Raise your hand if, before today, you couldn’t picture how Warner Bros.’ Detective Pikachu film could possibly work. I mean, Pokémon flick mixing CGI and live-action, with Ryan Reynolds voicing everyone’s favorite yellow electrocuting rat who also solves crimes? Yes, I am raising my hand. And now that the trailer has dropped, I’ll be the first to admit that it looks better than I ever could have imagined.
The story begins when private detective Harry Goodman goes missing under mysterious circumstances, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) to investigate his disappearance. It just so happens that Harry’s former partner is a Pokémon (Detective Pikachu, duh) who hilariously has Ryan Reynolds’ wise-cracking voice, though most people only hear him exclaiming, “Pika Pika!” repeatedly. Luckily, Tim can hear Pikachu’s actual voice, which contains oodles of Reynolds’ trademark snark, though with an added dose of family-friendly sincerity.
The setting is Ryme City, a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon co-exist in a hyper-realistic live-action world. The movie promises to showcase your favorite Pokémon characters as Tim and Detective Pikachu uncover a shocking secret that could destroy the harmonious balance between humans and the entire Pokémon universe.
The movie also stars Kathryn Newton (Lady Bird) as Lucy, a junior reporter, and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe (Godzilla, The Last Samurai) as Lt. Yoshida. It’s directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Monsters Vs. Aliens).
Pokémon Detective Pikachu aims to capture your heart (and dollars) when it hits theaters on May 10, 2019. Check out the trailer, complete with good-80’s-movie vibes, below.
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