Monthly Archives: July 2013

Movie Reviews

Movie Review – Pacific Rim

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Pacific Rim

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Robert Kazinsky, and Ron Perlman.

Backstory

Giant robots vs. giant monsters. That right there is all the reason I needed to go see this movie. Of course, there were a few other selling points, like it being from the makers of the Hellboy movies, but come on. Giant robots vs. giant monsters. All I need to know. All I needed to go.

Plot

In the not-to-distant-future, an interdimensional rift opens up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and giant monsters called kaiju start crawling out of it. When conventional weapons prove ineffective, the governments of the world create the Jaegers, giant robots to fight the monsters. But the kaiju attacks start growing in frequency, and Jaegers are no longer effective. The governments decide to pull the plug on the program, opting instead for a giant wall around all the countries of the world to keep the monsters in the Pacific. But, before the Jaeger program ends, all of the remaining Jaegers are brought together in Hong Kong for one last bombing run to try to seal the rift. Our hero is Beckett, the pilot of the American Jaeger known as Gypsy Danger. His co-pilot — his brother — was killed on one mission, and he’s since walked away from the program. But, with this final mission here, Beckett is called back into action. Will he and his new co-pilot Mako be able to fight the kaiju, plant the bomb, and save the world?

What I Liked

GIANT MONSTERS VS. GIANT ROBOTS! The robots are cool, the monster designs are cool, it’s just so awesome. And there’s a great subplot with the scientists who are studying the kaiju, and it leads them to a black market kingpin who deals in kaiju body parts which is rather wacky. Just…just great giant robots and giant monsters.

What I Didn’t Like

Like all giant monster movies, the plot does drag quite a bit while you’re waiting for the giant monster fights to break out. The plot is quite cliched. It follows the maverick fighter pilot formula quite carefully. And watching the climax, I started thinking to myself, “Wow. This is just like Independence Day, with giant monsters being the aliens’ weapon of choice.” And I know this is done to make the CGI easier to do, but staging all the giant monster attacks at night in the rain makes it tough to follow the action.

Final Assessment

It was good, but I’m not geeking out as much as the Internet is.

3 Nibs

Movie Reviews

Movie Review – The Lone Ranger

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The Lone Ranger

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Starring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, James Dale Badge, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Backstory

I’ve always had a soft spot for the character of the Lone Ranger. My earliest conscious memories of television are watching reruns of the old Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels TV series. So a few years back, I was elated when I heard that Disney finally secured the rights to the character and set out to make a new movie version. I was OK when they announced they were putting the same creative team behind Pirates of the Caribbean behind it. I mean, I liked the first Pirates well enough, but the next two just kind of collapsed under the weight of the mythology they tried to create. With the PotC team in charge the first announcement was the Johnny Depp would be playing Tonto, and I admit, that baffled me. And then the early script was leaked that said the Lone Ranger and Tonto would be fighting werewolves, and I started getting into “raping my childhood” levels of distaste. But the finished product is finally here, and my curiosity is still enough to get me to the theatre.

Plot

It’s 1869, and John Reid is returning home to Texas after being away at law school for the past 9 years. The world is changing…the railroad is under construction, and John returns home to find his childhood sweetheart has married his brother, and his brother is now a legendary Texas Ranger. On the way home, though, the outlaw Butch Cavendish escapes from a prison transport, and John is quickly deputized by his brother to join the posse to bring in Butch. But, Butch and his gang ambush the posse, and John is the only survivor. Discovered by Tonto, Tonto believes John to be a “spirit walker,” one who has been to the other side and can now not be killed. Convinced by Tonto that Butch may come after any survivors, John decides to conceal his identity to continue his pursuit of Butch. Soon, criminals are haunted by reports of a “Lone Ranger” who’s on the hunt for Butch. Can the Lone Ranger and Tonto bring Butch to justice? What is Butch’s plot? What’s the deal with Tonto? And will the Lone Ranger be able to stick to his principle that true justice isn’t found at the end of a gun?

What I Liked

There are some fantastic action sequences in the film. The climactic train chase is a showstopper. In fact, most of the action sequences are pretty good. Silver is also a scene stealer, as this very odd horse always shows up to provide the necessary deux et machina. Armie Hammer is really good as John Reid/The Lone Ranger as he slowly grows to embrace his role as a frontier lawman. And Helena Bonham Carter is also good as a madame that our heroes encounter in their investigation.

What I Didn’t Like

The film just gets really strange at times. The strangeness mostly revolves around the eccentricities that Tonto has. Plus, you know, Butch is a cannibal, he has what looks to be a transvestite in his gang, and the killer bunny rabbits. There’s more than a few moments that leave you scratching your head.

Final Assessment

Weirdness aside, I actually found it rather enjoyable.

3 Nibs