It is a pretty odd experience watching a live-action/cgi mixed film about an intellectual property that I don’t know much about, but this film was certainly an enjoyable one even if I am not well-versed in the Pokemon universe.  I thought that the film’s main characters were compelling, as there was family drama aplenty, a decently portrayed awkward love story between two diverse characters, both possibly multi-racial to boot, and even a city portrayed where there was a fellowship between human beings and Pokemon.  Even the concept of Pokemon evolution is one I didn’t have an issue with, as the evolution is clearly non-Darwinian and more the sort of growth that one gets through overcoming challenges and engaging in personal growth.  By and large this was a film where I didn’t know what to expect but found myself pleasantly surprised by the quality of the film.  In fact, the main quibble I had about the film was the way that it was sometimes a bit too obvious what effects were practical effects and which were cgi.  This film has a bit more ambition than it has budget, but it was certainly a far higher quality effort than I expected from something labeled as a kids’ film, that’s for sure.

The plot of this film is pretty straightforward but it is also compelling.  A young man who has given up on his dreams of being a Pokemon trainer and has an estranged relationship with his father is called to Ryme City when his father is reported dead.  When he does, he is met by a sleuthing young reporter looking for her main chance reporting on corruption in the police and political establishment, and quickly the two strike up an alliance.  Also, the young man finds his father’s partner, an amnesiac Pikachu that he can communicate with, and the two strike up a complex alliance that involves a lot of investigations that demonstrate that the young man’s father was involved in some deep negotiations, and after some dramatic scenes, including a fight to save the people of Ryme City from the effects of a dangerous drug that increases the aggressiveness of Pokemon and makes them wild but also possible to merge with human beings, a restoration is provided that proves surprisingly poignant.  The film ends with the possibilities of reconciliation between father and son, the possibility of a new start, and even the possibility of a relationship between the two young leads.  Also, there is a bit of a spoiler and a twist that I think it is worth seeing for oneself.

Is this a good movie for children?  It’s hard to say.  In general one of the issues I have had with Pokemon is the way that it tends to involve a great deal of enslavement of animals and their use for the personal amusement of people who are making a terribly low income themselves and thus find themselves in the awkward position of being both exploited and exploiters simultaneously.  This film does a good job at pointing towards a future for the Pokemon universe where there can be genuine collaboration between people and Pokemon, and that is definitely one of the more interesting aspects of this movie.  I would have liked to have seen more resolution in the romance between the two leads, but they are awfully young, perhaps even younger the characters they are playing as, and perhaps the makers of the film just didn’t want to deal with the difficulties of straining the capabilities of the young leads in order to have them deal with establishing a solid romantic relationship.  As it is, Ryan Reynolds definitely steals the show here, making him a compelling actor in this sort of franchise.  Perhaps we might see more where this film is coming from.