10s Movie Review - Detective Pikachu

Director: Rob Letterman
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Science Fiction/ Action
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Chris Geere, Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora
Description: In a world where people collet Pokémon to do battle, Tim (Justice Smith) comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) who seeks to be a detective.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 27: A FILM WITH RYAN REYNOLDS
 
Review: Many generations have grown up with Pokémon. Millions of people around the world watched the popular anime series, played the games, collected the cards and enjoyed the movies. The brand grew into one of the biggest entertainment products in the world. I was never a Pokémon girlie. So, when “Detective Pikachu” was released, I was not really interested. I decided to watch it anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised. Because it’s such a fun film.

In this film, Ryan Reynolds voices the Pokémon Pikachu, who teams up with Tim Goodman (played by Justice Smith), to investigate the disappearance of Tim’s father. Tim can actually communicate with Pikachu, much to the surprise of the both of them. The unlikely duo embarks on an adventure in a colorful world where Pokémon live alongside humans, leading to the most absurd situations.

Reynolds is entertaining as the voice of Pikachu. Where the idea of Pikachu having the voice of Reynolds sounds silly, it works really well. And the world director Rob Letterman builds looks really good too. Everywhere you look, you see details from the Pokémon universe. For the target audience, the Pokémon fans, that must be enough for them to enjoy this film.

Me, not a Pokémon enthusiast, really loved this film. It was funny, action-packed, adventurous and I really liked seeing all these Pokémon coming to live in this live-action movie. So for the fans, this would probably have an ever better effect.

Rating: 4 / 5

20s Movie Review - Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Genre: Fantasy/ Adventure/ Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 134 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page

Description: A charming thief (Chris Pine) and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they tun afoul of the wrong people.

Review: After a theft that went wrong, Edgin and Holga try to get their lives back on track. This is harder than expected, as one of their friends seems to have betrayed them. To set things right and prove himself to his daughter, Edgin joins Holga and other magical misfits on an epic adventure full of bizarre monsters and plans that don’t always go according to plan.

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is a blockbuster the way we know them: special effects, action spectacle, funny main characters and an okay story. Yet the film distinguishes itself by cleverly making fun of both the game on which it is based on and the fantasy genre. The simplicity of the story and characters are also a definite plus.

Although a wide audience can enjoy this film, fans of the original game are rearded. Many typical things from the game occur: spells, failed plans and unnecessarily long backstories give the film a fairly authentic tone. But the writers took some creative liberties and this worked really well.

The magical side of the world where the story takes place is used in the craziest way. It gives the film a refreshing quirkiness. Aside from the CGI, there are also lots of practical effects and remarkable costumes.

“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” makes for a great viewing experience, which I now wished I had seen in the cinema. A strong cast portraying fun characters, and enjoyable world and setting with an entertaining story. A movie I will definitely rewatch at some point.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - All the Bright Places

Director: Brett Haley
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Luke Wilson, Keegan-Michael Key, Kelli O’Hara

Description: The story of Violet (Elle Fanning) and Theodore (Justice Smith), who meet and change each other’s lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 10: A TEEN MOVIE

Review: We follow Violet, who is dealing with the loss of her sister, who died in a car accident. She meets Theodore Finch, who is also struggling with himself for yet unknown reasons. They have to work together for a school project, where they have to find the most meaningful and beautiful places in Indiana, where they live.
When they meet, Violet is at her worst. Finch helps Violet’s process her sister’s death and it even feels like he becomes her mentor. But Finch’s situation worsened.
If you can appreciate “The Fault in Our Stars’, you will also enjoy this film. “All the Bright Places” shows us in a beautiful wat how two teenagers deal with mental health issues and which effects this has on themselves, their relationships and the people around them. A pretty heavy theme, but the film has plenty of cheerful and light moments.
“All the Bright Places” is a good romantic drama, that doesn’t shy away from heavy topics. But it’s still not daring enough. Although it’s easy to relate to both characters, it’s not completely clear what Finch is struggling with the most and why he is the way he is. I feel like Violet’s character was more in-depth. And there is one character, Amanda, one of Violet’s friends, who has a small subplot that is so thrown in there that it’s really hard to care. When you really want to care, but it’s so out of the blue. And it doesn’t really serve a purpose.
Like I said before, you will probably like it if you enjoyed films like “The Fault in Our Stars”. And it is a pretty good teen drama with a good change that you will shed a tear.

Rating: 3 / 5