and even 1993's Super Mario Bros., live-action video game adaptations have never historically fared well with professional critics.
Detective Pikachu, though, is poised to break the critical stigma feature films based on video games have developed. Boasting a fresh score from professional critics of 64% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, it is currently the highest rated live-action video adaptation of all time. The movie is the surprisingly refreshing result of bringing Nintendo's longrunning Pokemon franchise to live-action, an incredibly ambitious feat that a href="https://www.cbr.com/detective-pikachu-successfully-brings-the-franchise-into-a-new-dimension/">the filmmakers are able to pull off. But what is it, exactly, that makes Detective Pikachu succeed where so many of its fellow video game movie counterparts failed?
One of the most striking things about the film is how it manages to succeed in maintaining the balance between reverence for its source material and good-naturedly poking fun at some of the more ridiculous elements and tropes from the beloved video game franchise. This is apparent from the film's opening, as friends Tim and Jack attempt to capture a Cubone, pointing to the breed of Pokémon's ridiculous tendency to wear the skull of its dead relatives. By blending the franchise's hallmark of capturing Pokémon while observing peculiarities about several of its classic pocket monsters, the movie strikes a tone that appeals to fans and newcomers alike.
This expands to the film's primary setting of Ryme City, where Pokémon are integrated seamlessly into the bustling metropolis' infrastructure. In a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-style approach, the human residents of Ryme City are completely accustomed to their more fantastical counterparts. Nobody thinks twice about restaurants run by Ludicolos, Machamps serving as crossing guards, and other Pokémon just as real-world pedestrians ignore their cities' pigeons and rats. And just as Roger Rabbit succeeded in blending the real world with cartoons, Detective Pikachu does so, bringing its vast library to photorealistic life in virtually every frame.
OF course, all the fan-service and seamless integration in the world would mean little without grounding the story in genuine emotional investment with its characters. In this sense, Detective Pikachu more than delivers, as details on Tim's background are gradually revealed to the audience. Tim had lost his mother to an undisclosed illness as a child, and her death led to a lengthy estrangement from his father, causing him to move in with his grandmother and abandon his dreams of becoming a Pokemon Trainer. There is a surprising emotional depth to what could have been a lightweight, superficial film, but it's level of pathos keeps the audience invested throughout the story's more over-the-top elements.
The other major advantage Detective Pikachu has is that while it loosely adapts the Nintendo 3DS game Great Detective Pikachu, it doesn't slavishly recreate the source material. There are absolutely story elements from the game that carry over, including Tim and Pikachu teaming up to find Harry, the Pokemon drug R, and the finale with the PokeFloats. But the film changes enough of the story to make is all feel fresh and new while homaging the video games. As a result, the references feel less forced and overt than many other video game films. The movie is more focused on telling its own story, one that uses Great Detective Pikachu as a springboard inspiration rather than a rigid blueprint.
Video game adaptations have not been traditionally well-received by professional critics and, with several exceptions, not been particularly successful at the box office, either. Detective Pikachu breaks that mold by using its video game source material as an inspiration and a well of fan-service without forcing itself into the confines of the game's story or overly relying on references to the franchise to engage the audience. Powered by a genuinely emotionally gripping story to get audiences invested with the characters, the film builds a world around its central story rather than the other way around. And with its overall positive critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, it appears that the film has finally broken the stigma commonly facing video game movies that will hopefully serve as an example for future video game adaptations.
Directed by Rob Letterman from a script written by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, Detective Pikachu stars Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe and the voice of Ryan Reynolds. The film opens Friday in theaters nationwide.