The Geektastic merging of Guillermo del Toro and Giant Robots that fight Giant Monsters is here! Sounded too good to be true, so I witnessed it for myself in IMAX 3D.
Director Guillermo del toro is known for directing or producing some of my favorite films: Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the super cool HELLBOY series which is one film shy of a trilogy. Really need to get on that.
This time around, the visual director and his concept crew with their signature style of weird designs tackle the high-tech in this years Sci-Fi monster-romp PACIFIC RIM. Let's jump right in!
We're all gathered in this little corner of the internet because we share something in common despite our infinite subjects of disagreement; we are Geeks- and what better gift from the Gods' could one bestow upon a Geek other than Giant Robots and Monsters clashing it out anime style? Well, there's an old saying where I grew up that says "All money ain't good money" and Pacific Rim, while being a tempting novelty, is far from all good.
Spoilers ahead
Right from the start the film is aggressively cliche with the look and feel of a B-Movie made in the early 90s'. The world has been ravaged by large monsters that came from the deepest depths of our planet's oceans'. Then later we discover the monster are in fact from outer-space coming through a portal in the deepest depths of our planet's ocean's. And if the monsters origins are not convoluted enough, we also learn that the monsters are being sent systematically to terraform the Earth, or is it jump from planet to planet draining its resources? Apparently they couldn't decide on which Sci-Fi invasion element to use, so they used them all. They even took the time to include the human that sees the monsters plan through a mental connection. But I think this was better when it was called Independence Day, or was that Starship Troopers? Well, whatever group of other films it is, it's terribly conveyed and inconsistent.
The creatures could have came from the core and been left at that. The portal plot and implied smart bug, I mean, monster commander, are interesting ideas, but most of these things are introduced and never explored.
Don't get too excited GIJOE fans, the above photo is of Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) as... *looks up character's name... Raleigh Becket. And Becket is a bore. If Hunnam is a good actor, he was switched with an actual robot with less charisma than a tall glass of toilet water. Hunnam is our hero and pushes through the film hitting all the usual marks; he fails, loses a close friend, needs to be redeemed and the wise mentor figure thinks Becket is the best for the job and deserves a second chance, meets bully at the lunch table and meets tough love-interest who he spars with. I did tell you it was an aggressively cliched film, right?
Ok, so Becket meets the girl of the film. She's tough, and just like Princess Leia and her Mother before her, Mako is the only female in the galaxy. So you'll gather quickly that they end up together. And yes, her name is Mako. I didn't make that up.
In the sparring scene, we get to see what Mako is made of in a match with the seemingly invincible Becket. The fight is like a dance with two people that can't dance. Hunnam is stiff and the choreography execution clumsy and ill-edited. Each defining strike carried out as if they'd just remembered to do it. It's like they were playing musical chairs and losing.
Mako is played by Rinko Kikuchi and she's a bigger bore than Hunnam. She squeaks softly in stereotypical fashion and never really makes an impact or connection with the viewer- Neither main character does. One could watch the film wondering when Becket and Mako would be squashed so that Idris Elba could start kicking ass already.
Ron Perlman and the obnoxious Charley Day threaten to make things interesting while we wait for the next monster fight. But that blue balls experience rivals the removal of a Hooter girl's shirt only to reveal a bullet proof vest. Then we have Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises) playing yet another frantic and cliched character. But in actuality, Day and Gorman have better chemistry than Day and Perlman when together.
Now, Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost. Elba carries the film on his back as the only one that can actually act in the film. He does great with what he's given and anchors the film in the only heart and emotion it has. When Hunnam has a scene with Elba, he makes Hunnam look better. It's a shame his character didn't have a more active role and even more disappointing for the future of the franchise that his character died. I think he died. A sequel will be abysmal if Hunnam is the main character again. But hey, they could always higher the Rock or Mark Walberg and kill off Becket.
MONSTER MASH!!!!
First off, the CGI is good. This can be attributed to the fact that the CGI is mostly coupled with other CGI things. It rarely has to stand up against real things. The monsters don't really range that much in appearance but that might be because they are clones. Did I tell you the film had a few cliches?
The first couple of fights are fun enough for the noise and 3D which wasn't that great and a little blurry with some of the confusing movements. But the fights stop for a long time and that's excruciating for a film that has no plot, wooden characters and cheesy dialog. The fights also get monotonous. Monster bites, Robot throws punch. By the finale, the fights have long worn off and you just want the film to end- even more of a let down that the final fight is pretty much the weakest.
Pacific Rim has little to no rewatch value and is probably best suited for a fun night out with friends after some drinks. I think it's okay for kids as well. I don't remember anything too viol image wise. I wasn't blown away by it but the film has it's audience. If you enjoy big, dumb, generic and badly acted B-Movies, this is for you. Just don't let me catch you talking shit about Transformers like, ever again.
Guillermo del Toro has made his worst film to date and ironically its success will be in large part to his name being attached.