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| "Wait? Where did is say Power Rangers in my contract?" |
Even Ken liked it
So I guess that puts me in the minority.
As a summer action film, nothing in particular is wrong with "Pacific Rim." (For details of the plot, click the link above and read Ken's review - thanks, buddy for saving me the trouble.) It's certainly better than the almost-unwatchable "Transformers."
On the other hand, nothing lifts the film above standard summer fare. Great special effects? Check. Characters that feel like the cardboard cutouts of people that we have seen hundreds of times in sci fi movies and TV shows? Check. A plot that sticks so closely to its generic twists and turns that you could time them with a stopwatch? Check.
See - it has something for everyone!
This continues to be a summer of disappointing action, superhero and sci fi flicks. "World War Z" gave us PG-13 zombies. "Man of Steel" came badly disguised as a Superman movie. "Iron Man 3," while at times entertaining, recycled some of the worst cliches in the genre - child genius and girlfriend saves the day. Even "Star Trek Into Darkness," which overall was great fun, relied too heavily on characters and plots from classic "Trek."
Is it too much to ask for something original thinking from Hollywood? Next time, maybe let the monsters win.
Have you ever given a movie a good review? You point out so many good things about Pacific Rim and yet still have to rip into it - are you afraid of commitment?
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed after hearing so many positive things. The movie follows every sci fi cliche in the book. Is it too much to expect even a little originality? Thanks again for including all the plot and character exposition in your review!
DeleteWe all know that Ken likes the bad movies. Just look at his movie favorite history. Congo for one. lol
ReplyDeleteCongo..... I don't think I even saw that movie.... I think I read the book.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that the cliche count was not as high as you let on. First off the romance element was toned down and just hinted about which is a welcome sight. The origin of the Kaijus was a bit of a surprise and added some layers to the plot. The reveal of the relationships in the movie happened late in the movie which could be seen as tacked on but I felt they were placed perfectly at a time when all the battles might have gotten boring - instead they were now more important because we knew the characters that much more. You have to learn to enjoy a movie for what it is. I wasn't expecting Gone With The Wind when watching this movie. Pacific Rim exceeded its Summer Movie label but of course it wouldn't reach the "Cerebral Hard SF Movie" category.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dr5who - this is a movie that you will love so stop pretending you won't. The only downside for you is Jason Stratham isn't in it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I will have to see this movie to be the tie breaker in this debate.
ReplyDeleteThis was by far the most entertaining Summer Movie of 2013, even if it did look a lot like a live action version of every other anime series to come out of Japan over the last 40 years.
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