Escape to the Movies: Pacific Rim

[norashepard]

Fantastic. Still problematic as hell in depictions of minority characters in a ton of ways, and I still cringe when people say "gypsy" all willy nilly but otherwise FANTASTIC. Well, the premise is tired and old, so if you don't like monster movies in general, you won't care here, but OTHERWISE go see it. Just make sure you're prepared to want to play with action figures for hours afterwards.

 

[pearcinator]

Its the only movie out right now and its only competition is grown ups 2 and is getting universal praise....box office flop my ass.

There's The Lone Ranger, Man of Steel, The Heat, This is the End, Monsters University and World War Z still out in cinemas over here too. I am just predicting that Pacific Rim will be mostly forgotten. I saw it on launch day and there were only like 30 people in the cinema. I may be wrong but it just feels like it's going to end up a cult movie to me.

That's not a bad thing, some of my favourite movies ever are cult movies (Starship Troopers is near-perfect to me) and even if it does flop at the box office (or make very little profit) it will probably go very well in DVD/Blu-Ray sales much like Dredd (2012) did!

 

[honeybakedham]

Bob... while I am really looking forward to a big two-hour eye candy explosion that will be a blast to watch,(I'm going to the next show in a few hours)... I have to say that comparing it to Independence Day raises a giant red flag.

Independence Day is quite possibly the absolute worst big budget spectacular I've ever seen... unless you count anything else that hack director/schlock master Roland Emmerich has ever made. ID4 hinges on plot points that pass the line of stupid by a mile, and coincidences that would make Victorian Romance writers blush.

I don't need my movies to be dark and brooding and to grapple with weighty dramatic issues... though I do love those movies. Movies can be simple and airy and stocked with humor, but even in the obviously unrealistic world of scifi/fantasy action, I can be ripped out of suspension of disbelief when a movie decides to break its own internal logic and reality with this that make no sense in any version of reality... like defeating the aliens with a virus uploaded from a Macbook or Will Smith's stripper girlfriend just happening upon the stranded First Lady then leading the refugees to a secret government base she couldn't possibly know the location of. ID4 is a cavalcade of dumb followed by dumb.

I'm still pretty pumped for Pacific Rim... and I don't expect it to be Aaron Sorkin Smart and Christopher Nolen gritty, but I do hope it creates an internal logic for its world's own reality, then lives by its own rules. If it does that, which ID4 did not, then I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.

I am, however, heartened and reassured by what you said out the characters being well fleshed out without burdensome expositions. Del Toro is a smart director, and Emmerich is not, so my hopes are still high.

 

[pottyaboutpotter1]

Can we have one episode where you're not talking about how much you hated The Amazing Spider-Man (a movie I enjoyed) Bob? I am off to go see this on Monday and I am looking forward to it. However... it's going up against The Lone Ranger which in my mind is the best movie this summer so far (action, western, Gore Verbinksi, Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp equals win in my book). I'll probably enjoy this but I doubt I'll see it as the brilliant movie Bob says it is. Other critics I follow have said "it's good, but not as good as you want it to be" so I'll reserve judgement until I see it.

 

[pottyaboutpotter1]

Its the only movie out right now and its only competition is grown ups 2 and is getting universal praise....box office flop my ass.

There's The Lone Ranger, Man of Steel, The Heat, This is the End, Monsters University and World War Z still out in cinemas over here too. I am just predicting that Pacific Rim will be mostly forgotten. I saw it on launch day and there were only like 30 people in the cinema. I may be wrong but it just feels like it's going to end up a cult movie to me.

That's not a bad thing, some of my favourite movies ever are cult movies (Starship Troopers is near-perfect to me) and even if it does flop at the box office (or make very little profit) it will probably go very well in DVD/Blu-Ray sales much like Dredd (2012) did!

Aren't Warner Bros projected to lose up to $65 million on this? I read somewhere that the film just isn't tracking AT ALL with general audiences and is really only appealing to the hardcore Sci-Fi crowd.

 

[Negatempest]

Bob BOB!!!!!! That memory scene! God! It was unnecessary! But, but my eyes got all wet for some reason. And it wasn't from laughter. I don't remember movies doing that to me anymore.


Also, Pacific Rim totally sold Wonderful 101 without even trying.

 

[Daria.Morgendorffer]

I just got back from this, and WOW. Just...WOW.

Of the five movies I've seen this summer, this basically handed all of 'em their asses.

 

[Gregory Ray]

Looking trough-out the trailers the anime; Neon Genesis Evangelion came to mind. The idea of pilots needing to be in sink with each other and the concept of ranking that "creatures". I notice that Bob also must have noticed this for the picture of Rei Ayanami. But yes as a movie of the year. Has to be. Can't wait to watch it, and then buy it.

 

[Lunar Templar]

just got back from it an hour ago.

if your reading this...

WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE AND NOT TRYING TO SEE IT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[Two-A]

.
self explanatory, like superman not killing, you know one of your nit picks on man of steal? no really not gonna see it. There plenty of things he would crapped on this movie if it was from some one else about something else.

Bobs literally made it his self mission to give this movie a rub over so many others out of blind favoritism.
I would like to have heard the negative. Not that it would have drove me away,
never been a fan of having something shoved down my throat.

Sir, you are pulling a Clint Eastwood.

OT: I can't wait to see this movie, shame it's still not out in my country.

 

[Edith The Hutt]

Just came back from seeing this. I'd say that if you want a film about giant robots beating the crap out of giant monsters then this is most definitely the film for you, it's beautiful, well choreographed and delivers many well thought through fight scenes which are made out of some kind of awesome-mecha alloy (and fish).

But I thought it was a bit rushed both in plot and characterisation as if this was the film adaptation of a Manga series in which much, much more had happened leading up to the final assault. I also thought they picked the wrong main character, Mako had way more baggage to be resolved through punching Kaiju in the face and the third act was far more transformative and empowering for her than for Raleigh. They missed an opportunity there.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Bob likes his nostalgia as usual, and that's nice, but did he miss the part where...

Spoiler

Idris Elba chooses the asshole kid as his co-pilot near the end and hand-waves it saying "You're an egotist with daddy issues". And because he can summarize him with that sentence, they're perfect for neural bonding? What? Didn't we just go through about two hours of ALLEGED psychic bonding between our two main protagonists? And Idris and the douche just hand-wave it because whatever? The whole audience held their breath thinking somebody would explain things in that scene. But it ended. And then the movie ended. It was a good fun movie but what the fuck was the point of all that moping and bonding and doubting and wondering between Becket and Mako if any two people can bond just as well in like a second? It undermined everything the movie had built up to.

 

[JLink]

You're looking to deeply at my comment there. I'm just saying I don't really get the whole giant robot vs giant monster thing. But if I just post once sentence I seem to have a habit of getting a warning.

I know you didn't mean it seriously. I was just expressing how I hate that it is a common phrase for expressing that one doesn't see the attraction to something the same way people ask, "Is there something wrong with me for not liking ________?" Because it's an invite for all the trolling fanboys to start shit.

 

[Ham Blitz]

I saw this movie Friday morning (Yesterday at this point) and I loved it. Never have I been brought to a state of such joy during a movie fight scene as multiple fights did in PR. Maybe I just love giant robots, mechs, giant monsters, rocket punches, boats being used as clubs and so on.

 

[Yokta]

I actually DID leave my computer and go to see the movie when Bob told me too. Maybe I shouldn't be airlifting my opinions on films from one singular internet critic, but he got me to see Pacific Rim, so I don't regret a thing.

 

[ecoho]

Its the only movie out right now and its only competition is grown ups 2 and is getting universal praise....box office flop my ass.

There's The Lone Ranger, Man of Steel, The Heat, This is the End, Monsters University and World War Z still out in cinemas over here too. I am just predicting that Pacific Rim will be mostly forgotten. I saw it on launch day and there were only like 30 people in the cinema. I may be wrong but it just feels like it's going to end up a cult movie to me.

That's not a bad thing, some of my favourite movies ever are cult movies (Starship Troopers is near-perfect to me) and even if it does flop at the box office (or make very little profit) it will probably go very well in DVD/Blu-Ray sales much like Dredd (2012) did!

well there were about 15 people at the 10 am showing of it were I live and trust me when I say this as small a town as I have that's a lot of people for 10 am.

OT: great movie got to recommend that everyone see it at least once

 

[MorganL4]

The Guillermo del Toro equasion for Summer Blockbuster epicness:

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Shinji + Idris Elba + Ron Pearlman^2 = TOTAL EPICNESS