Pacific Rim

[kkslider5552000]

My detailed review for Pacific Rim:

Spoiler:

SO GOOD

[mangaluva]

AGREED

Guillermo del Toro has done a good

Again

Spoiler: in more detail

Okay. So, on the one hand, there's the pure, dumb fun of giant mechas beating up giant lizard monsters by using ships as baseball bats and randomly producing swords in space. That's fun.

Then there's the fact that Guillermo del Toro has clearly seen a good bit of mecha anime and Kaiju movies and this movie is a huge love letter to all of them. Not deconstructing, not taking the piss, just pure mecha-vs-kaiju awesomeness.

Then there are the really goddamn good characters. Mako: a central, female, asian character who is fully rounded and has her own character development. YAS. In fact, lots of varied, well-rounded characters with their own development and relationships and just really, really good. I sobbed when Herc and Chuck Hansen were saying goodbye because Herc clearly knew he was never going to see his son again T_T Newt had me laughing a lot too, and Gottlieb (and I've only seen Burn Gorman in Dark Knight Rises and Torchwood, so seeing him in this awkwardly geeky role is kinda weird, but the great thing is that I soon started seeing him as Gottlieb instead of Burn Gorman, which is when you know a character is quite good) was great as well, especially when he went into the drift with Newt. (And that glimpse in there of a child Gottlieb getting bullied and crying in the corner... LET ME HUG HIM). The Marshall was just awesome all around, too.

Also wanna go back and add my love for the Russian couple and the Chinese triplets and their mechas. I really, really wish we could've seen more of them. I would completely play a video game where I get the option to have three chainsaw arms or just be giant and smash the shit out of everything.

And just the whole concept of the Drift was lovely. It went a long way towards developing the relationship between Mako and Raleigh; the emphasis on compatibility and sharing each others' entire brains made it entirely believable that they'd develop a deep bond in a short space of time. After all, all the other pilots are either close relatives or a married couple. It's very sciency but basically it's a soul-deep bond and I have already seen fanart of all of the AUs of everyone's OTPs drifting and it's lovely.

I don't think I'm being very coherent about why I love this movie but I really do. Go see it. GO SEE IT. GIVE GUILLERMO DEL TORO YOUR MONEY.

[Commi-Ninja]

AGREED

Guillermo del Toro has done a good

Again

Spoiler: in more detail

Okay. So, on the one hand, there's the pure, dumb fun of giant mechas beating up giant lizard monsters by using ships as baseball bats and randomly producing swords in space. That's fun.

Then there's the fact that Guillermo del Toro has clearly seen a good bit of mecha anime and Kaiju movies and this movie is a huge love letter to all of them. Not deconstructing, not taking the piss, just pure mecha-vs-kaiju awesomeness.

Then there are the really goddamn good characters. Mako: a central, female, asian character who is fully rounded and has her own character development. YAS. In fact, lots of varied, well-rounded characters with their own development and relationships and just really, really good. I sobbed when Herc and Chuck Hansen were saying goodbye because Herc clearly knew he was never going to see his son again T_T Newt had me laughing a lot too, and Gottlieb (and I've only seen Burn Gorman in Dark Knight Rises and Torchwood, so seeing him in this awkwardly geeky role is kinda weird, but the great thing is that I soon started seeing him as Gottlieb instead of Burn Gorman, which is when you know a character is quite good) was great as well, especially when he went into the drift with Newt. (And that glimpse in there of a child Gottlieb getting bullied and crying in the corner... LET ME HUG HIM). The Marshall was just awesome all around, too.

Also wanna go back and add my love for the Russian couple and the Chinese triplets and their mechas. I really, really wish we could've seen more of them. I would completely play a video game where I get the option to have three chainsaw arms or just be giant and smash the shit out of everything.

And just the whole concept of the Drift was lovely. It went a long way towards developing the relationship between Mako and Raleigh; the emphasis on compatibility and sharing each others' entire brains made it entirely believable that they'd develop a deep bond in a short space of time. After all, all the other pilots are either close relatives or a married couple. It's very sciency but basically it's a soul-deep bond and I have already seen fanart of all of the AUs of everyone's OTPs drifting and it's lovely.

I don't think I'm being very coherent about why I love this movie but I really do. Go see it. GO SEE IT. GIVE GUILLERMO DEL TORO YOUR MONEY.

I agree with all of this.

Spoiler:

I loved the way the relationship developed, particularly because it wasn't so in-your-face like they usually are for these kinds of movies. The nerdy scientists were just awesome as well, and the part where they drift together was fantastic.

[Vylash]

Really loved Pacific Rim except for the romance

[mangaluva]

Really loved Pacific Rim except for the romance

I didn't actually mind the romance because it wasn't overwhelming and didn't seem out of place or forced, it just kinda developed in the background and didn't take over the plot at all.

Spoiler:

And I love how at the end there was a whole classic cliched Big Damn Kiss setup at the end but they don't do that they do an adorable little headbutt thing and hug and just do that kinda breathless "OH MY GOD WE'RE ALIVE I GENUINELY CAN'T BELIEVE IT AND I'M SO GODDAMN HAPPY" laughing. I really liked it.

[Akonyl]

or forced

my main issue with it was how forced it felt, tbh. Even if it was extremely minor, what did happen was just so poorly done I literally laughed at one point because of it.

[Hime-Chan]

I finally managed to see it, I went alone 'cause none of my friends wanted and tumblr was getting crazy. Then my mind was blown away, it was good, it was fun, and it was everything I ever want to see in a film

[kkslider5552000]

or forced

my main issue with it was how forced it felt, tbh. Even if it was extremely minor, what did happen was just so poorly done I literally laughed at one point because of it.

I think since anime relationships have murdered subtlety, that even the slightest chance that a fictional romance can be interpreted as just friendship in any way is immediately praise-worthy by comparison. IMO

still forced though

[Kor]

Saw it today and.....uuh...

Maybe I don't possess the right mindset anymore for these kind of movies.

Spoiler:

So many cliches. Was also wondering why there's only one main female role (who happens to be paired with the protagonist because movies).
As for the action, it was fun, but at some point, I felt it became a bit redundant.

My favorite part, though, was in the battle in the middle. This thought occurred to me while they were fighting the second Kaiju: "Hmm I wonder why the Power Rangers have an easier time defeating those things. Oh, that's right, they always have this big sword that finishes the monster." And then Mako says they have a sword and they kill the Kaiju.

[Hime-Chan]

I was disappointed by the lack of female characters too! I wonder if they'll put more in the next one

Since the first time I saw his face, Hannibal Chau reminded me of someone, then it hit me:



No? No? Am I alone?

[mangaluva]

I do think there should have been more female characters, but I feel that way about the vast majority of movies (then again it's generally true). At least Mako was a well-rounded character with her own motives and development rather then being entirely dragged along by Raleigh, whose arc ended up being secondary to hers. I also never really felt like she was paired with Raleigh "just because"; it's clear from the start that the two people Drifting together have to be extremely in-tune, which is why the majority of teams are relatives who've known each other their whole lives... and one married couple, because I don't think it's unbelievable that you could fall in love with someone that you get along with very well, whose thoughts often match yours, whom you trust enough to entrust all of your thoughts and memories and feelings to.

But that's only ever a background note to the more important issue of KAIJU ARE COMING TO KILL US ALL and there's no hyping love triangle, so I love it.

[Hime-Chan]

Yes, we don't have stupid relationships in the middle of it all to put even more drama!
I don't know if anyone follows Travis Beacham on tumblr, but he answers questions, and thinks of pacific rim as a part of an entire cross-media universe.

http://travisbeacham.tumblr.com/