Warner Bros. knows that people are anxiously awaiting Detective Pikachu, so the studio hit Pokémon fans with a trollish treat. A complete version of the film is available to watch on YouTube now, but while it’s labeled like an illegal rip of the movie — or the innumerable scams that try to lure naïve users by promising offsite illegal rips of movies — it’s not exactly the Detective Pikachu fans were expecting.
Warner Bros. trolls Detective Pikachu fans with a fake YouTube leak of the whole movie
This isn’t the Pikachu we asked for, but he’s the one we deserve
This isn’t the Pikachu we asked for, but he’s the one we deserve
This version of Detective Pikachu is a surprising, jovial, and ridiculous jaunt. It’s less Detective Pikachu and more Dancing Queen Pikachu. Star Ryan Reynolds doesn’t have a noticeable role in this 100-minute film, although his name does appear in the corner of the screen, making the film appear like a leaked personal screener. (He also tweeted the “leak” out himself.) Frankly, Warner Bros.’ joke Detective Pikachu movie feels like one of the most avant-garde films since Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster.
Not to go overboard with praise for this silly take on Detective Pikachu so early in the day, but what more do Pokémon fans want from this cruel world? It’s literally an hour and a half of Pikachu dancing to ’80s workout music. It’s fine art, an Oscar-worthy production. It’s the perfect example of the emotional reaction CGI is capable of giving viewers when proper time and care is provided. Someone should show this to Game of Thrones director David Nutter and take him to task for not letting Jon Snow pet Ghost goodbye.
The actual Detective Pikachu will be released worldwide this Friday.
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