The Golden Age of Special Effects.

We live in an age of CGI. Hollywood studios have been finding that it is a lot easier to CGI a bunch of enemies or explosions or anything in action and Sci-Fi films. Unfortunately I am one of those people that have not really enjoyed these transitions. Almost all of my favorite action and fantasy films took place in the mid-2000's. Lord of the Rings, Kingdom of Heaven, Mask of Zorro, The Bourne Trilogy. These films had a sense of realism to them that a lot of the more modern action films don't.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed The Hobbit, an Unexpected Journey, the excessive use of animation really took me out of some of the scenes. There were scenes that were exclusively CGI and since I knew it was all CGI, all suspense was immediately taken out of the scene. I think the reason why I enjoyed the big budget action films of the 2000's was because special effects were not good enough at that point to completely shoot a scene, but could only be used to enhance scene. Give them that extra something if you will. For an example I have added two scenes, both from director Peter Jackson, one from the Hobbit done completely in CGI and one from The Fellowship of the Ring, decide for yourself which one has more tension.

Hopefully, you agree with my opinion that the second clip is much better. Mainly because of the lack of frame cluttering. It's almost as if Peter Jackson told the animators to put as much stuff in the frame as possible. This excessive animation really makes it difficult for me at least to get personally involved in the scene. The sad part is, is that a scene shot in a forest with a bunch of guys in costume did so much more for me than and thousands of dollars of animation could.

I am going to bring up a point here that might cause some contention. As some of my classmates have already stated, they really did not like the film Pacific Rim, and while by no means did I think it was a great film. I found it to be very enjoyable and worth the money I spent in the theater (mainly cause I didn't watch it in 3D). Now obviously this film relies on CGI like it is nobody's business, but the thing I found interesting after looking a bit further into the making of the film was that director Benicio Del Toro made a conscious effort to make the cockpits of the Jaegers a real set and the enhance it with CGI. Here is a clip about building the set.

 

 

Now I thought that was pretty amazing. Especially because of the lack of necessity. They were already making an extremely CGI heavy set, Del Toro could have just as easily had the actors put in a green screen environment and done everything in post, but he said no. I want to add a sense of realism in an otherwise unrealistic film. This went as far as to make real functioning pilot suits and helmets. 

Well for those of you who have stuck through this whole post and watched all the videos and listened to all my wild comments I say thank you. I always appreciate a good debate, so if someone has a conflicting idea I'd love to hear their arguments. After all, we're here to learn.

The beauty of "Honest Trailers"

I was just browsing around YouTube earlier today like most of us do when we're trying to avoid doing our homework or going to the gym or, well, doing anything productive for that matter, and I stumbled upon a gem. The channel is called Screen Junkies and the channel specializes in a series which they call "Honest Trailers."

Have you ever watched a trailer for an upcoming movie, got super excited for it to come out, and when the day finally comes when you see it you're greatly disappointed? Or maybe it's simply not what you were expecting AT ALL?  Of course you have. We all have. The people who are hired to put together movie trailers are hired because they're good at what they do...usually. They throw together some dramatic music, the most intense or dramatic scenes of the movie, and often a badass voiceover to top it all off. Well, Screen Junkies has moved past all the lies and has worked to give you--the possible moviegoers--the most honest trailer possible. Just watch:

I know that I've ripped on Pacific Rim in the past, but that's only because I saw it exactly how the creators of this video saw it. Call be a pessimist. Call me a tough critic. For those of you who saw this movie, you can't tell me this wasn't an accurate depiction of the pure ridiculousness it contained.

Next up is the Honest Trailer for World War Z. I figured I'd discuss this one so my opinion isn't totally biased. I actually really enjoyed this movie and all it had to offer--or most of it, anyway. Overall, I thought the movie was very well produced (despite having almost been shut down several times during production due to Pitt's absurd spending) and I enjoyed watching it. It did, however, have its faults like any other movie. This trailer picks out each and every one of them.

Again, for anyone who's seen this movie, you cannot possibly say that the depictions in the trailer are wrong. Possibly exaggerated? Yes. But not wrong. World War Z was a good movie derived from a great novel, but there are oh so many faults and weaknesses contained within its 116 minutes. For one thing, the movie does follow loads of zombie movie stereotypes. It also has lucky coincidence after lucky coincidence to make sure the main characters stay alive. The problem of the movie is ALSO solved through a string of completely ludicrous "discoveries." It was like watching Fast & Furious 6 all over again. Just watch the trailer for examples of all of these.

Trailers are a necessity for the movie industry. They're really the only way to get the word out about an upcoming release. The problem with trailers, though, is that they often misrepresent what you're going to see and often leave you greatly disappointed. Screen Junkies created a way to allow you to reflect on these instances and laugh. Laugh a lot.

Pacific Rim. Really?

*WARNING - spoilers to follow*

A few days ago, I finally got around to watch del Toro's Pacific Rim. I truly wish I hadn't. I really just need a place to rant about it. After just barely being able to force myself to finish the movie, I simply had to look online to see what others thought of this disaster. Turns out, a whole lot of people actually really enjoyed it. The movie somehow received a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5 on IMDb. Seriously? You've got to be kidding me. I'm sorry del Toro, but here's why you don't deserve those scores.

The first issue I found with the movie started, well, at the very beginning. A voiceover. That's what the director thought would be a good way to start the movie. A voiceover is probably the biggest copout anyone could use in order to catch viewers up to speed. While it's an effective way, it's the least creative and simplest way to summarize what's happened up to what we're seeing. There are dozens of other, better ways to do this.

For those of you who don't know, Pacific Rim is about an alien invasion from giant, reptile-like creatures, called Kaiju, that come from deep under the ocean's surface. Us, meaning humans, build giant Rockem Sockem Robots, called Jaegers, to fight off these creatures. The voiceover used at the opening of the movie basically summarizes the aliens' first arrival and the battle that's been going on for so many years to fight for our survival. Instead of a voiceover, del Toro could have simply used quick shots of news channels so that viewers understood what was going on. That's probably the simplest substitute. Honestly, even if there was absolutely no introduction to the issue, the plot was simple enough that viewers could figure it out on their own.

The second, and probably the largest, issue I had with Pacific Rim was the fact that there was absolutely no trace of character development. Sure, Idris Elba's character eventually warmed up to the idea of allowing his adopted daughter, Mako, to become a Jaeger pilot, but that's merely because the entire planet would be doomed if he didn't. Elba's character remains the same hard-assed man throughout the entire movie. Raleigh, the main character of the movie, never strays from his "unpredictable," loose-canon nature. I don't think his tone of voice ever really changes either. Mako, pretty much the only female character in the entire movie, simply wants revenge for the death of her family. When she was young, a Kaiju attack wiped out her entire city, which is when Elba's character finds and rescues her. One would think that, being a movie and all, Mako would eventually put her lust for revenge aside so that she can better fight the monsters and save the planet. Nope! That would simply be too close to making Pacific Rim a half-decent movie. You would probably see more character development if you replaced every single character in the movie with a sack of potatoes.

Actors are the life force that drive a movie. They have the power to decide whether a movie tanks or becomes a hit. I'm not quite sure who picked the cast for this movie, but they sure did a very poor job. The main character, Raleigh, played by Charlie Hunnam, was probably the least emotional character I've ever watched in my entire life. Hunnam's monotone voice and blank facial expressions made for a reasonably boring, one-dimensional character. I was nearly put to sleep during his few monologues.

Idris Elba, who played the role of Marshall Stacker Pentecost (which really isn't a name to begin with), pretty much had the same issue as Hunnam. At the climax of the movie, when Pentecost decides to return to Jaeger piloting, he yells "We are canceling the apocalypse!" Anyone who's at least seen the trailer knows what scene I'm talking about. This very moment should make viewers sit on the edge of their seats, overly eager to see what's about to happen. Me? I felt nothing. I was shockingly indifferent due to Elba's tone which slightly resembled that of a parent scolding a child.

I'll end this topic with one last example of poor casting. For some strange reason, whoever was in charge of putting this odd cast together thought it would be a good idea to place Charlie Day, an actor who has been reasonably successful in recent comedies, as the doctor/scientist character in Pacific Rim. I understand Day probably wanted to try out a new role, and I understand that his character was meant to add a bit of

comic relief to the movie, but what I don't understand is how viewers are supposed to take his character at all seriously. Typecasting is a thing. It's a sad fact of the movie industry, but nonetheless, it exists. If Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was cast as a tooth fairy (oops, that's already happened), nobody would be able to take the movie seriously. It's simply too far outside of their normal roles. Some lucky actors are able to escape the monster known as typecasting, but Charlie Day is not one of them.

The final issue I found with Pacific Rim came towards the end of the movie. What many action movies like to do is state the solution to a problem and try to bullshit their way into making it sound like a discovery that required some higher level of intelligence. What really happens is that the writers of the movie can't think of a way to realistically solve the problem, so they make a solution appear out of thin air.

A prime example of this situation is demonstrated towards the end of this movie. When all hope is lost, and the resistance is convinced that the Kaiju will finally wipe out the human population, Charlie Day's character decides to use the futuristic technology that exists in the movie to connect his mind with that of a dead Kaiju's brain. Even according to him, this kind of experiment would have killed pretty much anyone, but of course, that would inconvenience the movie's plot too much. Day's character then claims, after magically surviving the procedure with little to no physical damage, he "discovered" that placing a nuclear bomb in the space-time bridge, which the monsters have been using to get to Earth, will collapse the bridge and end the invasion. There was no fictional scientific proof. There was no questioning his logic. It just worked. Poof. No more Kaiju invasion.

For a guy who honestly enjoys watching the occasional mindless action flick, I can say that I've never been so close to turning off a movie so many times. Was Pacific Rim an awesome movie? Yeah, I guess so. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun to watch a giant robot smack an alien over the head with a boat. I'd also be lying if I said the robots probably didn't kill more people than the actual aliens did when they would throw them through heavily populated city buildings. Pacific Rim was basically just Transformers on steroids. It was twice as awesome, but just a mindless.

Let's Talk About Pacific Rim

"Pacific Rim? What's that, a porno?"

No, my naive little friend, it is one of the most influential movies of Summer 2013. Haven't heard of it? Haven't gone to see it? Well, this is your much needed kick in the butt. 

"An alien attack and giant robots. Pft, I've seen it before."

While I agree that the monster and mecha genre have been around for quite some time, I'll almost guarantee that you haven't seen it like this before. Where "dark and edgy" seem to be the new trend going from movie to movie (even tv show to tv show), Pacific Rim is a surprising breath of fresh air. 

At its most basic and two-dimensional definition, it's about big robots punching even bigger aliens in the face. I know, I wasn't that impressed at first. Never before have I enjoyed eating my words as I did with this.

It's loud, it's flashy, it's in your face but it's different. 

"So what is it about?"

It's a story that takes place in the near-future (2020s) where humanity suffers under the threat of attack from a race of creatures (called Kaiju) that come from an interdimensional portal that lies on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. After years of fighting, humanity developed Jaegars or giant robots to fight this enemy. Pilots form a mental bond, and connect through "the drift"  where they share one another's thoughts and memories (so that the mental load of controlling a Jaegar is split into two). The story follows the co-pilots of one specific Jaegar (Gipsy Danger), as they work together to rid the world of impending doom.

But it's so much more than that.

It's about how strong humankind can be. When humanity has been forced to hide behind walls, or cower under the threat of imminent attack, they find a way to push through. It's surprisingly comforting to see humanity live on. To see a movie explore the after, in as positive a light as they could. That with such a colossal and terrifying threat, cities still stand. To see that they have adapted. To see that they have the power to fight back when everything is at stake. To forget the restrictions of race/gender/etc., and join forces. It's great to see a humanity that has been beaten down, a humanity that has risen back up, a humanity that spits in the face of the apocalypse. 

"Psh, what's so great about it?"

This is not an origin story. I don't know about you, but I have had it with origin stories. We get it Batman, your parents are dead. 

Pacific Rim gets rid of an hour's worth of backstory, with the careful placement of flashbacks. Sick of sitting through a collection of "who is he," "what am I," or "what should I do?" Have no fears. You will know everything that has led up to this point during the first twenty minutes or so of the movie. And you won't expect it to go where you think it will.

This story is not about personal conflicts. Sure, there are characters that clash and duke it out. But Del Toro had stated that one of the main focuses was to support a story where that concept is life. That you won't agree, may never agree, but you'll work together when you need to. 

And together not only means man and man, but man and woman, race and race. When you walk the halls with Raleigh as he takes in the lively happenings within the dome, you bump shoulders with women and people of color scurrying around: each playing an important part in keeping humanity alive.

Sure they're only minor characters, but that's a lot more than can be said for other casts. 

Speaking of which, let's talk about Mako Mori. 

When Raleigh comes in, all blond hair and baby-blue eyes, you think that Mako would just swoon and fall into his arms. That he would end up saving her. And you would be absolutely wrong. Mako Mori can save herself. She can fight by herself, for herself. And he respects that.

In fact, he spends a good portion of the time trying to convince her to be his co-pilot. Not because she's a pretty face but because she has what it takes to pilot a Jaegar. To drift with him. And that's the hero I've been wanting to see. A hero that I've been wanting to call my own. Someone like Mako. She doesn't need a snarky "better than you" attitude, to make her assertive. She doesn't have to be Ms. Serious-Business. She can be soft-spoken, with blue-highlights, and she will still be a pilot. She can still be a protagonist with a story all of her own. 

"What about Raleigh?"

Raleigh, Jaegar-program veteran who lost his brother during a mission (experiencing his brother's thoughts and feelings through the drift). He had all the makings of a cocky, a maverick, a loose cannon. But he isn't. What we expect to be a movie about his healing, we get a movie about his acceptance.

He made a mistake. He was brash. It cost him his brother. It cost him his Jaegar. It cost him a lot of emotional stability. But he made peace with it, his part in the consequences, and all before the real plot of the movie started. We don't need to see a ninety-minute fight back to the top. What we see is a man who knows how the world works (and has a message to give): you mess up, but you live with it, and you move on.

If anything, he is one of the best heroes for kids to look up to. In the case of Mako, he could've been that character who would use his god-like charm to snare her into being his partner. But he wasn't. He was the one who pined and begged. And it didn't make him any less of a character, any less of a pilot, and any less of a man. Their relationship is not romantic (not exactly). It's a bond between two people who have suffered but have had to strength to come back. They don't need to kiss, they don't swoon, they don't need to do anything to show that they are strong. That they can be partners. That they can drift.

And that's the most realistic thing.

Cheers to Del Toro, by the way, for taking the setting into Hong Kong. It makes sense. This is a worldly threat, so why not actually include people and places from all over as well?

"So, Pacific Rim."

Yep. It's not your average Transformers. 

So take a friend, take a sibling, a parent, a partner, and see what you drift compatibility would be.