There aren’t many films in recent memory that jog from absurdity to absurdity (and take it in their stride) like Detective Pikachu. It tries to balance film noir with Pokémon to a confusing, yet sometimes enthralling, degree. The word-building is exceptional. The majority of the Pokémon are brought to life just as Pokelovers (myself included here!) would imagine, full of life and vitality. Rime City is a wonderfully constructed world, with more imagination and eye-popping visuals than most big budget blockbusters and muster up.

But eye candy is not enough to distract you from the increasingly silly plot, which flies off twists and turns every ten minutes or so. There’s at least two or three films’ worth of material here (much like Batman vs Superman, actually). Most thought-provoking material pops up for a few minutes, only to be relegated by the next ludicrous revelation. Not only that, but the human characters are so much more duller than the Pokémon. Worth watching for the visuals…but not much else.

Hammy’s Rating: 2/5

Memorable Scene

COLOSSAL TORTERRA

Memorable Quote

‘There’s magic that brought us together, and that magic is hope’

How do you top a directorial debut like ‘Get Out.’ Not exactly like this…what starts out as a straight horror film becomes complicated and packed to the brim with mostly unresolved issues. That’s not to say I didn’t like the film. In fact I loved it…until the third act exposition dump that made everything preceding it nonsensical. After that, I felt deflated and nonplussed. I didn’t care for the ending. In terms of acting, dialogue (bar the exposition dump), cinematography and directing, ‘Us’ is a triumph. If not for the third act, I’d be rating it much higher.

I’m not sure if it’s an overly ambitious idea that fails to narratively and thematically gel together, or if’s it’s just a really daft idea that doesn’t make sense…or perhaps both?Still, it’s an impressive sophomore effort that pales in comparison to Jordan Peele’s debut. Yet it’s more ambitious and packed with crazy ideas that put most other horror films to shame.