Pokémon Detective Pikachu Trailer (2019)

Trailer for Pokémon Detective Pikachu, starring Ryan Reynolds, Suki Waterhouse, Bill Nighy, Kathryn Newton and Rita Ora.

The world of Pokemon comes to life!

The first-ever live-action Pokemon movie, "POKEMON Detective Pikachu” stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular character in the first-ever live-action movie based on the iconic face of the global Pokemon brand -- one of the world's most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and most successful media franchises of all time.

Fans everywhere can now experience Pikachu on the big screen as never before, as a talking detective Pikachu, a Pokemon like no other. The film also showcases a wide array of beloved Pokemon characters, each with its own unique abilities and personality.

The story begins when ace private eye Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith) to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokemon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City -- a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokemon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world -- they encounter a diverse cast of Pokemon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokemon universe.

After convincing a wide (age) range of Millennials to depart their parents' basements and make their way outside with the help of a mobile game, Nintendo knew they had seen a sort of rebirth for their Pokemon franchise. So much so that the gaming company decided to do something they have only done once before. Allow a live-action movie to be made! The only other time Nintendo has allowed this is with the 1993 release of Super Mario Bros.

A number of fans signed a petition hoping Danny Devito would voice Pikachu, but the part went to Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds.

Not sure why or how this works, but there is something about the first trailer for Pokemon Detective Pikachu that has our attention, And, no, it's not the fact that Ryan Reynolds is providing the title character's voice. It definitely helps, but not the primary reason.

I mean, could this video adaptation actually be good? That would be an achievement in itself and, while this franchise has a strong gaming community, would that carry over to strong ticket sales? Let's not even begin to guess on how the reviews can be.

And, even with the first trailer's longer than expected running time, it is definitely more of a teaser, focusing on an extended introductory opening followed by only a couple quick clips. Going to have to reserve our opinions for the second showing.