'Detective Pikachu' Footage Reaction: How Are We So Excited For This Movie? [CinemaCon 2019]

Pokémon is a worldwide video game phenomenon, so there was always going to be excitement when a live-action film adaptation came to theaters. But we're a little flabberghasted that the first attempt at bringing the Nintendo video game franchise to life in this fashion is in the form of Detective Pikachu. Even more shocking is the fact that the trailers we've seen so far have been absolutely fantastic, making even the biggest naysayers curious about how this movie will turn out.

Thankfully, /Film's own Peter Sciretta and Ben Pearson are attending CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and a bunch of new Detective Pikachu footage was shown to the crowd. So does the movie really have the goods to entertain general audiences? Does Ryan Reynolds make for the best Pokémon ever? Find out what our team thought of the sneak peek below.

In an extended clip of the interrogation scene with Mr. Mime, Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) and Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) try a good cop, bad cop routine on the mute Pokemon. After trying fruitlessly to communicate with Mr. Mime, Tim says, "I think the trick is getting inside his head."

Tim uses miming to try to get Mr. Mime to give up his information, pouring "fake gasoline" on him and threatening to light him on fire. Things only get darker from there as Tim and Detective Pikachu mime locking Mr. Mime in an invisible box and locking the door. But it works — Mr. Mime gives up the goods. The scene is a fun snapshot of the tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the popular video game, which Reynolds at the presentation says is, "Original, fun, a mystery, and has plenty of heart."

Along with the voice of Ryan Reynolds, the cast of Detective Pikachu includes Justice Smith, Ken Watanabe, and Kathryn Newton. Director Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) is at the helm of the movie based on a script by Nicole Perlman, Alex Hirsch, Benji Samit, and Dan Hernandez.

Here is the official synopsis for Detective Pikachu:

The story begins when ace private eye Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon 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 Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

Detective Pikachu arrives on May 10, 2019.