Community Run Forums for Starship SF

Jul 2^nd, 2013 at 11:04pm

ed symkus Offline
Junior Member
SF Rocks

Posts: 75

Quite spectacular. Some will say a little too. Not this guy. Lots of fun. I was turned into my old 8-year-old me. Got cool interviews, including del Toro and Ron Perlman. More later.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #1 - Jul 8^th, 2013 at 12:04pm

L.A. Connection Offline
YaBB Administrator
SF Rocks

Gender:
Posts: 1772

The reviews are coming in. They are mostly positive so far.

As often the case, there seems to be a divide between the more genre friendly critics like Ed S, and the more mainstream scribes.

Let the battle continue!

« Last Edit: Jul 8^th, 2013 at 1:44pm by L.A. Connection »

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #2 - Jul 8^th, 2013 at 7:00pm

R_F_Fineman Offline
God Member
Boston

Gender:
Posts: 688

Which movie will "Pacific Rim" most likely resemble?

1. A "Robot Jox"/"Transformers" remake

2. An Asian "Cloverfield"

3. Three or four big action monster pictures that have been put in a blender on "edit" speed.

I'm thinking maybe "Godzilla vs. Guirion" Wink

21st Century Man

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #3 - Jul 9^th, 2013 at 11:26pm

ed symkus Offline
Junior Member
SF Rocks

Posts: 75

Here's my interview with Guillermo del Toro:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/hanover/fun/entertainment/x606639039/An-interview-wit...

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #4 - Jul 11^th, 2013 at 11:32pm

ed symkus Offline
Junior Member
SF Rocks

Posts: 75

MY REVIEW OF THE FILM:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/sudbury/fun/entertainment/x1808711914/Movie-review-Pa...

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #5 - Jul 14^th, 2013 at 9:45pm

da_Bunnyman Offline
God Member
SF Rocks
Peabody, MA

Gender:
Posts: 769

Just saw it and really loved it.
Great action and liked the tributes to classic Japanese monsters.

SPOILER ALERT

I was glad to see a big budget sci-fi film that did NOT turn out to be some government conspiracy.

I can't complain but sometimes I still do. Life's been good to me so far.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #6 - Jul 17^th, 2013 at 2:50pm

L.A. Connection Offline
YaBB Administrator
SF Rocks

Gender:
Posts: 1772

Disappointing. Hugely disappointing. I am not in the Guillermo Del Toro as master auteur club, but, I still expected more from this admitted geek and decent director, particularly considering all the resources at hand.

The first big mistake, is that the film begins with an epic battle between the kaiju monsters and the robot jaegers. It's not bad, and in some ways refreshing that they don't begin with a backstory. Not every movie has to do a chronological 'origin story', but PACIFIC RIM doesn't just have this teaser opening; Basically, the whole first half of the movie is kaiju and jaegers. Virtually, the only humans we see are in relation to the kaiju, jaegers or their giant training headquarters. In short, there is no 'human scale' to the proceedings. Well before the mid-point of the movie, whenever someone sounds the alarm that a really big kaiju has attacked, you just shrug your shoulders. So what? We've already become inured to the size and scale. Del Toro has become The Director Who Cried Kaiju.

When we belatedly get some in depth character development, it's too late. A sorta romance between the dull lead Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako (Rinko Kikuchi) develops* (more in the spoiler section below), but, it hardly soars. The tough leader Stacker (Idris Elba) is just a cliched 'Cop on his last assignment' stereotype. And, the less said about the 'comic' duo Charlie Day and Burn 'channeling Crispen Glover' Gorman, the better. It's great that Del Toro feels loyal to Ron Perlman -- But, what a grating, embarrasing character.

A hint of what could have been comes in Mako's flashbacks to a kaiju attack when she was a little girl. There's real suspense and emotion there, but they come waaaaay to late in the proceedings to matter. Also, some of the Blade Runner-esque Hong Kong street sequences also contain a few brief snatches of decent filmmaking.

But, those brief pluses are outweighed by the poor dialogue, hackneyed plotting and hommages/references/ripoffs of everything from TRANSFORMERS, Anime, 5 MILLION YEARS TO EARTH and even the much derided U.S. GODZILLA. (and Marathon fans will also notice more than a little resemblence to this year's underrated entry, WAR OF THE WORLDS: GOLIATH) Of course, it's not too unexpected coming from the writer of the CLASH OF THE TITANS rehash, is it?

Del Toro can talk all he wants about his love of classic kaiju and monster cinema (the film is co-dedicated to original GOJIRA director Inoshiro Honda and Ray Harryhausen), but he fails to heed the lessons of Honda and Harryhausen. You do need at least a modicum of build-up. You do need to give the creatures some personality. You do need to have human characters of some interest. And, most importantly, you have to let the audience see what the hell is going on! Crikey, with hundreds of millions of dollars floating around, why does everything have to be cut so quickly, lit so darkly, and in so tight that you can't follow the action?! And, when in doubt, just amp up the noise to boot. With all the melange of different accents AND the sound effects AND the loud "music" you can't hear what is being said half the time (might be the point, since most of it is so lame in the first place). The "music" by Ramin Djawadi is another loud percussion score that just seems like an appendage to the sound effects. Oh, Akira Ifukube, where have you gone?

* Spoilers Below **********

And, what's with the chaste "romance" between Raleigh & Mako??!!! Not even a kiss? A half-hearted hug and touching foreheads!? In 2013!!? What, they think the nerds and geeks will find it "icky"? Or, is it, I'm afraid because of the interracial angle? I sure hope not, but, I'm reminded of the Cho Chang character in the Harry Potter series who's relationship wtih Harry is dropped after just one film. Again, it's 2013. I think even the dudes in their Parents' basement can deal.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #7 - Jul 17^th, 2013 at 4:13pm

Spatch from the balcony Offline
YaBB Newbies
Balcony or bust!
Davis Square

Posts: 13

L.A. Connection wrote on Jul 17^th, 2013 at 2:50pm:

* Spoilers Below **********

And, what's with the chaste "romance" between Raleigh & Mako??!!! Not even a kiss? A half-hearted hug and touching foreheads!? In 2013!!? What, they think the nerds and geeks will find it "icky"? Or, is it, I'm afraid because of the interracial angle? I sure hope not, but, I'm reminded of the Cho Chang character in the Harry Potter series who's relationship wtih Harry is dropped after just one film. Again, it's 2013. I think even the dudes in their Parents' basement can deal.

Not sure why this is considered a spoiler, but ok, I'll size it down.

That's because it's not a romance. del Toro wanted to film a love story without the romance. (I don't want to use "del Toro said this" and "del Toro said that" to underscore every point, so that's the only one.) Mako and Raleigh have bonded in combat, they've succeeded in the face of impossible odds, they're going to be a team. But they don't have to Fall In Love. I found it amazingly refreshing to see an action film where the male and female leads don't fall in love because that story is invariably shoehorned in for the sake of the formula, and it always comes off the weakest. So in this case it's not so much "Ew, let's not show kissing, it's icky", it's "Let's show that a man and a woman can have a close relationship together and not kiss or hop into bed or whatevs."

You don't like a lack of human scale, which I totally understand and agree with; I don't like two romantic leads with no chemistry between them but they're in love anyway because the screenwriter says they are.

I enjoyed the movie for what it was: a big loud crashy action flick featuring robots and monsters and outlandish characters and moves that made you clench your fists and oh "oh HELL yes" and yet it didn't seem to insult my intelligence like the Transformers franchise has. In fact, I found the action remarkably easy to follow, and thought the quick cuts were kept to a minimum. I saw the 2D print and the fights felt coherent and with purpose.

The world building and art design were fantastic. Grubby tech, all grease and dings and scorch marks, societies which have had to adapt to epic devastation (the religions that spring up, the black marketeers, the architecture incorporating giant skeletal remains). I liked the concept of separate lobes in the mech.

I agree that we saw much too little of the supporting cast, especially the other pilots. I loved those designs and the outlandish characters and it was unfair to give them such little screen time. I had to find out online that the Russian pilots were married. "Oh. Well then. That makes sense." I also thought that the submersibles rushing up from the ocean floor to the surface was bad science. Enjoy your crippling bends, guys!

But really I found that for my tastes, Pacific Rim included the right amount of good monster/action cliches I like and enjoy and howl at when they happen, and avoided a great deal of bad ones which make me roll my eyes. So I liked it. Would love to see it at the Thon. Can we compromise? Dinner movie?

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #8 - Jul 18^th, 2013 at 2:12pm

L.A. Connection Offline
YaBB Administrator
SF Rocks

Gender:
Posts: 1772

Spatch from the balcony wrote on Jul 17^th, 2013 at 4:13pm:

... Not sure why this is considered a spoiler, but ok, I'll size it down...." I also thought that the submersibles rushing up from the ocean floor to the surface was bad science. Enjoy your crippling bends, guys!

The "bad science" really begins with the whole concept of the jaegers in the first place. Mankind has had years to come up with a weapon against these giant beasts, so they build rock 'em sock 'em robots to punch, kick and pound them???!!! So, if you are bombing a Soviet battleship you use a torpedo, but, if you attack a Soviet city would you build a torpedo the size of Moscow? And, don't even get me started on the whole 2 person 'crew' inside the kaiju having to do a mind-meld to walk. I guess remote technology takes a step back in the future?! I know it's a kaiju film, so I let that slide, but, talk about dumb science.

As to the SPOILER, I was referencing stuff that happens towards the end of the movie. I almost always dismiss any critic who has the line in their review to the effect of, "At the end of the movie we see....."

**************** RE: SPOILER **********

I certainly don't agree that there wasn't supposed to be some romance. Not sure if you are saying that Del Toro didn't want it, but the screenwriter did, or if it just was so incompetantly done (as other many other parts of the picture) that it didn't come off. Most folks seeing the movie reference it as a "romance". There are those shots of peeping through keyholes, the furtive glances, the whole mind-meld thing and the gooey eyes at the end. I don't know how one could see all that and say there was "no" intent of romantic engagement. Indeed, Del Toro admits they shot a version which ends in a kiss.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #9 - Jul 19^th, 2013 at 6:49pm