Films: Pacific Rim (2013)

[major_clanger]

I almost managed to miss this during its UK cinema run due to extreme busyness and other stuff getting in the way. But it's a del Toro film and all I'd heard suggested that if I was going to see it, the big screen was the best way to do so. It turns out that there's one cinema in Birmingham still running it (the Empire down in Rubery) so we headed off, attimes_bracing in somewhat Dutiful Other Half mode. 

She loved it. 

I am very glad we did see Pacific Rim in the cinema; not only would the small screen have ill-served the impressive MECHA v MONSTER fight sequences, but it would have been sorely inadequate for the sheer quantity of ham served up to us. This is a film that doesn't just run gleefully with its clichés but turns them up to eleven in the process. It's gleeful and silly and overblown and just when you think it can't get any more silly and overblown RON PERLMAN turns up.

I have the following specific observations:

1. The origin of the Kaiju is sort-of explained, which is more than can be said for the origin of Idris Elba's accent.

2. Burn Gorman appears to have decided to portray his character as Alan Turing possessed by Doctor Strangelove.

3. I can suspend disbelief when it comes to giant fighting robots and monsters the size of office blocks engaging in smackdown wrestling. But when we see a slightly-built character walking up to a large helicopter as it lands holding an umbrella nearly as big as she is, I want to jump up and down ranting about how in real life she would have been blown about two hundred yards backwards. 



4. There is evidently a special extra-potent sort of Australian testosterone; good heavens, enough of it gets sprayed around.

Comments

[murphys_lawyer]

Oh good! Glad you both got to see this film as it deserves to be seen. I just managed to see it twice - first in 2D with friends and family, the second on my own to see what 3D added to it (not much).

There is so much that's good about the film. No long build up to the invasion: that's long gone and it's not looking good. The USA does not save the world single handed. And while the number of women in the foreground is, um, small, and neither say much, Del Toro understands that this is a visual medium and talking isn't the main point.

My take on Burn Gorman was that he was channelling Roddy McDowall, but I like the Turing idea too.

The Blu-Ray's on my shortlist of Must Buy Sooner Rather Than Later, but if it ever gets another outing I'll definitely be going back to the cinema for it; and there's not very many films I'd do that for.

[dalmeny]

It wasn't all ham. There was cheese too ;)

The Australian accents were absolutely terrible.

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

Agreed on all points. Marvellous film!

(Although a couple of the science FAILs were egregious enough that I had trouble with them. I refer you to the "It's alright, my giant robot won't be affected by EMP ... BECAUSE IT'S ANALOGUE!".)

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Really?????

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was one of the bits where my eyes may have rolled a bit.

Also, the Mecha glowing from the heat of re-entry... having fallen from 50,000 feet.