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Recent Viewing: Pacific Rim
I've wanted to see this since it first came out in 2013 but I just never had the chance. I remember how fanatical people were about this film, how it was supposedly genre-breaking etc. etc. etc. and I think this is a case of "hype killed it" or else it just wasn't for me. For the sake of consistency, the synopsis:
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed-up former pilot and an untested trainee —who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
To be upfront, action films are my least favorite genre of film. I find the emotional connection too low to engage with the material most often and prolonged action sequences bore me. But I do like sci-fi and given the praise lavished on this film, and the fact that it was directed by Guillermo del Toro, I had to have a look-see.
It was...lackluster.
I don't see anything particularly special about it besides the scale, and I'm tempted to believe a lot of the fixation on this film came from the fanfiction fuel of stealing "drift compatibility" for shipping purposes.
The protagonist is the most boring generic "military White American man with emotional baggage" dude you can imagine, and his actor, while very cute, gives a meh performance. Far more interesting is his co-pilot Mako, whose story we get only in glimpses. I had heard via social media osmosis that Mako was the "true" protagonist of the film, a statement I have to disagree with. Beckett (or whatever his name is) is the protagonist. The movie would've been more interesting with either the marshal or Mako as the main character.
Other than that, the film was just...forgettable. Big robots fight big alien monsters. Cities are smashed. They're running out of time to prevent the destruction of earth. There are some wacky scientists running around doing wacky scientist things (arguably one of the more entertaining parts of the film tbh, although Newt's antics did grow tiresome, or perhaps the kaiju-part-selling side character plot was just not that interesting).
I didn't really care about any of the characters and the only moment that I really felt something about the film was when the marshal and the Australian dude terminate their suit to clear a path for Mako and Male Protagonist. But I also always get emotional about characters choosing duty over safety.
Idk. Maybe I just didn't get it.
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed-up former pilot and an untested trainee —who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
It was...lackluster.
I don't see anything particularly special about it besides the scale, and I'm tempted to believe a lot of the fixation on this film came from the fanfiction fuel of stealing "drift compatibility" for shipping purposes.
The protagonist is the most boring generic "military White American man with emotional baggage" dude you can imagine, and his actor, while very cute, gives a meh performance. Far more interesting is his co-pilot Mako, whose story we get only in glimpses. I had heard via social media osmosis that Mako was the "true" protagonist of the film, a statement I have to disagree with. Beckett (or whatever his name is) is the protagonist. The movie would've been more interesting with either the marshal or Mako as the main character.
Other than that, the film was just...forgettable. Big robots fight big alien monsters. Cities are smashed. They're running out of time to prevent the destruction of earth. There are some wacky scientists running around doing wacky scientist things (arguably one of the more entertaining parts of the film tbh, although Newt's antics did grow tiresome, or perhaps the kaiju-part-selling side character plot was just not that interesting).
I didn't really care about any of the characters and the only moment that I really felt something about the film was when the marshal and the Australian dude terminate their suit to clear a path for Mako and Male Protagonist. But I also always get emotional about characters choosing duty over safety.
Idk. Maybe I just didn't get it.