After some initial skepticism about the outlandish concept of a Ryan Reynolds-voiced crime-solving Pikachu, audiences seem to be coming around to Detective Pikachu in a big way. Test screenings have been very positive and Legendary are so confident that they’ve begun planning for a live-action Pokémon cinematic universe featuring a movie about Mewtwo and an adaptation of the classic original games Pokémon Red and Blue.
Now, the latest Detective Pikachu TV spot, which aired during the NFC Championships on Sunday night, seems to have gone down very well with audiences. Taking to Twitter, below you can find just a sampling of what folks are saying, with all of the reactions being very positive.
Detective Pikachu looks like the greatest movie ever
— Austin Hirdning (@Austin_Hirdning) January 20, 2019
Just saw a real and actual commercial for Detective Pikachu like on tv amidst regular programming, and I just want to say.
I'm actually very excited for it and I wanna see it in theaters, lmao.
— yokaiy (@yoYokaiy) January 20, 2019
That #DetectivePikachu spot was magic and I want my own Snubble.
— Jonny Ram (@JonnyRamRVA) January 20, 2019
did wr jst get a new #DetectivePikachu trailer during football……. bc not gonna lie im even more excited for this movie!!
— HAL 9000 🍁 (@tamamizumori) January 20, 2019
did wr jst get a new #DetectivePikachu trailer during football……. bc not gonna lie im even more excited for this movie!!
— HAL 9000 🍁 (@tamamizumori) January 20, 2019
DID YOU HEAR THAT SNARL.
LOOK AT THAT PRECIOUS FACE LMAO
MY LITTLE CULITO IS ADORBS 😭#DetectivePikachu I WANT HIM NOW pic.twitter.com/8niymg0E5C— MEGA XANIA (@XaniaTheWitch) January 20, 2019
These and the many comments like them will be music to the ears of Legendary Pictures, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. After all, 2019’s shaping up to be a huge year for the franchise. Not only do we have Detective Pikachu, but there’s the Japanese-made (sort of) remake of The First Pokémon Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, new events in the still massive Pokémon Go and the launch of a brand new mainline Pokémon RPG for Nintendo Switch, confirmed to drop sometime in late 2019.
It seems as if the companies involved are trying to push Pokémon beyond its traditional video game and anime audience towards more mainstream acceptance. As weird as the concept for Detective Pikachu is, it also seems like its going to attract a number of Ryan Reynolds’ fans who might not necessarily be into the franchise, and if the plans to launch its own cinematic universe pan out, then there’s no shortage of material in the mangas, anime or games to adapt for the big screen.
Let’s just hope Detective Pikachu can be the film to finally break the curse of terrible video game movies. After all, it’s been 26 years since Super Mario Bros: The Movie flopped into cinemas and there’s been nothing genuinely good since. Can this upcoming release be the first to buck the trend? We’ll find out on May 10th.
Published: Jan 22, 2019 06:29 pm