«Pokémon: Detective Pikachu»: electrifying nostalgia

Cinema Wednesdays - Melisa Oriol

Although the film's story isn't the one we know with Sasha, Pierre and Ondine, Rob Letterman succeeds with gentleness and humor in taking us back to our younger years in a universe full of Pokémons.

Surrounded by children, I sat apprehensively in the cinema to see Pokémo: Detective Pikachu. How could this global phenomenon be adapted, what's more, without the famous Sasha? And yet, it only took a few minutes for the film to take me back to my earliest childhood. Of course, the whole story revolves around Pikachu. Pikachu, who is sometimes angry, sometimes depressed but often hyper-optimistic, is a detective trying to find out what happened to his partner Harry Goodman (Ryan Reynolds).

Memories, memories

Together with the latter's son, Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), the two sidekicks investigate. In the course of the story, we discover, in the town of Ryme City, a Mackogneur who takes care of traffic, a Ronflex who blocks traffic because of a little nap, or a Rondoudou who puts people to sleep in a karaoke bar: all elements that can't fail to bring a smile to our faces.

If the children in the audience enjoyed the film, the «adults» were not to be outdone. The film is entertaining and funny, but it also makes numerous nods to viewers who grew up surrounded by Pokémon and, as ten-year-olds, enthusiastically got up on Saturday mornings and watched an episode of Pokémon on TV, eyes still wide asleep. And so, in just a few sentences and sequences, the references cleverly emerge. Perhaps the most enjoyable is the sequence in which Pikachu, saddened for reasons I won't divulge, starts humming the theme music from the cartoon's first season. It was a burst of nostalgic joy and humming that seized the older members of the audience.

A neat visual

Nor are the visuals neglected. The Pokémons are made with great finesse and detail, and we're almost tempted to stroke Pikachu's coat, so lifelike is it, or even Dracaufeu's scales. The images of the city are reminiscent of Blade Runner than Avatar or Sherlock Holmes; absolutely everything helps to immerse us in this very special world, where Pokémons and trainers live in harmony. It seems almost natural to see these little creatures walking alongside human actors. The American-Japanese collaboration is strongly evident in the different moods through which the film evolves.

Even if the story is a bit clichéd, and at the same time attempts to restore the image of a father in the eyes of his son, it's really the world that the film focuses on, and it does so brilliantly. It's hard to come back to reality, such is the pleasure of the past. I left the screening with a childlike look and smile on my face. Whether you're a fan of the first generation or the last, this film is sure to bring you together. together for victory.

Write to the author: melisa-orl@hotmail.com

Photo credit: © Legendary and Warner Bros.