Pacific Rim: The Biggest Giant Monster Movie Ever Made!

[MekaGojira3k]

[DannyBeane]

Look what I got today. I can't believe I only paid $8 for it! I feel like I practically stole it at that price!

[Henry88]

[XvGojira]

[DannyBeane]

Haha he's my movie watching buddy!

[mr.negativity]

[jellydonut25]

Shows they know where their issues have been

[klen7]

heres an even cooler cosplay than that Crimson Typhoon
http://fashionablygeek.com/costumes/thi ... ng-nicely/

[Rody]

I finally gave Pacific Rim its deserved second watch today. Apart from being much clearer and brighter on my television screen than in the theater, I noticed the flaws and perfections of this film better this time through - and Pacific Rim has its fair share of both.

The first big aspect of this film that becomes noticeable is the scope of the world presented; and this is both one of the major pros and major cons of the film. It's clear that a lot of effort went into crafting this dystopian world, from politics to entertainment to even religion. The harsh life of this war-stricken Earth is tangible to the audience, and it makes one feel for the heroes as they try to stand up and bring order out of the chaos. On the other hand, there is simply so much information being presented that many interesting and arguably pivotal elements are merely glossed over. The kaiju blue is a prime example; although referenced in the opening, it's never brought up again - and if it's toxic, why were some of the black market guys grabbing Otachi bits with their bare hands, and how on Earth is Hannibal Chau alive after being immersed in a kaiju?!
The above example also highlights occasional inconsistencies in the world presented. Another example is Trespasser's defeat. Raleigh describes how it took three days of military assault to bring down Trespasser; in Tales From Year Zero, however, I got the impression Trespasser's rampage only lasted a day before it was brought down with a nuclear bomb.

Now that I've covered the setting, let's look at the plot itself. Going through the movie a second time, I noticed how lackluster much of the dialogue is, and the truly bad moments stick out like a sore thumb. The two dinosaur references are among the worst, with the first being frustratingly ambiguous and the second being severely outdated. Why weren't these caught in editing?
One aspect which I think was handled just fine is the pacing of the film. There's never a dull moment in the film; there's always something important going on. I didn't feel rushed through the film, though; it took the time it needed to show us what we needed to see (at least for the most part - like I said, there's a lot shown, so some of it gets pushed aside for the most immediate events).
A good story is supported by strong characters, and this is probably the best aspect of Pacific Rim, though certainly not flawless.
Charlie Hunnam gave a solid performance as Raleigh Becket - although a bit stiff at times, it's good to see Raleigh transform from a reckless "kid" into a humble, respectable man. Granted, perhaps it would have been better if we could have followed him during his transformation rather than jumping directly from point A to point B, but the difference in his character from the Alaska battle to the present day speaks very well by itself, and allowed me to quickly take a liking to him.
Mako Mori is also very well handled - although perhaps she could have benefited from a little more focus. Still, she is also set up as a very likeable character. I appreciated how respectful the introduction between Mako and Raleigh was, even when it could have faltered into awkwardness. This sense of respect remains throughout the film, and I really enjoyed seeing that. Here we have two total strangers, but aiming for a common goal, under great pressure from history and current events, they quickly bond together and form a powerful team. Mako is clearly conflicted, but she doesn't shrug Raleigh off, and he actively seeks her out to help her if he can.
Oh, and this is one of my favorite parts of the movie: no kiss! Yay!! The romance subplot is one of my pet-peeves in movies, so I was very grateful that there was little or nothing in the movie to suggest a romantic relationship between Raleigh and Mako. The two have become best friends - brother and sister - and that's good. That is satisfying.
Moving on.... Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost. Elba did a great job at portraying this stoic character, but Pentecost really suffers in how he's written. His protection of Mako comes across as inconsistent - just what is he trying to do? Also, I think his death was a little too predictable. Perhaps they should have played up the fact that he was a doomed man? I'm not sure. Generally, though, his character came out strong, and both his lecture of Raleigh and his speech at the climax are highlights of the film.
Chuck Hansen is another character who needed better writing. This guy comes across as too much of a jerk without reason, when in fact he has very good reason not to trust Raleigh. In contrast to Pentecost, though, I think Chuck's farewell to his dad & dog had good emotion to it, and I could almost feel both Hansens realizing that Chuck wasn't likely to come back from this final mission.
Charlie Day as Newt Geizler and Burn Gorman as Hermann Gottlieb were always fun to watch. Gottlieb is arguably as much of a nerd as Newt is a geek, and watching the two personalities bounce off of each other until they eventually accept and even befriend one another is a part of the film I'm sure will never get old.
...Then there's Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau - not the most significant player in the plot, but he makes for a fun distraction and a good contrast of character to the cast of heroes.
The rest of the characters I don't have much to say about. Tendo Choi was fun; Herc Hansen was admirable; but the rest didn't get enough time for me to develop opinions on them (although I did feel bad for the Kaidonovsky's; what a terrible way to go).

Ah, but we're really here for the mechs & monsters, right? How do they hold up? Quite well, I think; though once again not without at least some issues.
I love the variety in design present in both the jaegers and the kaiju. Each jaeger has a distinct personality and style. Cherno Alpha may still be my favorite; I really like the blocky, hefty, yet practical design. I mean, a mech with a nuclear reactor for its head? That's so crazy it actually works! Gipsy gets second place, though, for being the jaeger which gets the most "development".
The kaiju all serve their purposes well, and most of them get a good amount of screen time to shine in. Knifehead's entry is spectacular; Onibaba is spooky; Leatherback & Otachi are truly scary. Otachi still claims favorite for me, with her cunning & strategy, coupled with a slightly retro design and a wide variety in arsenal. Leatherback & Onibaba tie for second place, both kaiju giving a severely formidable presence.
However, as fun as the fight scenes in the movie are, I still have some difficulty following the action. I believe this is partly due to being filmed too closely - wider shots would have been preferable - but mostly due, in fact, to the effects. I don't mean to say the effects are bad - I mean they're too good. There is so much detail that my eyes can't take everything in and I feel I miss bits & pieces of the fights.
Also, it's kind of a shame how all the kaiju have basically the same mix of stock creature sound effects for vocals. A good roar can define a giant monster as much as the design, so it would have been great to hear Knifehead, Onibaba, Otachi, Raiju, Slattern, etc. each get a brand new set of vocalizations that would stick with the audience. Oh, well.
...And, about the final battle... I like Raiju and Scunner very much... But I think they should have been axed from the final script. Slattern is supposed to be the biggest, baddest, and smartest of all the kaiju, but that doesn't get conveyed much at all (especially compared to how Otachi stole the show earlier). Raiju and Scunner end up being distractions. In fact, none of the three kaiju get to shine a whole lot, because of how quick and cluttered this battle is. Hey, it's pretty impressive how Raiju and Slattern manage to cripple Gipsy & Striker in one hit, and Scunner shaking off a sword to the head is equally exemplary; but these things all happen so fast, that it can't fully sink in for me.

Okay, what have I missed?

Color - there's a lot of color in this movie - good color. Each scene has a different set of rich hues, and rarely does a scene look overly saturated with a single hue.

Music - Ramin Djawaldi did a fine job on the soundtrack. I prefer more traditional, fully orchestral music usually; but MAN, is this movie's theme catchy!
The "Drift" song during the credits wasn't so good, though.

The effects - the effects! Wow, like I mentioned before, the detail in this movie is staggering; at times even distracting. The jaegers and the kaiju really do look and feel enormous, and the buildings & water look absolutely real.


Overall, I noticed the weaknesses of this film much more this time, but I also noticed its strengths more. Pacific Rim is a movie with strong, positive themes, and is full to the brim with great ideas; it just doesn't have room for all of them. Perhaps del Toro and Beacham should have planned a dualogy instead of a single film. It is what it is, though - and I still like Pacific Rim a whole lot.

7-8/10.

[jellydonut25]

[MekaGojira3k]

I know when people watch the movie they view it as a fundamentally positive film (Mankind putting away their differences), but I still feel like the ending and some of the sacrifices were pointless. I really doubt the rift led straight to the homeworld of the Precursors. I feel like, the most logical progression is that the Precursors get pissed open up two portals on Earth and pour out a bunch of Category Vs. We have like...no Jaegers left, Although Crimson Typhoon could possibly be salvaged since it was mostly the head that was so badly damaged. I dunno, that's just how I view the film's ending.

[XvGojira]

[MekaGojira3k]

[lhb412]

[MekaGojira3k]

[lhb412]

^That's not the Ultraman way, yo!

... it's the Ultraseven way.

[Shin_Edda_Robo!!!!!]

You rooted for the nWo as a kid didn't ya MG3K?

[Henry88]

Did anyone ever get the DVD sales figures for Pacific rim?.

[Rody]

[Henry88]

I'm not in the least surprised by that decision.

http://furiousfanboys.com/2014/01/pacif ... ects-oscar

[XvGojira]

[MouthForWar]

It doesn't matter. Gravity has it in the bag already.

[TerranigmaFreak]

[XvGojira]

[Dr Kain]

The fact that Lone Ranger AND Bad Grandpa got nominations over Pacific Rim is just insulting on many levels. We got one that was pretty much degrading and one that was just pure ****, while the one that had a reason to have a big budget, put a lot of work into their designs, got shafted is just utter bullcrap.

I hope both Depp and the movie win razzies.