Filum Review - Pacific Rim - Contains some spoilers
So I just saw Pacific Rim, which is a film about giant robots beating the crap out of giant monsters in Hong Kong. It's directed by Guillermo del Toro and it's pretty good if you're into films about giant robots who beat the crap out of giant monsters, because that's exactly what this film is about.
The film is pretty, very pretty. Guillermo del Toro is known for vivid, fantastical hyper-real imagery in his films and this is no exception. The mecha (known in the film as Jaegers, presumably for reasons not unrelated to Cthulhutech) are very well done, and successfully portray the concept of agile, high-tech walking powerhouses. I won't call them realistic because nothing in this film is particularly realistic, but they're pretty and the idea of massive kung-fu robots built around nuclear reactors which are piloted by two but serviced and launched by thousands is achieved with at least some verisimilitude.
The monsters (known in the film as Kaiju, presumably because that's a more accurate name for them) are a bit disappointing. They're monsters certainly, their movement and actions are an excellent portrayal of a savage trail of destruction hundreds of miles long, I'm not sure they have a more subconscious or metaphorical meaning than that (environmental destruction perhaps?) but they're definitely monsters. They're also a bit less imaginative than I expected. Don't get me wrong, del Toro does a good line in weird organic monstrosity and he delivers on that front multiple times (best in a scene featuring Ron Pearlman and the least sensible shoes in the world) but I was hoping for something a bit more Lovecraftian than several variations on the American Godzilla.
Fight scenes are good, well choreographed with a varied use of different terrains and weapons, including rocket fists, plasma guns and a container ship. The fights are also long and there are several of them. This really is a film about giant robots who beat the crap out of giant monsters.
The plot and character development... is rushed, very rushed. The film feels like it's adaptation of an entire series rather than a standalone work, there are plot threads and setting issues that I felt needed a little more screen-time, in some cases just a line or establishing shot here or there to reinforce a few items which were inferred (eg: that Raleigh and Mako work well together because they both want revenge, a better summary of the coastal wall program and the fact humanity are losing the war). There's also a more serious problem that the protagonist basically resolves all his personal issues at the end of act 2, alternatively, the protagonist resolves all her personal issues about ten minutes into act 3 depending who you think is the main character. It's obvious that Raleigh is supposed to be the principle protagonist and Mako a supporting role (at least he is in this cut, I suspect there might be an alternate cut for a Japanese audience which addresses this) whereas Mako is the much more interesting character with far more personal problems which are ultimately solved through the application of giant robot to giant monster. It would have been far more fitting for Mako to be the one left behind in the rift, but maybe I'm missing something about Raleigh which was supposed to be interesting.
Ultimately this is a comic book film and not one of those classy comics people call graphic novels and muter about a maturing art form, this is a Hollywood version of giant robot manga and judged against that measure it is an absolute success. The style is vivid and uncompromising both in visual aesthetic and characterisation (it's easier to count the people who aren't walking archetypes), the plot is a simple heroic tale of warriors at the end of the world uniting to save what they love and the film doesn't try to deliver more than its core premise: giant robots beating the crap out of giant monsters.
I just wish it had a bit more depth really.
The film is pretty, very pretty. Guillermo del Toro is known for vivid, fantastical hyper-real imagery in his films and this is no exception. The mecha (known in the film as Jaegers, presumably for reasons not unrelated to Cthulhutech) are very well done, and successfully portray the concept of agile, high-tech walking powerhouses. I won't call them realistic because nothing in this film is particularly realistic, but they're pretty and the idea of massive kung-fu robots built around nuclear reactors which are piloted by two but serviced and launched by thousands is achieved with at least some verisimilitude.
The monsters (known in the film as Kaiju, presumably because that's a more accurate name for them) are a bit disappointing. They're monsters certainly, their movement and actions are an excellent portrayal of a savage trail of destruction hundreds of miles long, I'm not sure they have a more subconscious or metaphorical meaning than that (environmental destruction perhaps?) but they're definitely monsters. They're also a bit less imaginative than I expected. Don't get me wrong, del Toro does a good line in weird organic monstrosity and he delivers on that front multiple times (best in a scene featuring Ron Pearlman and the least sensible shoes in the world) but I was hoping for something a bit more Lovecraftian than several variations on the American Godzilla.
Fight scenes are good, well choreographed with a varied use of different terrains and weapons, including rocket fists, plasma guns and a container ship. The fights are also long and there are several of them. This really is a film about giant robots who beat the crap out of giant monsters.
The plot and character development... is rushed, very rushed. The film feels like it's adaptation of an entire series rather than a standalone work, there are plot threads and setting issues that I felt needed a little more screen-time, in some cases just a line or establishing shot here or there to reinforce a few items which were inferred (eg: that Raleigh and Mako work well together because they both want revenge, a better summary of the coastal wall program and the fact humanity are losing the war). There's also a more serious problem that the protagonist basically resolves all his personal issues at the end of act 2, alternatively, the protagonist resolves all her personal issues about ten minutes into act 3 depending who you think is the main character. It's obvious that Raleigh is supposed to be the principle protagonist and Mako a supporting role (at least he is in this cut, I suspect there might be an alternate cut for a Japanese audience which addresses this) whereas Mako is the much more interesting character with far more personal problems which are ultimately solved through the application of giant robot to giant monster. It would have been far more fitting for Mako to be the one left behind in the rift, but maybe I'm missing something about Raleigh which was supposed to be interesting.
Ultimately this is a comic book film and not one of those classy comics people call graphic novels and muter about a maturing art form, this is a Hollywood version of giant robot manga and judged against that measure it is an absolute success. The style is vivid and uncompromising both in visual aesthetic and characterisation (it's easier to count the people who aren't walking archetypes), the plot is a simple heroic tale of warriors at the end of the world uniting to save what they love and the film doesn't try to deliver more than its core premise: giant robots beating the crap out of giant monsters.
I just wish it had a bit more depth really.