Detective Pikachu already appears on course to establish a series of astounding firsts if early impressions are any indication. With critic reviews, too, now steadily coming in, the bigger picture forming suggests that Pokémon’s first foray into live-action is likely to be the best cinematic adaptation of a video game franchise yet. Of course, competition for that award is hardly fierce, but all the parties involved with bringing Pikachu and co. to life on the big screen can quite rightly give themselves a pat on the back for committing to such a faithful adaptation.
Retaining the iconography of beloved video game characters and worlds for the transition into film should be a straightforward concept, of course, but it’s a recurring mistake that Hollywood, even now, still falls prey to. One need only peruse early fan reactions to Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog redesign to discern that much. Thankfully, however, it’s just one beloved 90s icon that cinema is going to ruin in 2019, as Warner Bros. has managed to hit the coveted sweet spot.
Of course, not until post-release will we truly know how financially successful Detective Pikachu has been at the box office, but that hasn’t stopped a certain star of the film from contemplating the series’ potential future. Speaking to ComicBook.com in a recent interview, Ryan Reynolds voiced his genuine surprise over the fact that Pokéfans have had to wait over two decades for the first live-action Pokémon film to surface, especially when taking into account the depth of its world.
“I’m surprised this hasn’t been developed earlier because it is such a universe, says Reynolds, adding that it’s clear as day to see the fledgeling franchise “going in all kinds of different directions” in the future. As for which avenues Reynolds believes could be explored next, his answer is a suitably vague “it could go anywhere,” though he does add that if both he and co-star Justice Smith are “lucky enough to be making a bunch of these, I think you’ve got to take some deep dives. You’ve also got to zig when everyone thinks you’re going to zag. That starts with story and making it current and fun.”
What the future does bring, we’ll just have to wait and see, but for now, it’s Detective Pikachu that deserves the spotlight. Roll on May 10th.