MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (7/12/13): PACIFIC RIM
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kinkuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins, Jr., Ron Perlman and Mana Ashida
WRITER(S): Travis Beacham (story); Travis Beacham and Guillermo Del Toro (screenplay)
DIRECTOR(S): Guillermo Del Toro
WEB SITE: http://www.pacificrimmovie.com/
60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS: Aliens - known as "Kaiju," which is Japanese for "monsters" – have risen out of the sea in 2020. Mankind has banded together to fight them by creating gigantic robots known as "Jaegers" – which is German for "hunters" – to fight them. Jaegers require two pilots as the mental power needed to work them was too much for one person, which is why it's important for pilots to be able to mentally bond via a "neural handshake."
With mankind getting desperate to end the war, Pentecost (Idris Elba) isn't exactly too happy when the United Nations tells him it's going to end the Jaeger program in favor of building gigantic walls around Pacific Ocean area coastal cities. That's why he brings in Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a young but reckless former Jaeger pilot who has been off the grid after undergoing a terrible ordeal during a mission. And Raleigh's arrival isn't exactly welcome news to Chuck Hansen (Robert Kazinsky), who pilots a Jaeger with his father Herc (Max Martini). Mako (Rinko Kinkuchi), however, believes in Raleigh wholeheartedly ...
Meanwhile, opposites-in-every-way scientists Gottleib (Burn Gorman) and Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) have differing theories about what it will take to stop the Kaiju from taking over the world ... And that could spell bad news for everyone involved if either of them wins out and gets their way.
If something isn't done soon, however, we're all doomed – because the Pacific Rim is just the beginning ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST: People who like both Hellboy AND Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
With mankind getting desperate to end the war, Pentecost (Idris Elba) isn't exactly too happy when the United Nations tells him it's going to end the Jaeger program in favor of building gigantic walls around Pacific Ocean area coastal cities. That's why he brings in Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a young but reckless former Jaeger pilot who has been off the grid after undergoing a terrible ordeal during a mission. And Raleigh's arrival isn't exactly welcome news to Chuck Hansen (Robert Kazinsky), who pilots a Jaeger with his father Herc (Max Martini). Mako (Rinko Kinkuchi), however, believes in Raleigh wholeheartedly ...
Meanwhile, opposites-in-every-way scientists Gottleib (Burn Gorman) and Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) have differing theories about what it will take to stop the Kaiju from taking over the world ... And that could spell bad news for everyone involved if either of them wins out and gets their way.
If something isn't done soon, however, we're all doomed – because the Pacific Rim is just the beginning ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST: People who like both Hellboy AND Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
WHO WON'T LIKE THIS FILM: People who are tired of Independence Day clones, moviegoers who need star power and chemistry to drive a film, people who find the story confusing, those who can become easily disengaged when things move slowly
BOTTOM LINE – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? It's not bad, it's not good, it's just ... All right at best.
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT?: Some people are really going to like Pacific Rim. It's 3D isn't bad, there's plenty of battle scenes and Idris Elba does an OK job at the strong leader role. Sons of Anarchy fans will be happy to seeGarrett Hedlund Charlie Hunnam in a lead movie role and Del Toro fans will likely find something they will really like about the 2-plus hours (give or take 5 minutes) they're in theater.
However, Pacific Rim has flaws which might make it less tolerable for others. In no particular order, it:
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT?: Some people are really going to like Pacific Rim. It's 3D isn't bad, there's plenty of battle scenes and Idris Elba does an OK job at the strong leader role. Sons of Anarchy fans will be happy to see
However, Pacific Rim has flaws which might make it less tolerable for others. In no particular order, it:
- Is unnecessarily loud.
- Leaves itself open to plot flaw analysis
- Borrows the bombastic speeches of 300, the brooding "I don't want to be a hero but I'm being called into action" of just about every sci-fi/action movie made since 1980-anything'
- Continues its 80s/early 90s cliches with the secondary characters
- Leans HEAVILY on Independence Day right down to its final climatic scene
- Has some of the WORST forced humor you'll find outside of Grown Ups 2 this summer (note to Hollywood: Charlie Day is funny ... But abusing one man's appeal is going to become grating after a while. See Galifinakis, Zach in Hangover 3.)
- The acting feels like the cast is trying its best ... And they know it's just not good enough as an overall whole.
- In addition to ID4, the film goes a little too Godzilla at times and is executed as such ...
- ... And the less said about Ron Perlman's character, the better.
The bottom line is Pacific Rim feels like a video game ... But not a classic video game, but like the third of fourth sequel to a video game you used to love. In trying to be too many things to too many people, it becomes a polarizing exercise where – to quote 50 Cent when he got along with his G-Unit compatriots (remember that rap crew? Seems like ages ago now, doesn't it?) – you'll either "Hate It Or Love It." And that's not what you want out of a potential summer blockbuster that makes you more nostalgic for Rock 'Em, Sock' Em robots or the old "Battlebots" TV show ...
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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