Pacific Rim - Part 4

[Poni_Boy]

In a world where despite being disappointing for longtimes fans, such a twist was actually a pretty good bit of writing driving home the filmmaker's intended subtext.

I loved the Mandarin twist. I never cared about seeing that character on screen, it wouldn't have worked. The comic writers tried to make a cartoonish representation of communism but instead left it as a racist caricature. I'll take shane black's humor over that any day.

 

[redhawk23]

Because... it is.

There is literally nothing new about this movie. Nothing. It's every cool scene from popular sci-fi cartoons mashed together with every fall back character/dialogue cliche from popular anime. It is clearly del Toro's passion project, and good for him that he got to make it. It's freaking beautiful to watch. Best visual effects I've seen this year so far. But man, is it dumb and unoriginal.

There's literally nothing original about Star Wars or Indiana Jones either. I'm not saying Pacific Rim is as goof of quality as those two projects but they served pretty much the exact same purpose.


And honestly what is so "dumb" about the film? Its straight forward certainly but why does that make it necessarily dumb?

 

[redhawk23]

I loved the Mandarin twist. I never cared about seeing that character on screen, it wouldn't have worked. The comic writers tried to make a cartoonish representation of communism but instead left it as a racist caricature. I'll take shane black's humor over that any day.

Straight up.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

Because... it is.

There is literally nothing new about this movie. Nothing. It's every cool scene from popular sci-fi cartoons mashed together with every fall back character/dialogue cliche from popular anime. It is clearly del Toro's passion project, and good for him that he got to make it. It's freaking beautiful to watch. Best visual effects I've seen this year so far. But man, is it dumb and unoriginal.

It may have elements of anime and Japanese films all mashed together, but you have to remember this is something the average movie going schmoe isn't used to seeing on the big screen. America hasn't been inundated with giant monster films since the 50s. The last two we had were the 98 Godzilla and Cloverfield. Hardly commonplace in American cinema.
Something of this scale and ambition IS new and original in that regard.

 

[Poni_Boy]

There's literally nothing original about Star Wars or Indiana Jones either. I'm not saying Pacific Rim is as goof of quality as those two projects but they served pretty much the exact same purpose.


And honestly what is so "dumb" about the film? Its straight forward certainly but why does that make it necessarily dumb?

There's literally nothing original about Star Wars? Really? Nothing? C'mon man, you're taking it personal because you liked the movie. Can't have a conversation with someone who removes all objectivity from the situation.

 

[redhawk23]

Doubt it. One movie bombing does not ruin a genre. Never has, never will.

This movie was never expected to be a smash hit from the studio side of things. Del Toro was contractually obligated to get a $200 mil movie with WB before he could go do something else with another studio. This was it.

Where are you getting that from? He didn't re-join this project, which he had helped develop intending to hand off to another directer, under contract. He was actively working on At The Mountains of Madness, setting up offices in Canada and scouting locations when Universal got cold feet and pulled the plug.

 

[Poni_Boy]

It may have elements of anime and Japanese films all mashed together, but you have to remember this is something the average movie going schmoe isn't used to seeing on the big screen. America hasn't been inundated with giant monster films since the 50s. The last two we had were the 98 Godzilla and Cloverfield. Hardly commonplace in American cinema.
Something of this scale and ambition IS new and original in that regard.

You don't have to be inn undated with a product to feel another newer product is a re-tread.

For example, at my screening last night: [BLACKOUT]When Gypsy Danger is fighting one of the monsters and runs out of ammo for its weapons Hunnam says "This is it, we're all out of options!" and that Asian chick says "No..there's still one left." to which a sword comes out of the robot's wrist and stabs the monster in the head. As soon as the scene ended and it got quiet the guy behind me screamed "Optimus!" [/BLACKOUT]

 

[redhawk23]

There's literally nothing original about Star Wars? Really? Nothing? C'mon man, you're taking it personal because you liked the movie. Can't have a conversation with someone who removes all objectivity from the situation.

What about Star Wars wasn't rooted in the things George Lucas watched as a kid? That was in fact the entire point of Star Wars. That's not a sleight against Star Wars by any means. The movie employed its elements in novel ways to be certain but that doesn't change the fact that all of its elements came from mythology various westerns, samurai films, ww2 films, serials and Isaac Asimov.

Especially when it comes to the first Star Wars, all of its characters are straight archetypes.

None of this is a bad thing.

 

[Showtime]

Where are you getting that from? He didn't re-join this project, which he had helped develop intending to hand off to another directer, under contract. He was actively working on At The Mountains of Madness, setting up offices in Canada and scouting locations when Universal got cold feet and pulled the plug.

In essence that is true. WB took a similar approach with Bryan Singer, this is why you got Jack The Giant Slayer.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

You don't have to be inn undated with a product to feel another newer product is a re-tread.

For example, at my screening last night: [BLACKOUT]When Gypsy Danger is fighting one of the monsters and runs out of ammo for its weapons Hunnam says "This is it, we're all out of options!" and that Asian chick says "No..there's still one left." to which a sword comes out of the robot's wrist and stabs the monster in the head. As soon as the scene ended and it got quiet the guy behind me screamed "Optimus!" [/BLACKOUT]

So what does that prove? Any time a movie does something that slightly resembles a different movie it's automatically a retread or unoriginal? There is a pre-PR film that has a character with arm blades as well. The film is Hellboy, another Del Toro movie. Did Transformers copy that?

 

[redhawk23]

So what does that prove? Any time a movie does something that slightly resembles a different movie it's automatically a retread or unoriginal? There is a pre-PR film that has a character with arm blades as well. The film is Hellboy, another Del Toro movie. Did Transformers copy that?

Yeah not to mention, the last time I checked,

Spoiler

Optimus Prime never took out a chain sword while clinging to a giant flying scorpion monster 50,000 feet above the ground. Yeah, I've never seen that. If that scene resembles anything it is a knight fighting a dragon.

 

[Marvin]

Starwars was an "un official" remake/adaptation of that Kurosawa film(I have yet to see). It's levels of unoriginality go above and beyond simply character types and story tropes and Joseph Campbell.

 

[Rowsdower!]

You don't have to be inn undated with a product to feel another newer product is a re-tread.

For example, at my screening last night: [BLACKOUT]When Gypsy Danger is fighting one of the monsters and runs out of ammo for its weapons Hunnam says "This is it, we're all out of options!" and that Asian chick says "No..there's still one left." to which a sword comes out of the robot's wrist and stabs the monster in the head. As soon as the scene ended and it got quiet the guy behind me screamed "Optimus!" [/BLACKOUT]

That clearly sounds like a ripoff of the scene in The Final Sacrifice where the cultists chase Zap Rowsdower and Troy to old Pipper's cabin. When they find that the door is locked, Rowsdower exclaims: "It looks like we've had it!" Troy replies, "Not yet!" as he discovers a way into the basement.

Epic movie. Action films these days wish they were that good.

 

[redhawk23]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_sources_and_analogues


And again none of this is a bad thing.

I'd say Pacific Rim is more similar to The Matrix in its incorporation of various elements and bringing them into live action.

Even among its various borrowed elements though I'd say the Drift, even if it too has analogues in other media, is employed in a novel way in this film.

 

[Tony Stark]

Starwars was an "un official" remake/adaptation of that Kurosawa film(I have yet to see). It's levels of unoriginality go above and beyond simply character types and story tropes and Joseph Campbell.

I have seen that film (the Hidden Fortress) and no Star Wars is not a remake. Did Star Wars borrow some queues from that film? Absolutely, but it was not a remake, official or unofficial.

 

[redhawk23]

The Hidden Fortress is just one of many influences upon Star Wars, just as Evangellion or Godzilla are just two of many influences upon this film.

Someone show me a movie that exists in a vacuum.

 

[-JKR-]

The Mandarin twist was, as the entire movie itself, BRILLIANT!

 

[Wolfwood]

Going to a screening with Guillermo del Toro tonight, can't wait. I'm counting the hours right now.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I was fine with the Mandarin twist. Maybe if I was a diehard Iron Man comic book reader, I would have hated it. But I'm not, so I thought it was fine. My only real complaints about IM3 were:

1. Not enough Rebecca Hall
2. RDJ was too over-the-top with the anxiety attack scenes; felt fake to me
3. The fire-breathing scene.

 

[Destructus86]

I see Rinko is wearing clothes in this one. Oh well, it will still be an amazing movie!

 

[Octoberist]

I have seen that film (the Hidden Fortress) and no Star Wars is not a remake. Did Star Wars borrow some queues from that film? Absolutely, but it was not a remake, official or unofficial.

Yeah. What Star Wars borrowed from The Hidden Fortress was its sensibilities, tone, scope and archetypes. It was a very epic movie that seamlessly shifted from drama to comedy thanks to Kurosswa's artful direction.

Also the characterization of the cast from the cynical rogue to brassy princess to te comedic sidekicks, really helped Star Wars with its own dynamics.

 

[-JKR-]

I was fine with the Mandarin twist. Maybe if I was a diehard Iron Man comic book reader, I would have hated it. But I'm not, so I thought it was fine. My only real complaints about IM3 were:

1. Not enough Rebecca Hall
2. RDJ was too over-the-top with the anxiety attack scenes; felt fake to me
3. The fire-breathing scene.

Nah, I've been reading Iron Man in comics, aswell. It's CALLED a.d.a.p.t.a.t.i.o.n. And a very smart one, aswell, which actually did manage to bring the Mandarin in all his incarnations to the screen. Fans have been acting VERY *********, even when Shane Black proposed to talk about it.

 

[Marvin]

I have seen that film (the Hidden Fortress) and no Star Wars is not a remake. Did Star Wars borrow some queues from that film? Absolutely, but it was not a remake, official or unofficial.

I used the term loosely. Some people call it rip off, some call it homage.
Meh, these days it's pretty hard to be anything else, even if you're james cameron.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, that's usually how it goes. A lot of fans can't separate the comics from the movies. They think any little change is an abomination. It's a shame, because I think that if they could let go of that attitude, they'd enjoy a lot more movies.

 

[redhawk23]

To be fair, the whole Mandarin thing's hardly a "little change."