Yes. My 7-year-old cousin saw it this morning and he adored it. The Kaiju might scare them a little, but I think that this movie is great for younger children if they can get past that.
I'm going to see this with some friends when it's out over here. Only one question: How good is Idris Elba in this? I know he's a great actor but I don't know whether the role really fits him all that well.
kids will eat this shit up, GDT said he made this for a younger generation not for us jaded adults lol. i am taking my twin brothers to see this (11 years old) and they cant wait to see it.
kids will eat this shit up, GDT said he made this for a younger generation not for us jaded adults lol. i am taking my twin brothers to see this (11 years old) and they cant wait to see it.
If I was 8 this would've been my favorite movie of all time. It would've defined that year for me, I'd want the action figures, etc.
I was almost jealous of the kids in the theatre when I saw it. Lucky little bastards.
Absolutely LOVED IT. Where to begin, where to begin...
Going into the movie, I thought the characters wouldn't be all that interesting... but I'm happy to say, they WORK! That's not faint praise or a back-handed compliment, either -- the characters really remind me of adventure movies like "Ghostbusters," "Back to the Future," etc. Had this released in the late '80s/early '90s (in some alternate universe where the FX were possible), it would've been an instant classic. To cop a "Star Wars" comparison, the characters reminded me of Episode IV -- a bit less developed than V or VI, but solid and likable all-around. Nothing felt stiff, stilted or awkward like the Star Wars prequels. The characters are simple, but I enjoyed all of them, and they all have distinct arcs and emotional beats, even the comic relief scientists. I was particularly impressed by Charlie Day -- in preview clips, he seemed over-the-top, but in the actual context of the movie, he comes off remarkably natural.
I really like the cute curiosity between Raleigh and Mori and the warmth that forms in their friendship. By the end they feel like siblings, with a whiff of something more. Pentecost was an excellent character -- strong, but always with a look of vulnerability. His private asides with various characters (Raleigh, Mori,
the Aussie son
, etc) all felt genuine. And speaking of
the Aussie son
, the moment with
his dad at the end managed to make the hot-headed jerk sympathetic at the last minute
-- no small feat! I also like how there were no human bad guys -- in the end, it was about humanity fighting a force of nature, so to speak. I didn't experience any cognitive dissonance, just a great deal of tension as I wondered which pilots would bite the bullet, and how these monsters would be stopped as the odds continued to escalate.
The bone-rattling sound design probably played a role, but these battles were INTENSE. My mouth was gaping most of the time, and during the final battle, I realized I was nibbling my fingers, something I never do. The movie doesn't pull any punches, that's for sure, and those cockpits aren't exactly bastions of security and warmth. There was a tremendous sense of WEIGHT and STRUCTURE to the mechs, and a palpable sense of PHYSICALITY to the anatomy of the kaiju. The way both sides could be ripped to shreds, punctured, impaled, dismembered, etc, made it all feel so REAL. Not once did I think to myself, "These are special effects punching special effects." I totally bought into the fiction onscreen, which is wonderful. The only thing that ever broke the immersion is the fleeting occasion when the soundtrack would compete for audio space with some lines of dialogue. Would've been nice if they dialed it back here and there. Although I must say, its percussive presence throughout a good chunk of the movie made the quiet moments (like a certain encounter in an underground kaiju bunker) all the more suspenseful.
On another note, I thought the final battle was well-done. I went in expecting it to be hard to follow, based on some comments I had read, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. The silhouettes are distinct enough, and the
breach, thermal vents and bioluminescent lighting
kept things in perspective. I am a bit surprised how quickly certain jaegers and kaiju were dealt with, but they all serve the spectacle and/or plot, and they serve it well. I love the predictable, albeit awesome
"Independence Day"
they pull at the end with
dropping the nuke
. I also love bits of humor, my favorite bit being when
Gipsy's punch plows through an empty office building and stops just shy of the last desk inside
. So much FUN!
Oh, and definitely see this in IMAX in 3D. The 3D is crystal clear, with excellent depth and distance and tangibility, and the colors are wonderfully vibrant. Just gorgeous. And that SOUND. You really feel it in your chest when a kajiu rips apart a jaeger (or vice-versa!). And stay after the credits -- there's an extra scene a short ways in that is EXCELLENT.
My favorite "blockbuster" del Toro film, followed by "Hellboy" and "Hellboy 2" (I'm still torn which Hellboy movie I like best). I don't really feel inclined to compare this to "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Devil's Backbone" -- completely different tone here.
I'm sitting here in imax 3d with my daughter sadly I think my son who is only 4 might not handle it too well. So decided not to bring him. Can't. Fucking. Wait.
Wth movie suppose to start 7 min ago! Let's go fail regal!
Man, this movie is so great. I'm a little irked at the reviews, in retrospect. I read all of the unfavorable ones to check my expectations in advance, but in hindsight, it seems like some reviewers were expecting this film to be "Pan's Labyrinth" levels of seriousness.
The thing is, it's not a character study. It's a plot driven by personalities -- simple, but strong personalities, like Luke and Leia in the original "Star Wars." They all all add up to this greater whole of humanity, which gives the battles a sense of heart, a sense that something is at stake. When the cards are down, no one wants to see anyone fail -- everyone is in it together. There's an overwhelmingly positive tone to this movie... A love of humanity. Not a single hint of cynicism -- just good feels all-around. And that's before you even get to the sheer joy of robots punching monsters!
Just got back from me second viewing. This time Imax 3D first time was RPX 3D. The sound mixing was very different between the two. The Austrailians were much easier to understand in the IMAX but any dialogue that was being spoken when sounds or music was playing was much more difficult to hear on the IMAX. The Jaegar computer voice was nearly impossible to make out. Other than that the image seemed nearly identical.
Still dang fun the second time around. There is so much going on in the monster designs. I am looking forward to seeing this on Blu-ray with no 3D so I can really focus on the little details. Theater was mostly empty but then again it was 1PM. But its the second time I have seen it in a half empty theater. Doesn't bode well for ticket sales.
There were a few young ones in the screening I attended (ages about 9-10) sitting in front of me and I believe they were all fascinated by it.
One of them was mimicking a few punches and another one must have fell in love with Mako I think, because he said her name a few times when she was on screen.
It should hopefully fare much better than it did here.
I think the lack of "actor marketing" is what hurt Pacific Rim. The film has recognizable faces but nothing that the mainstream public would consider easy sells for them.
This is that kind of movie that most people would enjoy if they just went and saw it. They'd have little to no expectations and would end up having a great time.
Taking my my niece and nephews (and my Mom to help watch my niece lol) to a 4:00 3D showing, it'll be my second viewing...should be good times with the kids =)
It's hard to say. I think it would've done better, but sometimes even big names aren't enough. There's plenty of movies with the likes of Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise that don't pull great numbers because they don't click with mainstream audiences.
I am actually starting to become more optimistic for some reason. I think it will do alright internationally. I don't know about the US, but here its been released and up against Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University. Honestly, they should have not done that.
Not sure but what I really did love was the song "Double Event" how it switched from Chinese military themed music to Russian military sounding as it jumped between Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha. Sadly it was difficult to pick up for some because the audio balance is a little out.
My only complaint would be that I want more of it and the way it ends seems to shut off the universe for a sequel. I'm just going to pretend Cloverfield was a prequel and the first ever Cat 3 monster or something. I'll be happy then.
There are exceptions to the rule. One movie being a surprise hit doesn't negate the immense power of star power in marketing.
District 9 had months of huge buildup along with Peter Jackson's name as a producer - general audiences knew him from LOTR. GDT is not as well known as Jackson.
the "does it have a pulse" bit from Raleigh? It fell so flat in our theater, only laughing coming from moment of realizing it was a joke well after the punch line. I kept thinking about how well RDJ could have delivered the same joke and wondering why the movie doesn't have anyone with 1/20th the charisma of him.