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Ryan Reynolds stars as the adorable title of the family-friendly comedy action 'Pokemon Detective Pikachu,' based in the hit video games.
USA TODAY

Your feelings about "Pokemon: Detective Pikachu" probably hinge on if you can tell a Squirtle from a Bulbasaur. No? Then you might not care about Jigglypuff.

Director Rob Letterman's family-friendly action comedy dives deep into the wildly popular video-game franchise to craft a team-up mystery amid a landscape full of wild, vibrating creatures who coexist with workaday folks, so much so Ripped Off Roger Rabbit? "" Detective Pikachu "(★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ y dude – even if the near-black private-eye tale is rather uninspired on the whole.

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Tim (Justice Smith, left), Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) and Lucy (Kathryn Newton) are on the box in "Pokemon: Detective Pikachu." (Photo: WARNER BROS.)

Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) is a Pokemon Trainer – in short, who who catches a lovable monster to engage in battles against other Pokemon – who now works in the world of insurance. After receiving the news that his estranged cop father Harry has died, Tim travels to Ryme City, an Asian-influenced, "Blade Runner" -lite metropolis built by billionaire Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy) as a bustling town where humans and Pokemon-kind live in peace.

As Harry goes to get his dad's affairs in order, he finds Harry's Pokemon partner Pikachu and played by Reynolds and learn not only can he understand the java-addicted furry guy in a deerstalker cap but Harry could not be as deceased as previously thought. Pikachu is nursing a nasty bit of amnesia himself, and the odd couple Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) to solve the case, which also involves the mysterious escape of a genetically engineered Pokemon called Mewtwo .

"Detective Pikachu" nicely blends live-action elements with the computer-generated Pokemon. There's a lot of interaction between Tim and Pikachu, and there's a lot of Pokemon partners, like Lucy and her very weird Psyduck or Detective Yoshida (Ken Watanabe) and his Canine Snubbull. The story, however, is pretty convoluted and predictable – it's a good idea to have a good time with an unlikely gumshoe.

More, "Detective Pikachu" does not really explain how to have a relationship with a Pokemon or where they go about it. These colorful and weird beasts – Pokemon is short for "Pocket Monsters," by the way – are a joy to see just kind of hanging out and bopping around, and it's impossible to catch them all.

Pikachu is like the supreme A-lister of this creature crowd and he's an adorable hoot. The film sings when Pikachu is running afoul of an irked Charizard, interacting with the unnerved Tim – he 's almost a Poke – straight man at times – or playing the world' s cutest sleuth. Reynolds' voice has a natural that electrifies Pikachu's personality, though there's also a heartwarming stamp that will make you love him more, if that's possible.

While the pint-sized Sherlock gives "Detective Pikachu" heart and soul, the rest of the film lacks its title character's verve.

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