The Big Picture: The New Originals

[Nimzabaat]

So MovieBob is too young to remember Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla then...

Seriously though, i'm still very much on the fence for this movie.

Likes: GDT, Giant Robots, Giant Monsters... looks perfect "on paper".

But...

Dislikes: Giant Robots needing to be controlled by two people linked together (apparently they have computers in the future, they're just not as good as ours and make no sense. If you're going to have two operators have a pilot and gunner or something not completely stupid looking like two people having to do the same exact thing to move the robot. I've heard the explanation and it gets dumber every time I hear it). Giant Robots having to punch the Giant Monsters (sort of retracted, the latest trailer showed the robots having rocket pods but until then it was Real Steel with monsters in it). Washed up veteran getting second chance by teaming up with talented rookie story line being the most cliched and stupid storyline they could have added.

So... i'm still not sold. In theory it could be awesome. However, the trailers make it look too much like GDT is trying to be Michael Bay, which I can't support.

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

A movie that is about giant mechs fighting monsters like some old school Godzilla flick? You bet your Bostonian-ass I'm seeing that. The fact that Guillermo Del Toro is directing it only makes me want to see it more, hopefully it doesn't flop.

 

[james.sponge]

Fret not, Hollywood still has lots of European comic books to rip when they are done with American stuff. Slaine I summon thee!

 

[Falseprophet]

I am excited about Pacific Rim too. But that excitement is tempered by the fact that I HAVE seen so much that is in this film before. In everything Bob cites and more. It's a remake/reboot/rehash in everything but name. Ever see an adaptation and say "it would have been great as a standalone film and wasn't connected to X franchise" That is Pacific Rim. The only reason this movie is being made is BECAUSE it is so derivative of other successful franchises, but drops all the weird baggage Western audiences will find alienating.

But you can say the same thing about Star Wars, which was a pastiche of old pulp sci-fi serials (e.g. Flash Gordon), World War II films, and samurai films, with some Dune, Lord of the Rings, and hard-boiled noir mixed in. Or Star Trek, which was 40s and 50s era space opera and Golden Age science fiction with a thematic core of Kennedy-era optimism. Transformers was basically a Western translation of Japanese giant robot stories. These franchises didn't come into existence from nothing.

Yeah, a superficially derivative original franchise like Pacific Rim relies on things we've seen before. But it does new things with them, and allows people to get excited about the setting and the characters and the lore in new ways, instead of being forced into endless debates about canon and what's acceptable for this and that franchise. Yes, if Pacific Rim is successful and begets a whole multimedia franchise it will eventually have the same debates over canon and the same fan cliques forming, but there's nothing wrong with that. As long as there's something new alongside the established works.

 

[Mr. Q]

I can understand Bob's plight. I'm getting tired of the same retreads of past properties. While I would like to see a reboot of Monster Squad one day, I'd also like to see something new hit theaters and airwaves. Having to reboot/revamp/revise older properties isn't good for cinema and Hollywood needs to rethink its movie-making strategy before the implosion predictions of Lucas and Spielberg come to pass.

I'm going to see Pacific Rim this weekend. I've enjoyed Del Toro's work on Hellboy and on Blade 2 and this looks very promising. See you on opening weekend.

 

[Stabby Joe]

While I'm in 100% agreement, another problem is it can jade people in the wrong way. I've actually heard some people be cautious of Pacific Rim because of an ignorant thought process of "giant robots? Like Transformers? But that sucked". Regardless of the director, cast, different style AND THE FACT IT IS ABOUT GIANT MONSTERS, NOT JUST ROBOTS, the fact it has giant robots "like" another film is an issue for some.

I would say their loss but as this episode points out, we don't want that either.

 

[luvd1]

... Yes. I wonder if bob (now after watching the film) still feels the same, coz the reviews so far are not to complementary.

 

[Angnor]

Elysium? Isn't that just another class disparity movie? Am I missing something?

Yes, but in outer space and with power armor.

 

[scw55]

Bob, the only thing you needed to have said to get me to want to watch Pacific Rim before learning of any reviews was to mention that Pan's Labyrinth was involved.

Pan's Labyrinth is the film I love the most, ever. The fact it's connected in someway to Pacific Rim makes me giddy.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Elysium? Isn't that just another class disparity movie? Am I missing something?

Yes, but in outer space and with power armor.

and the director of District 9 at the helm so he will at least make good efforts on the allegory.

A must see in my book

 

[Kennetic]

I'm not really into giant robots so I'm going to sit this one out. Still appreciate the video Moviebob

 

[MovieBob]

I don't mean to be a dick, but I don't really know where "del toro is a genius" comes from.

Yeah, he has gotten a lot of praise as some sort of underground luminary, but I find this mostly some form of mainstream finding his movies charmingly quirky, and oh so brave, when they are anything but.

Chronos was a dumb story with good world and tension building, Devil's Backbone was exactly the same, only added some really grotesque political caricature, Pan's labyrinth was a really basic story with some monstrously grotesque and shamefully blunt inclusion of war and politics. Hellboy has nice characters but the movies themselves are a mess with some nice creature design... so... Really? Genius?
All I've seen from him has the subtlety of an old pole dancing stripper in a g-string. And Pacific Rim doesn't seem bound to change that impression.

That said, I do support Bob's assessment of supporting new Ideas, although particularly this one (and some others he mentioned) seem like shallow self-gratificating pyrotechnic exercises with the sole intention of simply spawning as many sequels as possible (if successful). Imagine how many spin-off toys of pacific rim we could have!

Still I guess.. new is new, and one does ask for new often.

...Maybe I'm just being too critical.

 

[Teoes]

S'funny, I was watching this and gearing up to hit the comments by saying "So much yes!" and then linking to the other films coming out this year that happen to be new IPs that I'm choking to watch: Elysium and The World's End. Then Bob goes at points at them for me.

I think we've all been saying the same thing - I don't particularly care if it kinda sucks, I'm just glad it's not a remake/reboot/sequel and I hope I can have a big dumb blast watching mechs and kaiju thump each other. Then next week I get the next Pegg/Wright vehicle, then next month the new film from the guy who blessed us with District 9.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Since the on base theater will undoubtedly be showing it in 3D only like every other big movie they've shown since they got the 3D equipment in, I'll likely wait until it shows off base. Amusingly, this means I'll be watching a kaiju/big robot movie in English with Japanese subtitles.

 

[nekoali]

I absolutely planned to go see this movie as soon as I heard it was coming out and saw the first trailer. I grew up on kaiju films. Some of my best Sunday afternoons as a teenager were watching double features of rubber suit Gozilla and Hong Kong films with horrible dubbing. And I love giant robots. And Del Toro. Throw all of these things together? Take my money, please!

And honestly, even it it turns out to be a horrible, laughable flop... That's okay for me. I love laughing at those sorts of B-rate silly action films too. So this really is a win/win deal for me.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

snip

A very well made point that only helps my case. It's nice to see a movie that is not based on an established franchise. But let's not fool ourselves. It fits the established mold. Giant Robots fighting alien looking creatures is not genre breaking. It's an established crowd pleaser. It just never looked this good. I am excited for this movie but it's not a landmark in any way. I am more excited that Del Toro is finally getting the credit and resources he deserves. I was quite upset he didn't do the Hobbit.

 

[daxterx2005]

Yeah, I was planning on seeing this one.

YOu know they made a knock off called "Atlantic Rim" right?

 

[Ishal]

I'm sick of going to the movies. It's a hassle, it's expensive, it's full of annoying people, the sound is either too loud or grating, the queues, the advertisements and so on...

Admittedly, buying a blu-ray or dvd or whatever is a bit more expensive, but it's so much nicer to just get a disc or through an online service and do it at your own pace, you choice of time, the ability to pause it and so on.

With that in mind, it's kind of scary that the people attending cinemas are something you judge a movie by. I could imagine it would be a problem somewhere down the line, when we're much more adjusted to online services and the home cinemas that an increasing amount of people own.

So I won't go support it in cinemas, but depending on the reactions, I'll likely get it on blu-ray.

I'll agree with this, but I will be going to see it opening weekend hopefully.

I think the big thing is (at least in America) movie audiences are largely baby boomers with a smattering of young adults and teenagers mixed in. While you and I might be more likely to say, watch a stream of a DOTA 2 or LoL match from the comfort of our own places in 1080p with quality sound, many people don't do that. It's still a foreign concept to think of that as entertainment over TV or Movies. Movies have always been a social place to go to with friends. Thing is, I never liked that about them. All to often people talk your ear off during the film, people get up to move, you might have to leave to go to the rest room, people can be assholes.

I think box office money will start to decline once the younger generations start to get a bit older. I say this because from what I've seen, the trend is this... The Stay at home experience is getting more appealing and seeing a rise i quality, the theater experience is getting worse and not changing.

 

[endtherapture]

Not really sold on the film, looks pretty generic to me, nothing really excites me.

And Bob, you had to bring up the Amazing Spider Man didn't you? Again. Great. Thanks. Getting sick of you doing this every few episodes or so.

I'm a fan of the film and the film is a hell of a lot closer to the original source material than any Raimi film so stop digging on it. It's getting old, you've been doing it for like a year now.