We’ve known Detective Pikachu was coming for some time now, and now we’ve finally got the first trailer for this gritty, live-action, CGI Pokémon movie. As you probably could’ve guessed, the thing looks just about as weird as it sounds.
Detective Pikachu is set in the Tokyo-esque streets of Ryme City, a metropolis seemingly concocted just for the franchise. It follows a failed Pokémon trainer named Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), who’s mysteriously gifted with the power to understand Pikachu, voiced by Ryan Reynolds. As the trailer makes clear, they’ll be teaming up to find out what happened to Tim’s missing cop-turned-private eye dad. Along the way, they fight and interrogate other Pokémon that all look like furry versions of the ones from the anime. Mr. Mime looks particularly disturbing, and seeing Charizard’s CGI incarnation feels like when someone first told you that dinosaurs actually have feathers. The trailer is actually pretty exciting—this thing doesn’t look half bad!—but at the same time, it’s a little uncomfortable to watch for anyone who grew up with this franchise.
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While a petition to make Danny DeVito voice our favorite electric rat never panned out, Reynolds brings his Deadpool-iest dry wit to the role as a highly intelligent Pokémon detective, complete with a tiny, Pikachu-sized Sherlock Holmes hat. If anyone can navigate the uncanny valley between the game that raised a generation and the first ever live action Pokémon film that’s not a joke, it’s him.
Detective Pikachu hits theaters on May 10, 2019.
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