This Pokémon Does More Than Battle

Pokémon has been an obsession for kids young and old for over 20 years. Either you collected Pokémon cards and memorabilia, or you know tons of people who did (or still do!). That obsession is about to reach a fever pitch with the upcoming release of Detective Pikachu, the Pokémon live-action feature film based on the 2016 video game “Great Detective Pikachu.”

Ryan Reynolds stars as the voice of Detective Pikachu, a world-class detective and exceptionally smart Pikachu. Justice Smith (“The Get Down”) and Kathryn Newton (“Big Little Lies”) also join the cast, and the film is directed by Rob Letterman.

Even though Pokémon has been distracting kids from their schoolwork for decades, the franchise took that obsession to a whole new level in 2016 with the release of the mobile app Pokémon Go, which led to a big opportunity for “Detective Pikachu.”

The film centers around a former Pokémon trainer named Tim Goodman, who comes into contact with a talking Pikachu (with a wicked sense of humor) that once belonged to his missing father. The two set off on a journey to track him down, but get a lot more than they bargained for.

So, give in to the infatuation and dive into the world of Pokémon with Detective Pikachu, arriving in theaters Friday, May 10.