The Highs & Lows of 'Detective Pikachu,' 'Hellraiser' & 'Cliffhanger' Reboots, and More [Podcast]

On this week’s episode of The Playlist Podcast, we slide our hats backward, gather our Pokéballs, and get ready to be the very best… the best there ever was…

READ MORE: ‘Detective Pikachu:’ Awe-Inspiring, Strange Adaptation Is Beautifully-Realized & Narratively Mixed [Review]

Sadly, as usual, we’re just merely adequate. On this episode, I’m joined by Matt Donato (/Film, Atom Tickets, Dread Central, etc.) to discuss “Detective Pikachu,” the first ever live-action “Pokémon” film, and the first time Nintendo has licensed their characters out to film since the infamous “Super Mario Bros.” With both of us growing up as fans of the GameBoy games and animated series, we find much to admire about the film where the world’s most adorable Pikachu wears a detective hat and solves a mystery (specifically the look and world-building), but, we also find things that don’t work, either (take a drink every time the word “haphazard” is used in our conversation).

READ MORE: Director Ana Lily Amirpour Teams With ‘Fast & Furious’ Producer For Female-Focused ‘Cliffhanger’ Remake

But before we dive into our review, we touch on a few news items from this week that are of interest. We talk about reboots in the works for both “Hellraiser” and “Cliffhanger“—by David S. Goyer and Ana Lily Amirpour, respectively —and come face-to-face with the existential dread that Fox and Disney’s “The New Mutants,” which was just announced to be moving (again!) from its August 2 date to April 3, 2020,  may not actually see the light of day.

READ MORE: ‘Hellraiser’ Remake In The Works From ‘Dark Knight’ Writer David S. Goyer

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