Monday, July 22, 2013

5 Reasons to see 'Pacific Rim'

This past weekend my friends and I went to see the recently released Pacific Rim, a movie whose release we'd greatly anticipated. And I have to say . . . it was pretty epic. I mean, robots vs. aliens (or in this case, Jaegers vs. Kaiju). Enough said. 

But then again Cowboys vs. Aliens, a movie with such promise, wound up being a complete disappointment. So much so that even Han Solo and 007 couldn't save it. Fortunately for hopeful movie go-ers like myself, Pacific Rim delivered.

Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. After all, I love Sy-Fy channel original movies, so my taste is often considered questionable. But for what it's worth, here are five good reasons to head to the theater . . .

1. Director Guillermo del Toro's distinctive cinematic style. As with all his films, del Toro doesn't hold back. His ode to monsters is as visually dazzling as his darker fairy tales, and he manages to make the fight scenes between giant robots and their alien foe look both believable and somehow balletic. 

2. The use of mind synchronization via "drifting". In order to operate such massive pieces of robotic machinery as the Jaegers, the two pilots driving them have to merge their thoughts, memories and even emotions. Not since Star Trek has there been a Mind Meld quite this interesting. 

3. Dr. Newton Geiszler and Dr. Hermann Gottleib. I'm always a sucker for the hilarious side characters, and the amusing antagonism and banter between these two scientists made for great film. 

4. Occasionally in these blockbuster action movies, writers sacrifice character arc for unnecessary action sequences. Not so in this case. The characters each feel developed with realistic motivations. Their relationships between one another feel authentic, and the film manages to hint at a romance without falling into typical Hollywood stereotypes of an unnecessary kiss in the middle of a dangers battle. 

5. Last but not least, it isn's a sequel or a remake. Not that I mind a good sequel, but it seems that there's very little original thought happening in Hollywood at the moment. While Pacific Rim certainly borrows from other alien/robot material and pays homage to the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's a fresh story with a plot all of its own.

All in all, I thought Pacific Rim was a terrific summer film and I'm pleased to have paid the astronomical fees they're asking these days to see it in theaters. 

17 comments:

  1. The twelve-year-old in me dug it!
    The drifting was similar to the connection between pilot and navigator in my books. So similar that when Raleigh mentioned the silence I turned to my wife and said hey, that's from my book!
    I'm pretty sure it wasn't though...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually thought of CassaStorm when I was watching the movie...

      Delete
  2. Good here that there wasn't unnecessary action, I totally felt that way about Avengers. Maybe I'll give Pacific Rim a shot after all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The idea behind point #2 is just dumb. The science is dumb. Its use in the movie is dumb. I was disappointed in del Toro over this movie. He usually is a good storyteller (not counting Hellboy 2 which was completely cliche), but he sacrificed all of that this time because he was in love with his monster battles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was interesting and enjoyed it myself, but to each their own.

      Delete
  4. Interesting is not the same as good science. The whole way they set all of that up was a fabrication to get two pilots into the mechs. But, starting with the "neural load" mess, it was about the equivalent of Electric Dreams in terms of science that makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I prefer to suspend my sense of disbelief and just enjoy a movie. Especially when seeing something as outrageous as giant aliens battling robots.

      Delete
    2. I can understand that, but
      the idea of giant robots is possible even if not plausible.
      the idea of interdimensional monsters is possibly possible even if not plausible.
      All of the stuff around piloting the robots was... well, it's just not how any of that works, so it broke my suspension.

      Delete
    3. Sorry to say, but if you went into a a big ticket summer movie like Pacific Rim - designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator - with the expectation of anything resembling scientific accuracy, you were asking to be disappointed.

      Delete
    4. Well, like I said in my review, I was out voted. heh

      Delete
  5. I only need one reason: Idris Elba.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cool; I have to go see it now...

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's definitely worth the price of admission!
    -Maurice Mitchell
    The Geek Twins | Film Sketchr

    ReplyDelete
  8. All right, you've convinced me, I'm going to see it!


    Allison (Geek Banter)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Look how long it's taken me to see your post! Amazing. Agreed on all counts regarding Pacific Rim... I'm disappointed that more folks didn't go see it though. It doesn't bode well for future original sci fi stories with mega budgets.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Damn I wanted to see this movie! No yet. How are ya S.L.? Went to Universal and hung out in HP Land. Thought of your post. I'll plan on one soon. Hope all is well. :)

    ReplyDelete