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Pacific Rim Spoiler Thread: Today, We Are Cancelling the Use of Spoiler Tags!
- Thread starter ScraftyDevil
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There is a Japanese Jaeger in Mako's flashback (Which I wish had gotten more screentime, but it did take down that crab Kaiju). Also, one of the main protagonists is Japanese.
The main Jaeger was originally supposed to be Striker Eureka (Australia), but it was changed to Gipsy Danger (USA) because Striker "looked too cold and arrogant" and Gipsy Danger had a more "everyman" design.
What about the giant arm-mounted plasma cannon? Or the buzzsaw sarms? Or the flip blades?
There were quite a few weapons, although I would have liked to have seen more.
I agree Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon deserved more screentime; I think having each one fight 1vs1 with Leatherback and Otachi before Otachi defeats Crimson Typhoon and they double team Cherno would have worked better, or maybe one of the two could have just been disabled and would have aided in the final fight.
I very much disagree about having a final battle with 7 to 8 Jaegers. The entire point of there being only four Jaegers left is that we're losing the war. This is everything that we have.
I disagree with you on Raleigh. He is not particularly obnoxious; he shows respect to his co-pilot and he only really gets rowdy when he feels his friend is insulted. Compared to Mako, he has a more relaxed, casual demeanor that shows how used to the Jaeger program he is. He may have been extremely cocky at the beginning of the movie, but his cockiness is toned down after his brother dies.
As for your alternate write-up, I think that could have been a fine movie, but it's not the movie written and I personally enjoyed the movie written.
I also feel that decision was made because not only the whole concept of giant mechs is a great homage already, there are a lot of monsters featured as well, and that is what really taps into the tradition of this genre. It's not like that heritage was neglected, I feel they feared they would make it so much about that, when it also needed to be its own thing.
Don't forget Tacit Ronin's cameo too, which is also Japanese. Although I was certainly expecting a few more flashback scenes with the Mk. Is.
That Dude John
Member
Using a whole ship as a sword was awesome.
That is all.
That is all.
The music made that scene just so much better. Adrenaline pumping constantly.
Just came back from it and I really enjoyed it. There was a couple of disappointing parts like the Russian and Chinese Jaegers being taken out too fast and the limited amount of Jaegers/Countries represented but overall the music was great, the action and scenery were beautiful and the robots were awesome.
I would give it an 8 or 9 which could change once it's released on dvd since I wasn't a fan of the 3D.
I would give it an 8 or 9 which could change once it's released on dvd since I wasn't a fan of the 3D.
donkey show
Member
We need to have a separate thread for our Jaeger creations. Let's go!
I would say it was more of a club...
I will admit that I'm not generally excited by Kaiju's or giant mechas duking it out, but I feel as though I wouldn't have liked the film very much if I'd seen it alone.
As it so happened, I saw it with a friend, and the fight scenes and incredible special effects pulled it through, but I had a hard time suspending my disbelief at some of the things happening, and I kept internally asking "why this" or "why that" at several points in the movie.
That, and it had a very weak script; you could predict almost everything. Here is the love interest. Here is the underdeveloped old guard who will get killed to show how roughn' tough these baddies are. Here is the dramatic will he live? (of course he will you ninny!) scene at the end that you've seen in a billion other stories.
Also, the whole drifting with the Kaiju brain subplot felt extremely inconsequential when American nerd guy and English nerd guy burst in and explained the bar code, and the general response is basically, "Oh, okay. We'll just add one simple step to our plan which does not need to be meaningfully altered in any way to accomplish this. Smooth sailing!"
It wouldn't have been so bad, except that it was the primary goal of important side character American nerd guy throughout most of the film. It led to Ron "Blingmeister" Perlman getting eaten!
That's just one little issue I had though. If I went into the rest... it's almost 3 AM.
As it so happened, I saw it with a friend, and the fight scenes and incredible special effects pulled it through, but I had a hard time suspending my disbelief at some of the things happening, and I kept internally asking "why this" or "why that" at several points in the movie.
That, and it had a very weak script; you could predict almost everything. Here is the love interest. Here is the underdeveloped old guard who will get killed to show how roughn' tough these baddies are. Here is the dramatic will he live? (of course he will you ninny!) scene at the end that you've seen in a billion other stories.
Also, the whole drifting with the Kaiju brain subplot felt extremely inconsequential when American nerd guy and English nerd guy burst in and explained the bar code, and the general response is basically, "Oh, okay. We'll just add one simple step to our plan which does not need to be meaningfully altered in any way to accomplish this. Smooth sailing!"
It wouldn't have been so bad, except that it was the primary goal of important side character American nerd guy throughout most of the film. It led to Ron "Blingmeister" Perlman getting eaten!
That's just one little issue I had though. If I went into the rest... it's almost 3 AM.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Man I have nearly had the soundtrack on nonstop repeat since seeing it.
So good.
So good.
Dragoshi1
Member
We need to have a separate thread for our Jaeger creations. Let's go!
Making a Jaeger and exporting an HD wallpaper nearly killed my laptop, made it louder than a jet engine, but the resulting wallpaper was well worth it.
Well it was supposed to be a bo staff like the one they used in their compatibility training.
meltingparappa
Member
I assumed this as well, but they didn't really swing it around the same way or hold it in a similar stance.
Which reminds me, the way that Mako held her staff like a katana at her belt during the training made me freak out with nerdish glee. I also noticed Raleigh doing some sort of Kendo thing (maybe) and that was a nice touch.
chickdigger802
Banned
kinda wish the whole kaiju drifting sequence was close to the thing shown to us. The scientist guy was expositioning away about dinosaurs and what not, and I was confused because I barely saw anything.
I just wanna see some images of the alien homeworld and what not. Having a kaiju working on the farm and what not lol.
I just wanna see some images of the alien homeworld and what not. Having a kaiju working on the farm and what not lol.
Black Door
Banned
Welcome to Hollywood filmmaking, where characters having emotions make them look "weak" and "effete," nope, gotta show things being punched every five minutes to keep the audience from walking out, and all arguments are solved with the characters doing a fist bump.
God, I really wished that the ending was Eva-ish with Pentecost being evil or something (especially since he acts like Gendo so much) instead of it just being Independence Day with two mechs
WordAssassin
Member
There wouldn't have been any Kaiju working on farms since they were all genetically engineered to go through the rift, but it would have been cool to see a little more of the Kaiju Masters. I assume, based off what Del Toro has hinted at, we'd see a lot more of them in the sequel [should it get made].
forgeforsaken
Member
It also might be because you weren't paying attention, which seems to be where the majority of the complaints about plot holes lie as well.
I don't know, seems like many others don't have a problem with the names. The only person I ever had a problem with was Raleigh because from the film's pronunciation, I thought it was spelled "Rowley" or something haha.
Edit: Also, I'm totally blanking. Where was the "C'mon Gypsy!" line from the trailer? Was it when Gypsy appeared in Hong Kong to save Striker Eureka?
Nappuccino
Member
I read it as the rift was still open and he had a certain amount of time to get back to the surface before it was going to be closed.
I rememered Idris Elba's character name because it's such an amazing name: Stacker Pentecost. There's no way a guy with that name is a pussy.
KOIJU? AH DA FUCKIN' CALLED 'EM SHAZWAZZAS
omg I cannot stop laughing here.
Affeinvasion
Member
Kaiju Heroclix
Jaeger Heroclix
The tabletop game I play called Heroclix just released a set of 10 figures (5 Kaiju, 5 Jaegers). They are worth checking out if for no other reason that they look great on a desk. The game is fun too.
BronsonLee
Member
... Fucking Swampass?!
That is literally how it sounds to me reading that name. Aaaaaaaugh
I think this is the first time anybody has ever asked for an ending to be more like Eva's. You do remember what happened at the end of NGE, right?
Also, making any of the human characters outright evil would have been against the point of the movie. Humanity is supposed to unite against the monsters. The film isn't Evangelion, and trying to make it like Evangelion is very much the wrong approach.
WordAssassin
Member
To everyone asking why GD didn't just use the swords the whole time: The main pilot was Raliegh(sp?) and he had no idea that swords had been added to the Jaeger. As soon as the situation called for it, Mako remembered and told him and their activated them immediately. He then uses them in all the following fights.
Dude how could it possibly sound like swamp ass? Shazwazzas? Shaz Wazzas? You have to do some serious lingual gymnastics to make that swampass.
Dude how could it possibly sound like swamp ass? Shazwazzas? Shaz Wazzas? You have to do some serious lingual gymnastics to make that swampass.
edible_candle
Member
I came away from the theater with a strong feeling of ambivalence towards this film. Pacific Rim excels at delivering on its promise of giant monsters fighting giant robots, but completely missteps on a script and story level. The plot only serves to move you to the next fight, which wouldn't have been a problem if it didn't spend so much time trying to build up two-dimensional characters. The pacing screamed to a halt for a massive chunk of character exposition. A fourth battle, or even a flashback to a battle, would have really helped during the period of time between the first and second battle.
All of the problems the characters have don't matter at all, since they all get solved in roughly five seconds or less later in the film with no actual consequences. Raleigh doesn't want to return to the program? Stacker says one line, and he's in and doesn't consider his reluctance again. Mako can't pilot the Jaeger because Stacker doesn't want to lose his daughter? Stacker changes his mind without any compelling reason beyond, "Oh, I guess I was wrong." But then Mako fucks up during the first drift, almost kills everyone, so she can't pilot anymore. When the fight at Hong Kong goes sour, she joins the battle with Raleigh in an instant. Shouldn't there have at least been some hesitation here? Stage fright? Anything? Why not have them hang back with Striker Eureka in the beginning, since they are potentially unstable? As has been mentioned before, the rivalry between Raleigh and the Australian son amounts to nothing. There could have been at least a portion of a battle where their rivalry causes problems during a Kaiju attack. Stacker has cancer and can operate a Jaeger alone? Doesn't matter, he just blows up the Striker Eureka with his copilot instead of forcibly ejecting the copilot and battling to the death alone in order to make a path for Gipsy Danger. Why even bring it up that he is dying, or that he is capable of piloting solo? Also, they spend so much time talking about drift compatibility, and then completely gloss over it when Stacker needs to drift with the son. "I'm just going to not bring my memories into the drift, because I'm just that awesome."
The entire scientist subplot does nothing besides tell us, "Oh, by the way, this is the exact plot of Independence Day, right down to needing one of their machines/creatures to go to their mothership/homebase in order to blow it the fuck up." Apparently mankind lacks the mental prowess to figure out decades prior that the Kaiju are clones, the attacks are exponentially increasing in frequency and power, and there is a reason behind the madness. Charlie Day managed to be my favorite character in the film despite the pointlessness of his plot, however.
Speaking of, Independence Day presented a world on the brink of losing to an alien force in a much more convincing and real way. Independence Day. The cities presented in Pacific Rim seem to have suffered no long term consequences from the decade-plus war. The world's governments are giving up and building an ineffectual wall for some reason instead of funding the most effective method of fighting the Kaiju. The film hints at possible corruption or evil at play here, but never follows up on it. Why not just present the entire world on its last legs, lacking the resources, money, manpower, or whatever needed to build more Jaegers? It would make more sense than having a rogue group in charge of the greatest war machines ever built while the rest of the world twiddles their thumbs.
But oh man. The actual battles were absolutely spectacular. Incredibly tense. Watching the Kaiju claws break into the cockpit of a the Chinese Jaeger was absolutely terrifying. All of the grapples, punches, stabs, etc., felt incredibly satisfying to watch. The fights were well shot, colorful, and a ton of fun. Disappointed that the trailers spoiled so much of them though (whoever said they didn't is full of it). And Cherno Alpha deserved so much better.
So yeah, not entirely sure how I feel about it overall. As it stands, Pacific Rim presents absolutely incredible action sequences (particularly the Hong Kong battle) surrounded by bad to mediocre plotting and characters. Which is fine for a dumb film about giant monsters versus giant robots, but I felt the movie could have been so much more than it is.
All of the problems the characters have don't matter at all, since they all get solved in roughly five seconds or less later in the film with no actual consequences. Raleigh doesn't want to return to the program? Stacker says one line, and he's in and doesn't consider his reluctance again. Mako can't pilot the Jaeger because Stacker doesn't want to lose his daughter? Stacker changes his mind without any compelling reason beyond, "Oh, I guess I was wrong." But then Mako fucks up during the first drift, almost kills everyone, so she can't pilot anymore. When the fight at Hong Kong goes sour, she joins the battle with Raleigh in an instant. Shouldn't there have at least been some hesitation here? Stage fright? Anything? Why not have them hang back with Striker Eureka in the beginning, since they are potentially unstable? As has been mentioned before, the rivalry between Raleigh and the Australian son amounts to nothing. There could have been at least a portion of a battle where their rivalry causes problems during a Kaiju attack. Stacker has cancer and can operate a Jaeger alone? Doesn't matter, he just blows up the Striker Eureka with his copilot instead of forcibly ejecting the copilot and battling to the death alone in order to make a path for Gipsy Danger. Why even bring it up that he is dying, or that he is capable of piloting solo? Also, they spend so much time talking about drift compatibility, and then completely gloss over it when Stacker needs to drift with the son. "I'm just going to not bring my memories into the drift, because I'm just that awesome."
The entire scientist subplot does nothing besides tell us, "Oh, by the way, this is the exact plot of Independence Day, right down to needing one of their machines/creatures to go to their mothership/homebase in order to blow it the fuck up." Apparently mankind lacks the mental prowess to figure out decades prior that the Kaiju are clones, the attacks are exponentially increasing in frequency and power, and there is a reason behind the madness. Charlie Day managed to be my favorite character in the film despite the pointlessness of his plot, however.
Speaking of, Independence Day presented a world on the brink of losing to an alien force in a much more convincing and real way. Independence Day. The cities presented in Pacific Rim seem to have suffered no long term consequences from the decade-plus war. The world's governments are giving up and building an ineffectual wall for some reason instead of funding the most effective method of fighting the Kaiju. The film hints at possible corruption or evil at play here, but never follows up on it. Why not just present the entire world on its last legs, lacking the resources, money, manpower, or whatever needed to build more Jaegers? It would make more sense than having a rogue group in charge of the greatest war machines ever built while the rest of the world twiddles their thumbs.
But oh man. The actual battles were absolutely spectacular. Incredibly tense. Watching the Kaiju claws break into the cockpit of a the Chinese Jaeger was absolutely terrifying. All of the grapples, punches, stabs, etc., felt incredibly satisfying to watch. The fights were well shot, colorful, and a ton of fun. Disappointed that the trailers spoiled so much of them though (whoever said they didn't is full of it). And Cherno Alpha deserved so much better.
So yeah, not entirely sure how I feel about it overall. As it stands, Pacific Rim presents absolutely incredible action sequences (particularly the Hong Kong battle) surrounded by bad to mediocre plotting and characters. Which is fine for a dumb film about giant monsters versus giant robots, but I felt the movie could have been so much more than it is.
To everyone asking why GD didn't just use the swords the whole time: The main pilot was Raliegh(sp?) and he had no idea that swords had been added to the Jaeger. As soon as the situation called for it, Mako remembered and told him and their activated them immediately. He then uses them in all the following fights.
Dude how could it possibly sound like swamp ass? Shazwazzas? Shaz Wazzas? You have to do some serious lingual gymnastics to make that swampass.
when the pilots are drifted, didn't they know everything about each other? so if mako had known, then raleigh should've known as well.
i mean its not a huge deal or anything, just something that stood out.
also were their main pilots? i assumed it was a two person show, rather than just a pilot and his copilot
I agree completely. It was fun to see in IMAX 3d with all its bells and whistles visually, but I really felt like all I paid for was an expensive piece of eye candy that I could've waited for. The levels of hype I had had me expecting a bit more epic/groundbreaking storytelling when really it all boiled down to a summer blockbuster experience like World War Z. At least in that movie I felt moved from place to place with a sense of cohesion and I didn't have to pay 14 bucks to get the "full experience."
I'm sure I'll watch it again, though and maybe I'll see what some of the people claiming entertainment for entertainment's sake see and change my mind. For now though I too am disappointed.
Regulus Tera
Romanes Eunt Domus
Nah it's probably just because the script is so goddamn stupid I couldn't be bothered to care emotionally about any of the fuckers.
But who the fuck cares. SWORD THROUGH THE FACE, MOTHERFUCKERS
Epic storytelling....who on earth hyped you for that?
Eventually you'll learn that when places like GAF are the only ones hyping a movie (like PR, Scott Pilgrim, Kick Ass, etc.), that you should keep your expectations in check. I had very low expectations, and came away very entertained.
And really, what did you expect from a Robots vs Monsters movie? Personally, I'd never expect "epic/groundbreaking storytelling" from a movie like that.
Regulus Tera
Romanes Eunt Domus
I would argue Hideaki Anno should make his Rebuild of Evangelion project more like Evangelion! That would be a good thing!
I'm not sure why anyone would expect something other than a 'summer blockbuster experience' from the giant robot vs monster movie released in July, tbh. Nothing we'd seen or heard gave any impression that there was more than that (and in terms of the trailers barely even gave us that much info).
That would have been so dumb SO DUMB.
Hope you never get in the filmmaking business.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Evangelion is the poster child for endings so bad they almost negate everything good about the series.
BronsonLee
Member
Dude how could it possibly sound like swamp ass? Shazwazzas? Shaz Wazzas? You have to do some serious lingual gymnastics to make that swampass.
Don't look at me! It's not my fau-ok yeah it is
I read the name and was it immediately went to Fucking Swampass (no clue why). Reading it now I think of a more normal pronunciation, but good god even that one's bad (Farking Shasswhatass!)
Exactly.
Since the first trailer with Raleigh narrating about aliens, "coming not from the stars but underneath the pacific ocean..." and Idris Elba's "cancelling the apocalypse" speech...when did people elevate the movie's dialogue and content above blockbuster movie level...?
Not even two reboots, one of which makes the "villians" into maverick heroes, could save the total combined plotline of EVA.
this movie is just so fucking good.
the sword reveal was one of the best parts in the entire film, i agree.
also:
https://www.riptapparel.com/
ya got 8 hours.
the sword reveal was one of the best parts in the entire film, i agree.
also:
https://www.riptapparel.com/
ya got 8 hours.
No. The drift allows you to sync with your Jaeger and the other pilot, to the point of understanding their way of thinking and their personality/motivations. Not every single bit of knowledge they have ever known.
Before this though, you get glimpses of "trigger impulses" which are memories that are emotionally important to them. Not something like what they had for breakfast two years ago.
No. Every action the Jaeger takes is pretty much agreed upon by the two pilots. That's why compatibility is important and they dont spend half the time debating on what they should do.
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