Screengrab: YouTube
The first trailer for the upcoming live action Pokémon movie Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is here and I’ve never gone from not caring about a movie to absolutely needing to see it so fast in my whole life.The movie stars Ryan Reynolds, who voices an adorable Pikachu in a detective hat that can communicate with its human pal Tim Goodman, portrayed by Justice Smith. Everyone else in the movie’s world hears the typical squeaky “pika pika” out of Pikachu, but Goodman hears Reynold’s dulcet tones.In the 2016 game that the movie is adapted from, the pair team up to solve the mystery of Goodman’s missing father, but I don’t care about that right now, because I’m so taken with the visuals. I never thought I’d want a Pokémon movie to strike a dark tone, but Pokémon: Detective Pikachu looks a little gritty in a way that makes everything look strangely realistic. The scales on Charizard, the hair on Pikachu, and the flesh of Mr. Mime all pop to life on the screen in a way that’s both amazing and, according to some, disturbing. This is a world that looks like something out of Blade Runner and, honestly, it’s perfect.If we’re very lucky, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu could be another Who Framed Roger Rabbit.Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.