I have half-finished reviews for Now You See Me and Man of Steel sitting in my drafts, and I couldn't tell you why I'm not all that compelled to finish them - I think part of it is that I was disappointed with NYSM and I don't feel like I have much to add to the Man of Steel discussion, which was VERY good but everyone else has pretty much captured why.
I am compelled - strongly, in fact - to tell you to go see Pacific Rim.
Pacific Rim is polarizing, and I think I've finally pinned down why: a lot of the buzz leading up to it had to do with the fact that, in a time in film history when most of the films being made are sequels, prequels, adaptations and franchise pieces, Pacific Rim was a "wholly original" piece. Guillermo del Toro had lovingly hand-crafted the perfect genre film, and people (at least the people writing about film and media) were amped about it - a summer blockbuster with shades of Godzilla and Transformers, created from an Oscar nominated director.
But the fact is that it's a.) not completely original (like I said, shades of Godzilla and Transformers...and Evangelion, and Half-Life, and Cloverfield, and kung-fu movies, and much of JJ Abrams' body of work, and a whole host of other things); b.) it wasn't the magnum opus that people expected and thought they deserved. The dialogue is weak, the story (while TOTALLY AWESOME) is a little goofy, there's unnecessary exposition which could have been dedicated to more character development, the big endgame is a little rushed.
I'm here to state, plainly and emphatically and on the record: WHO GIVES A SHIT.
No, seriously. I'm not going to pull out the "It's a giant shiny action movie, who needs plot?" line, because I don't need to. What Pacific Rim lacks in writing strength it more than makes up for in three main things:
1. World Building
Do you remember when James Cameron made Avatar, and everyone was going apeshit over the world he'd constructed? The world building of Pacific Rim spits on that. From the individuality of the kaiju and the jaegers, most of which we only see for a few minutes but manage to have distinct personalities, to the trickle-down effect that the monsters have on the black market (Ron Perlman plays a wonderfully shady black market trader in kaiju bits), Pacific Rim is dense with background detail that colors the story without overwhelming it. I read a review that complained about all the jargon used in the film (I believe it was referred to as "geek speak"), which I noticed but didn't have a problem with, because its couched so firmly in context that I, at least, never had trouble understanding it. I'll be buying the making of book, Pacific Rim: Man, Machines, and Monsters as soon as possible, because you KNOW that del Toro has pages and pages and pages of information that we never get to see - but the movie aches with it. This is why, even when you can feel the homages that del Toro is drawing on, ultimately the movie itself feels pretty fresh.
2. Cinematography
Simply put, this is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Every battle sequence is impeccably shot with clarity, even when the battles take place at night. A scene in downtown Hong Kong is lit with neon signs and helicopter beams, the drift visualizations are ethereal and striking, and as I said above, the kaiju and jaegers drip distinct personality in their visual designs and the way that they move. The way they move is important, too - no matter how flimsy some of the science is (and I don't really care, honestly) the monsters and the jaegers move realistically. There's weight to them, things don't always happen quickly, and it feels real to the physics of things twice the size of the Statue of Liberty. This goes hand-in-hand with the world building, and each detail of this world is precise and visually clear. If Pacific Rim doesn't win all the technical and effects Oscars, frankly, they're doing it wrong.
3. The Actors
Remember when I said the writing was weak? Here's where I tell you why it doesn't matter. Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi form the emotional center of this movie, and they are all so compelling that I forgive them for any cliched dialogue they had to utter. Elba in particular commands with the force of personality I've come to expect from him - he's an actor that elevates the material he's given, so even when I was wishing there was more to his Cancelling the Apocalypse speech, I was shaken in my seat by the lines he delivered. Hunnam's Raleigh Becket is down-trodden, damaged, and immensely capable, and you can feel the way he waffles between hopelessness about the situation and stoic determination. The idea behind Kikuchi's Mako Mori is occasionally stronger than the execution; it feels like the writers don't always quite know what to do with her, which is a shame because I loved her - she shows serious mettle, rising to an impossible demand and doing the best she has with less than desirable circumstances. I deeply appreciated the lack of romance between Mori and Becket; their strong camaraderie feels more real to the characters and the actors.
So I urge you to see Pacific Rim. Don't see it because it's the last hope for original movies - it's not. Don't see it because it's the last hope for genre movies - it isn't. See it because it's awesome. See it because it's the most fun I've had at the movies in a really, really long time. See it because it deserves a big screen.
And hold on to your hat when you do.
I am compelled - strongly, in fact - to tell you to go see Pacific Rim.
Charlie Hunnam and RInko Kikuchi as Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori
But the fact is that it's a.) not completely original (like I said, shades of Godzilla and Transformers...and Evangelion, and Half-Life, and Cloverfield, and kung-fu movies, and much of JJ Abrams' body of work, and a whole host of other things); b.) it wasn't the magnum opus that people expected and thought they deserved. The dialogue is weak, the story (while TOTALLY AWESOME) is a little goofy, there's unnecessary exposition which could have been dedicated to more character development, the big endgame is a little rushed.
I'm here to state, plainly and emphatically and on the record: WHO GIVES A SHIT.
No, seriously. I'm not going to pull out the "It's a giant shiny action movie, who needs plot?" line, because I don't need to. What Pacific Rim lacks in writing strength it more than makes up for in three main things:
1. World Building
Do you remember when James Cameron made Avatar, and everyone was going apeshit over the world he'd constructed? The world building of Pacific Rim spits on that. From the individuality of the kaiju and the jaegers, most of which we only see for a few minutes but manage to have distinct personalities, to the trickle-down effect that the monsters have on the black market (Ron Perlman plays a wonderfully shady black market trader in kaiju bits), Pacific Rim is dense with background detail that colors the story without overwhelming it. I read a review that complained about all the jargon used in the film (I believe it was referred to as "geek speak"), which I noticed but didn't have a problem with, because its couched so firmly in context that I, at least, never had trouble understanding it. I'll be buying the making of book, Pacific Rim: Man, Machines, and Monsters as soon as possible, because you KNOW that del Toro has pages and pages and pages of information that we never get to see - but the movie aches with it. This is why, even when you can feel the homages that del Toro is drawing on, ultimately the movie itself feels pretty fresh.
2. Cinematography
Simply put, this is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Every battle sequence is impeccably shot with clarity, even when the battles take place at night. A scene in downtown Hong Kong is lit with neon signs and helicopter beams, the drift visualizations are ethereal and striking, and as I said above, the kaiju and jaegers drip distinct personality in their visual designs and the way that they move. The way they move is important, too - no matter how flimsy some of the science is (and I don't really care, honestly) the monsters and the jaegers move realistically. There's weight to them, things don't always happen quickly, and it feels real to the physics of things twice the size of the Statue of Liberty. This goes hand-in-hand with the world building, and each detail of this world is precise and visually clear. If Pacific Rim doesn't win all the technical and effects Oscars, frankly, they're doing it wrong.
3. The Actors
Remember when I said the writing was weak? Here's where I tell you why it doesn't matter. Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi form the emotional center of this movie, and they are all so compelling that I forgive them for any cliched dialogue they had to utter. Elba in particular commands with the force of personality I've come to expect from him - he's an actor that elevates the material he's given, so even when I was wishing there was more to his Cancelling the Apocalypse speech, I was shaken in my seat by the lines he delivered. Hunnam's Raleigh Becket is down-trodden, damaged, and immensely capable, and you can feel the way he waffles between hopelessness about the situation and stoic determination. The idea behind Kikuchi's Mako Mori is occasionally stronger than the execution; it feels like the writers don't always quite know what to do with her, which is a shame because I loved her - she shows serious mettle, rising to an impossible demand and doing the best she has with less than desirable circumstances. I deeply appreciated the lack of romance between Mori and Becket; their strong camaraderie feels more real to the characters and the actors.
So I urge you to see Pacific Rim. Don't see it because it's the last hope for original movies - it's not. Don't see it because it's the last hope for genre movies - it isn't. See it because it's awesome. See it because it's the most fun I've had at the movies in a really, really long time. See it because it deserves a big screen.
And hold on to your hat when you do.
