Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) review

Before his 2017 directorial effort The Shape of Water won the Oscar for Best Picture (along with winning him the Oscar for Best Director), Guillermo Del Toro did what he did best and released a visually stunning blockbuster in the summer of 2013 known as Pacific Rim. The film, which was about large robots fighting equally large monsters, served as a love letter to the ‘kaiju’ film genre that is well known for classics like Godzilla and 2006’s The Host. Upon its release, the film did solidly with critics, many of whom acknowledged that the film was an enjoyable popcorn flick despite its rather mindless plot and basic character development. At the box-office, the film grossed over $411 million worldwide, though this was mainly thanks to the international box-office as it barely grossed over $100 million domestically. Still, it proved to be just enough to warrant a sequel in the form of Pacific Rim Uprising. This time around, the film is distributed by Universal instead of Warner Bros. due to its main production company, Legendary Pictures, signing a new distribution deal with the former in 2013. Also, due to his commitment to the previously mentioned Shape of Water, we don’t have Guillermo Del Toro behind the camera on this one (he’s only a producer this time). Instead, we have Steven S. DeKnight, a long-time veteran of TV having created the hit Starz series Spartacus while also kick-starting Marvel Studios’ line of Netflix shows by serving as the show-runner for Season 1 of Daredevil, in his official feature-length directorial debut. This directorial debut of his features several returning players from the first Pacific Rim along with several new characters headlined by Star Wars’ Finn, John Boyega. And overall, this sequel manages to deliver the same great kinetic thrills of its predecessor even if it is still very much one of those ‘shut off your brain’ kind of films.

It has been a decade since humanity managed to repel the threat of giant alien monsters known as kaiju. With the aid of massive, dual-piloted mechs known as ‘Jaegers’, the pilots who controlled them managed to seal off the breach that had emerged deep within the Pacific Ocean which allowed the kaiju to travel to their world and wreak destruction wherever they went as part of their plan to take over the world. Since then, the Jaeger program has continued to evolve in preparation for the kaiju’s potential return. However, the program soon finds itself being threatened by the ongoing development of a new program initiated by the Shao Corporation, led by Liwen Shao (Jing Tian), that plans on using drones designed with both Jaeger and Kaiju technology. And to make matters worse, the kaiju cells embedded within the drones soon start taking over, leading to them causing just as much destruction as the kaiju that came before them. In response to this, ‘Battle of the Breach’ hero Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) recruits her brother Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), the son of her former commanding officer/adoptive father Stacker Pentecost (who sacrificed himself at the end of the first film), to return to the Jaeger program and train its newest recruits along with his former co-pilot, Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood). In the process, Jake and company soon learn that this recent string of kaiju-related attacks may, in fact, be the work of someone within their own organization.

Now because Del Toro isn’t directing this time, it is understandable if this film doesn’t exactly have the same visual finesse as its predecessor. Still, to his credit, McKnight does manage to maintain a lot of the same visual aesthetics that Del Toro established with the first film while also implementing a few new cues as well, namely by having more action sequences set during the day instead of at night (not that this was a problem with the first film, for the record). And while McKnight’s method of directing action is a bit more Michael Bay-ish compared to how Del Toro handled it (something that many felt the first film wisely avoided in the wake of Bay’s Transformers films), that doesn’t stop the film from having more of the same, great robot/monster action that we’ve come to expect from this franchise. Simply put, the key thing that McKnight does here is that he gives the film a much brighter look compared to the first film. Now again, this is not meant to be a jab at the original Pacific Rim. It’s just that this is the way in which this film ultimately adopts its own identity so that it’s not just a ‘carbon copy’ sequel. In fact, this brighter feel to the film even applies to its overall tone, as it adopts a more light-hearted atmosphere with a lot more humorous dialogue thrown in. However, this doesn’t mean that the film is ‘just a comedy’. Like the first film, it treats its serious moments with the proper respect that they deserve while the humor is used to lighten the mood at just the right times. But let’s face it, folks… you’re not going into this film for the story, no matter how effective it is at being a follow-up to its predecessor. You’re here to see giant robots punch giant monsters repeatedly.

With that in mind, one of the most common criticisms directed towards the original Pacific Rim was that its characters weren’t as well-developed as its action sequences. Despite this, though, the film still managed to work around this thanks to Guillermo Del Toro’s strong visual style. The same general scenario applies to Uprising as well. Obviously, you’re not going to get much depth out of these characters. While the film does introduce some new characters and build them up as ‘the next generation’ of Jaeger pilots, at the end of the day only one of them gets any major focus. And as for fans of the original film, you may not necessarily like some of the ways in which this film further develops its returning characters (and before you ask, no, the film does not explain what happened to Charlie Hunnam’s character, Raleigh Becket). But this is all saved by one key member of the cast; John Boyega in the lead role of Jake Pentecost, the son of the man who boldly claimed that humanity would ‘cancel the apocalypse’. The same great charisma that helped Boyega make Finn such a great new character in the Star Wars universe is on full display here, and even if he’s working with a simple characterization of being the son of a war hero trying to live up to his father’s name, it never hinders him in the slightest. He also has solid camaraderie with Scott Eastwood, who also makes the most out of his simple role as the hard-edged soldier who isn’t on the best of terms with Jake. But the real breakout star of the film is newcomer Cailee Spaeny as Amara, an orphaned girl who joins the Jaeger program thanks to her knowledge of Jaeger technology (i.e. building one herself). Spaeny follows strongly in the footsteps of the first film’s breakout star, Rinko Kikuchi, by getting some of the more interesting bits of character development in the film while arguably managing to outshine some of her more famous co-stars… yes, even John Boyega.

I quite enjoyed the original Pacific Rim. For all its narrative shortcomings, it was quite arguably one of the most visually stunning blockbusters in recent memory. You really can’t go wrong with a sci-fi action extravaganza directed by the one and only Guillermo Del Toro. And while he may not have been behind the camera for its sequel, Steven S. DeKnight manages to serve as a solid replacement for Del Toro in the director’s chair. Pacific Rim Uprising ends up being a much brighter film compared to its predecessor in terms of both visual style and tone. And yet, at the end of the day, the film doesn’t lose sight of the franchise’s greatest aspect; epic, grand-scale action sequences that involve giant robots fighting giant monsters in the middle of a city. As for the writing, once again there’s not much to say about it; it’s another simple plot with your basic collection of characters. However, there’s also John Boyega, who gives it his all and proves that he can carry a franchise all by himself. Did I forget to mention that he produced this film as well? Clearly, he’s quite committed to this franchise. And on that note, hopefully, this film does decently enough financially to warrant another sequel. Granted, given how the first film didn’t do so well here in the states back in 2013, I have the feeling that the sequel probably won’t make that much of a commercial impact either in the domestic market. But, hopefully, the international box-office will end up saving it just like it did with the first film. Because after all, there are just some films out there that don’t need an Oscar-worthy screenplay to be a highly entertaining time at the theater, and Pacific Rim Uprising is very much one of those films.

Rating: 4/5

TOP 12 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2013: Honorable Mentions and #12-10

If I were to describe 2013 in film in just one word, it would only be ‘okay’. What do I mean by that? Well, as I established in my ‘Worst of’ list, the bad movies this year were REALLY bad; unfunny comedies, poor action movies, etc. But the reason why I don’t consider this year to be a terrible year is that the good movies were still really good, particularly during the last few months of the year. However, in the case of some of the movies that came out this year, some of you might argue against whether or not they were any good because I have to say, this was a really divisive year as far as audience reception went. A lot of big summer blockbusters, films that received generally positive reviews from critics and seemed to be guaranteed successes both critically and commercially, ended up splitting audiences right down the middle. I will admit… a couple of the films on my list are some of those films. I guarantee you that you will all disagree with me on at least one movie on this list. So, with that in mind, here are my Top 12 favorite films of the year. For the record, yes I am doing a ‘Top 12’ list again just like last year and that is something I think I’ll be doing each year now. That is because I do see a lot of films each year and I want to cover as many of the good films I’ve seen as I can, most of them are films that will not be a part of the Oscar race.

Before I start this off, let me lay down the usual ground rules that I have for this list. First off, this is a Spoiler Post (!); I will be discussing major spoilers for pretty much every film on this list so you have been warned. If you haven’t seen any of these films, I suggest you watch them first before reading what I have to say. Second, like pretty much every year, I have not seen every film that has come out in 2013. Films like ‘Nebraska’, ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, and ‘The Spectacular Now’ will not be on this list so don’t be surprised if you don’t see them here because I haven’t seen them. Finally, and most importantly, please be respectful of everyone’s opinion. Obviously as I’ve said earlier, some of these films haven’t gone over well with audiences, so I guarantee you guys that you will no doubt disagree with me at least once on this list. Just don’t go and be an idiot and say something along the lines of ‘my opinion doesn’t matter’ for liking a movie that you didn’t like. This is just my personal opinion; everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. If there’s one thing that pisses me off more than a bad movie, it is when no one’s respecting others’ opinion.

First up, here are the Honorable Mentions and this year I have five.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY



It’s really good to see Pixar return to form after two rather lackluster films in 2011’s ‘Cars 2’ and 2012’s ‘Brave’… well, almost. No, I don’t think this is the best Pixar film, but it is still a very good movie nevertheless. It’s a prequel that may have been a little unnecessary but it manages to avoid some of the things that plague most prequels, like phoned in references to the previous film. Not only that, but the story itself has a very heartwarming message; being able to believe in who you are against all odds. That is the story of everyone’s favorite one-eyed monster, Mike Wazowski, once again voiced by the incredibly talented Billy Crystal, who is repeatedly told that he doesn’t belong in the University’s Scare Program but continuously works to prove everyone wrong. John Goodman reprises his role as Sulley as well and like the last film, the two of them work off each other very well. Unlike ‘Monsters, Inc.’ which was more focused around Sulley and his relationship with the little girl Boo, this is more Mike’s story and yet it also gives Sulley a really well-developed character arc as well. At first, he actually comes off as a bit of a jerk but as the movie goes on, not only does he change his ways but, like Mike, he also starts to discover his talents as for most of the movie, he mainly gets by on his family legacy. As we see, even that legacy has had a rather negative impact on him. With a terrific voice cast, beautiful animation, and a lot of humor, ‘Monsters University’ is easily one of the best animated films of the year (though not really the best, as we’ll see in a bit).

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG



I do really like the first ‘Hobbit’, despite the fact that it felt too long. It made the number 11 spot on last year’s list after I initially gave it a 4/5 rating. This year, ‘Desolation of Smaug’ just misses the cut… despite the fact that I gave it a better rating, 4.5/5. Why? Well, to be honest, this was a bit more crowded of a year. Regardless, I think this film is a big improvement over ‘An Unexpected Journey’ mainly because this one has better pacing. Benedict Cumberbatch steals the show as the titular dragon Smaug, which is easily one of the best dragons ever in the history of film. However, at the same time, now I have a new worry about this ‘trilogy’ of films that shouldn’t really have been a trilogy in the first place. Obviously considering the fact that ‘The Hobbit’ is a very small book compared to the massive ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, Peter Jackson and the filmmakers obviously have to include more stuff in to fit what will no doubt be a 9+ hour trilogy. But this is at the expense of some characters getting the shaft when it comes to character development, like most of the dwarves. The only major dwarves that have gotten any real character development in these movies are Thorin (obviously because he’s the lead), Balin, and Kili. Remember, there are 13 dwarves and I’m pretty sure that I’m still not able to remember all of their names because most of them haven’t done much in these movies. Also, for a film called ‘The Hobbit’, the actual Hobbit himself, Bilbo, is a side character for most of the movie. Still, the film is well-acted, the new additions (like Orlando Bloom returning as Legolas and Evangeline Lilly as an original character, Tauriel) are welcome, and it’s still just really nice to be back in Middle-Earth. However, I hope that ‘There and Back Again’ will be able to conclude this trilogy as best as it can.

PACIFIC RIM



‘Pacific Rim’ is just one of those ‘shut off your brain’ movies. Yeah, this movie is stupid, and it is most certainly a case of style over substance, but I think that was what director Guillermo Del Toro was going for with this movie. It delivers on exactly what it promises; giant robots, giant monsters, and giant robot/giant monster battles. This movie is an action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end and if you can accept it as that without being too overly critical on the writing, then you will really enjoy this film. Sure, the writing is not exactly perfect, and the characters may not totally be that well-developed. But at the same time, the film isn’t completely devoid of character and substance. The actors all do pretty good jobs, particularly Idris Elba and Del Toro regular Ron Perlman. All in all, ‘Pacific Rim’ probably won’t be winning any Oscars (unless they’re for technical achievements, like visual effects) but it’s just a fun popcorn flick that’s very, very enjoyable.

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES



Most sequels usually end up being not as good as the original, especially if that sequel is a comedy. Most comedy sequels tend to suck but thankfully ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’ is not one of those films. Sure, in the end, ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ is still the better movie, mainly because it’s so quotable. Still, I have to give Will Ferrell and Adam McKay credit for being able to not only continue the story but to also make a film that is just as funny as the original. Ferrell and the rest of the returning players from the first movie (Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, and David Koechner) all return to their roles with ease and their camaraderie/chemistry is second-to-none. ‘Anchorman 2’: One of the rare comedy sequels that is actually pretty good.

SAVING MR. BANKS



Seeing how this is a Disney film, there was a possibility that the filmmakers might have been pro-Disney in telling the story of the production of their 1964 classic, ‘Mary Poppins’. They could have just had Walt been ‘right’ all of the time and try to vilify P.L. Travers for disagreeing with everything Walt did, but thankfully they don’t do that. Both are portrayed positively and the story is actually more about Travers, as it should be. We see how she’s worried about how Disney is going to adapt her beloved story to the big screen, as most authors probably are when their works are adapted to film. We also see why this story means so much to her, because it was heavily inspired by her own childhood, with the story’s patriarch, Mr. Banks, directly inspired from Travers’ alcoholic but loving father. Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, and Colin Farrell all shine in this dramatization of the story. Sure, the whole story may not have translated onto screen (like Travers’ disgust with the finished project or Walt ultimately overruling most of her objections) but as a whole it’s just an interesting story. It does take a little while to get going, but it still worked out in the end.

And now we officially kick things off at number 12 with a film that many are predicting will be one of the top contenders at this year’s Oscars, along with another film that, spoilers, you’ll be seeing much later on in this list. Why then is it only at Number 12, you ask? Well, to be honest, it’s a truly amazing film but more on a technical level.

12. GRAVITY



I’ll openly admit that while I do stand by my original rating for the film (5/5), ultimately I ended up liking the next 11 films on this list a little bit more. But that’s not to discredit what a truly amazing film this is. From a technical standpoint, this film is a visual masterpiece. It has incredible special effects, gorgeous cinematography, and is a very effective thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. However, at the same time, the film really isn’t the best when it comes to the writing. Still, I wouldn’t consider it bad; it’s just simple. There’s only two main characters in this, and they are your basic character archetypes. Sandra Bullock’s character is the rookie astronaut, while George Clooney’s character is the veteran who’s on his last mission. Yes, the character development may seem very simple, but I don’t think that’s the fault of the filmmakers, specifically director Alfonso Cuaron. I believe that his focus was more on making this film a visual masterpiece and he most certainly succeeds at doing that. Even with the simplified character development, both Sandra Bullock and George Clooney do great jobs nevertheless. Bullock, who basically is the only one on screen for the majority of the film, more than holds their own and while Clooney is not in the film that much, he’s still quite charming as he usually is. I won’t say ‘Gravity’ is the best film of the year, but it is still pretty darn good.

As I said earlier, ‘Monsters University’ was one of the best animated films of the year, but I didn’t call it the overall best. Number 11 is my pick for the best animated film of the year, and coincidentally, both films were released by the same company; Disney.

11. FROZEN



Like with Pixar and ‘Monsters University’, it’s good to see Disney’s main animation studio get back on track after a rather shaky start in the early 2000’s. I haven’t seen ‘Princess and the Frog’ and ‘Tangled’ in full, but ‘Wreck it Ralph’ was my pick for the best animated film last year and lo and behold, ‘Frozen’ gets that honor for this year’s list. It’s a film that goes back to the tradition of old-school Disney musicals like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ or ‘The Little Mermaid’ but at the same time it’s done with a modern flair. Sure, it seems like Disney’s starting to move away from traditional animation, but at the same time their computer animated films are now starting to reflect certain stylistic designs from their traditionally animated films.

This film has a great cast of characters. The main leads Anna and Elsa are both very engaging and the sister dynamic between them is really nice, something I don’t think Disney’s really done before. In a bold change from the original source material, Elsa the Snow Queen is not the villain of the film and both she and Anna are not the typical Disney princesses of old. They’re not prim and proper and they don’t need a man to do their work for them. The mountain-man Kristoff and his reindeer Sven are also fun characters mainly because they have a fun camaraderie, with Kristoff ‘translating’ all of Sven’s thoughts. But easily the best character in this whole film is the snowman Olaf. Not only does he get all of the best lines, but the fact that he’s a snowman wishing to experience summer for the first time is just hilarious. However, not all of the characters work though. The prince that Anna falls in love with, Hans, is pretty bland and even when he’s revealed to be the main villain, he’s still not that memorable. Another bland character is the Duke of Weselton (voiced by the sadly underused Alan Tudyk). At first it seems like he’s going to be the main villain but in the end they do nothing with him.

The music by Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez is pretty good but in the end, one song stands out above the rest. That song is Elsa’s big solo, ‘Let It Go’. Going back to what I said earlier about her characterization, this song really defines her character not being the main villain of the film. At this point in the story, she’s become an outcast after her powers have been revealed to the people of Arendelle. Before, she was told to keep her powers a secret but now she’s no longer afraid to do so. Again, this isn’t for evil purposes, she’s just finally free to use her powers to their full potential. This is easily one of the best Disney songs in recent years and I’m pretty sure it’s a shoe-in for ‘Best Original Song’ at this year’s Oscars. As a whole, ‘Frozen’ may not exactly be the best Disney film ever (the claim in the marketing that it’s ‘the best since ‘The Lion King’ is a little pretentious, especially to me considering that ‘Lion King’ is my all-time favorite Disney film), but it’s certainly one of their best of the last few years.

Number 10 is the first of the ‘fairly controversial’ movies that I mentioned in the intro. This is one of the summer blockbusters that had a rather mixed reception, despite the fact that it did pretty darn well both critically and commercially. Actually, as far as the box office was concerned, ‘pretty darn well’ is an understatement. This was the highest grossing film of the year (over $1 Billion), and I think it’s also one of the most unfairly criticized films of the year.

10. IRON MAN 3



There are 3 ‘complaints’ that many are having with this film, and I believe that these are rather unfair in regard to a movie that is far better than what many are saying. These three main complaints are:

A. The lack of the other Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.



Many question where the other Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. were during the course of the entire movie. Aside from a few references and a key cameo in the post-credits scene, Tony Stark was the only Avenger on screen. Well, I can answer that… they had their own crap to deal with. I think that it’s unfair to judge every superhero movie now for not having a whole team of superheroes; films like ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘Thor: The Dark World’ are in this category as well. Sure, we would all love to see ‘Avengers’ movies year-after-year, but it’s not that simple. Not every superhero film can be a big team-up film and be directed by Joss Whedon. They need time to develop these films and the Cinematic Universe that they reside in. How do they do that? By doing solo films, which you know, they’ve been doing since 2008’s ‘Iron Man’? As I keep bringing it up, the solo films are the main reason why ‘The Avengers’ worked as well as it did. Solo superhero films are just as effective as the team films, and this one is no exception. If someone asked, “Hey, where are the other Avengers? Where’s S.H.I.E.L.D.?” during every single action sequence, then that would get really, really annoying. Besides, isn’t Iron Man like the most popular of the Avengers anyway? His movies are the highest-grossing in the MCU (not counting ‘Avengers’, of course).

B. Tony Stark not being in the suit much



Tony Stark isn’t really in the Iron Man suit that much over the course of the film… just like in ‘Iron Man 2’… and yes folks, even the first ‘Iron Man’ movie. Looking back at that film, he’s not in the Iron Man suit that much either. More importantly, like with how the need for more superheroes isn’t necessary for every film, this shows that these films can work if the characters are well-developed, and in the case of Tony Stark, it most certainly is. Think about all of your favorite comic book superheroes; Batman, Captain America, the Hulk, Superman, etc. They all have one thing in common; their superhero identity is not their only one. It’s not the suit that makes the man; it is the man who makes the suit. They can’t cover up Robert Downey Jr.’s face all of the time, you know.

And of course, the most controversial aspect of this film:

C. The Mandarin Twist





Yeah, you’ve probably heard about this by now, but if by some chance you haven’t I’ll give you the rundown. As the movie begins, we’re introduced to who we presume to be the main villain, the terrorist/mastermind known as ‘The Mandarin’ (played by Ben Kingsley). He’s established to be quite the threatening villain early on, mostly by destroying Tony’s house after he threatens him on national television. Yes, that ‘threating a terrorist’ part’s pretty stupid, but I’m not too bothered by it because I think he was just emotionally compromised because his former bodyguard, Happy Hogan, had just barely survived one of the Mandarin’s ‘bombings’. But things start to change at the halfway point. Tony infiltrates the Mandarin’s base in Miami and comes across the Mandarin himself and as it turns out, the guy we thought to be the Mandarin… is just a drunken British actor by the name of Trevor Slattery. He was only playing the part of ‘The Mandarin’ while the main villain Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) was controlling everything behind the scenes. I’m just going to come out and say it… this is one of the best twists in any film in recent years.

First off, I have to give a whole lot of credit for everyone involved for managing to keep this secret. In this day and age where any major detail about a film could be spoiled at any moment (see my number 4 for proof of that), I applaud them for keeping this as hidden as they did. To paraphrase the ‘Mandarin’, or Trevor Slattery to be more precise, we truly ‘never saw this coming’. But more importantly, in the end what’s important is this… it actually worked from a story perspective. Let’s be honest, the Mandarin that many were hoping for is not really PC these days, and co-writers Shane Black and Drew Pearce make a bold move in changing things up. At the same time, it works because the main villain Killian was able to successfully create ‘an image of fear’ that keeps the heat off of him, the true mastermind behind all of this. Near the end of the film, when Tony is fighting Killian, he proclaims that ‘he is the Mandarin’. I understand the idea, but I don’t necessarily view Killian as the real ‘Mandarin’; it’s still just the image.

For reference, let’s briefly discuss another major character change in another superhero film, ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’. That film changed up the design for the character of Galactus. Instead of being a gigantic man in a purple outfit, he was changed to a cloud. I understand why they decided to do this, because the former design is not exactly that practical. But as far as that film went, it was purely a cosmetic change and there was no reason why the character had to be a cloud. Here, I understand that it’s a drastic change from the source material, but Black and Pearce do give the proper explanation as to why it is. Ben Kingsley certainly got the most out of the role. When he’s ‘The Mandarin’, he’s properly menacing and commanding. When he’s Trevor Slattery, he’s properly goofy. He succeeds at being two characters at once and I would be interested in seeing this character again in perhaps either ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ (and please don’t get me started on how, like this film, that show has been getting a bit of a unfair rep) or even an Marvel One-Shot, which apparently they are doing where they will actually have the ‘real’ Mandarin in it. That will be very interesting to watch.

With that in mind, that gives you an idea of what kind of movie director Shane Black made here. It’s radically different from most of the other superhero films out there. I mean, how many superhero films are set around Christmas? As far as I know, none aside from this one. From a writing perspective, this film also does a great job at concluding the story of Tony Stark, whose now haunted by the events of ‘The Avengers’, sort of making him a shell of the man he once was. This is also Robert Downey Jr’s best performance in the role. He dials back on the arrogance that was a little too much on display in ‘Iron Man 2’ but still maintains his usual cocky but yet still likable persona. The ending, where Tony gets the shrapnel in his chest removed and destroys all of his Iron Man suits, does leave a rather big question about what kind of role he’ll be playing in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ but I’m pretty sure they’ll find a way to properly incorporate him into the story. The rest of the cast is terrific as well; Don Cheadle gets more to do in this film than the last one and his camaraderie with Downey Jr. is much better. Gwyneth Paltrow still sort of gets stuck in the ‘damsel’ role at times as Pepper, but her chemistry with Tony is still excellent and she does get more to do than what she usually does. I mean, she actually kills the main villain… that’s actually pretty awesome.

As the main villain, Guy Pearce (who thankfully has been getting more work in recent years… he is a much underrated actor) is excellent. I’m not so sure yet if he’s the best villain in the ‘Iron Man’ universe (as I kind of prematurely claimed in my original review), but I think he was given a real nice amount of character development here. I like the backstory for Killian, as he tried to discuss business with Tony when the two of them first met in 1999 but was ignored (and yes, this is just like in ‘The Incredibles’… I get it). However, if there’s one character who kind of got the short end of the stick, it would be Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen. Hall’s fine in the role, but she doesn’t get much to do. In fact, they don’t really establish whose side Maya is on. At first it seems like she’s going to be an ally of Tony, but then we learn her boss is Killian and she starts working with him again but then it seems like she’s still on Tony’s side. Not only is it unclear, they don’t effectively establish who she ultimately sided with… because they killed her off. Still, despite that, this is another fantastic entry from Marvel that I think has been getting a bit of a bad rep.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2, for Numbers 9-7.

Pacific Rim (2013) review

‘Pacific Rim’ is a film that combines two genres into one. It’s a Kaiju movie and a mecha movie all rolled into one film. Kaiju, which means ‘strange creature’ in English, have been represented on film by creatures such as Godzilla, Gamera, and King Ghidorah. As for the mecha (in other words, giant robots), they have been in not just films (from ‘Star Wars’ to James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’) but also other forms of media as well; perhaps most notably the Gundam video game series. A movie like that definitely sounds interesting, but even more so when considering that the man behind the camera is director Guillermo Del Toro, responsible for films like the ‘Hellboy’ series and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’. His latest film does not disappoint. Sure, when you look at it, ‘Pacific Rim’ is a film that technically is more style over substance, but it is still very entertaining, delivering on exactly what it promises; giant robots fighting giant monsters.

In the future, giant monsters known as ‘Kaiju’ emerge from a portal in a crevice located beneath the Pacific Ocean and begin to attack, causing massive damage all over the world. In response to this, the governments of Earth unite and create giant robots called Jaegers to fight the Kaiju menace. At first, they apparently succeed but the Kaiju keep on coming and as more and more emerge from the portal, the governments ultimately decide to terminate the Jaeger program while still keeping a few of the Jaegers running in Hong Kong. While this is going on, former Jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), whose co-pilot brother was killed during a fight with a Kaiju, is recruited back into the program by his former commanding officer Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), where he is partnered with rookie pilot Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) as the two of them and the other Jaeger pilots look to put an end to the Kaiju before the Kaiju destroy them.

If you’re coming into this movie expecting giant robot/monster action, then you will not be disappointed. There is plenty of that in this movie and it is pretty sweet. Del Toro is known for his great visuals in the films he makes, and that is once again the case here, even though all of the action scenes are pretty much 100% CGI. Del Toro is mainly known for doing a lot of practical creature effects, but the CGI here is really good. Both the Jaegers and the Kaiju creatures look really convincing and the fight scenes are well-done. They’re shot really well so you can see what’s going on. Also, while I don’t necessarily recommend it, this film is worth seeing in 3-D because it’s some pretty good 3-D. This movie was post-converted into 3-D, making it one of the better post-converted 3-D films in the years since 3-D became main-stream.

Admittedly, despite the great action, this movie does suffer a little from style over substance, but that’s not to say the human characters in the film are totally bland. Hunnam and Kikuchi are solid leads on their own, but they are overshadowed by some of their costars, namely two. The first is Idris Elba, who has undeniable presence as the commander of the Jaeger pilots. In fact, in a movie like this, there is actually a lot of depth to his character; namely from his relationship to Mako, as he’s pretty much a father figure to her. The other actor who steals the show is Del Toro regular Ron Perlman in a scene-stealing performance as an black market salesman that one of the Jaeger scientists (played by Charlie Day, in a role that some might find rather annoying but in the end, he does grow on you) goes to in order to find a Kaiju brain. Like Elba, he has a great screen presence and without giving anything else away, this results in a little post-credits scene that is both funny and quite unexpected.

So, with a film like ‘Pacific Rim’, this is a film where if you go in expecting giant robots and giant monsters fighting one another, than you will not be disappointed. From a visual standpoint, the film looks fantastic and Del Toro’s visual flair is certainly present in this movie. However, this does mean that the film is a little bit style over substance but the cast still does a good job (especially Idris Elba and Ron Perlman) despite the fact that the action and visuals clearly overshadow the story and character development. But, for this film, it’s not that big of a problem because it delivers when it comes to exciting giant robot versus giant monster action. This is a very fun and entertaining summer blockbuster that I certainly recommend to anyone who’s just looking for a fun time at the movies. I say this especially when considering that this ‘original’ film got out-grossed at the box office in its first weekend by an unnecessary comedy sequel.

Rating: 4/5

2013 Preview: July

2013 is now halfway over, but there’s still six months of movies left to go before 2014. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films coming out during 2013. This is Part 7 and today we’ll be looking at the films that will hit theaters during the month of July, which include a couple of sequels and some big blockbusters.

JULY 3- A pair of blockbusters hit theaters during Fourth of July Weekend, both of which will be opening early on the Wednesday before July 4^th.

*The first major release of the month is ‘Despicable Me 2’, the sequel to 2010’s surprise hit ‘Despicable Me’, which followed a super-villain named Gru (Steve Carell) who adopted three girls (Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher). These four return for the sequel, which sees Gru recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super-villain. The rest of the voice cast includes Kristen Wiig (in a different role than the one she played in the previous film), Benjamin Bratt (who replaced Al Pacino, who left the project due to creative differences), and Steve Coogan.

*The other release that week is ‘The Lone Ranger’, the newest film from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The project was plagued by budget concerns but is now finally set to come out this week after being pushed back from a 2012 release. Armie Hammer stars in the main role of John Reid, a Texas Ranger who survives an ambush from a bunch of outlaws and takes on the new identity of ‘The Lone Ranger’, fighting crime alongside an Indian warrior named Tonto (Johnny Depp).

JULY 12- This weekend sees an Adam Sandler comedy and a big-budget sci-fi film from Guillermo Del Toro coming out.

*The follow-up to 2010’s ‘Grown-Ups’, ‘Grown-Ups 2’, will hit theaters this weekend. The majority of the main cast from the previous film (save for Rob Schneider) and director Dennis Dugan return for this new film, which sees Adam Sandler’s Lenny move back to his old hometown with his wife and their kids. Some new members of the cast include Andy Samberg, Taylor Lautner, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, and Shaquille O’Neal.



*The latest film from director Guillermo Del Toro, ‘Pacific Rim’, is the other major release of the week. This film takes place in the near future, where giant monsters known as ‘Kaiju’ emerge from a ‘portal’ in the Pacific Ocean and begin to wreak havoc on the planet. Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, and Rinko Kikuchi star as members of a Defense Corporation that builds giant robots called Jaegars to take on the invading Kaiju.

JULY 17- While there are quite a couple of films coming out only 2 days later, one film will hit theaters early on the Wednesday before July 19^th.



*After grossing more than 576 million worldwide with ‘The Croods’, DreamWorks will release their second major release of the year, ‘Turbo’. Ryan Reynolds (who also starred in ‘Croods’) stars as the titular ‘Turbo’, a garden snail who dreams of becoming a famous racer. This dream starts to come true after a freak accident gives him super speed. This movie will soon be followed by a TV series, Turbo F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team) that will debut exclusively on Netflix in December.

JULY 19- Not including Turbo, a staggering 4 films will hit theaters this weekend (plus one for those in the U.K.).



*Speaking of Ryan Reynolds, another movie of his, R.I.P.D., will hit theaters two days after ‘Turbo’.  This film, based off of the Dark Horse comic ‘Rest in Peace Department’ by Peter M. Lenkov, follows a cop (Reynolds) who is killed in action and is then ‘enlisted’ in a ‘dead’ police department known as the R.I.P.D. He is then partnered with Roy (Jeff Bridges) and the two officers team up in order to take on evil spirits. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke (‘Red’) and also stars Mary Louise Parker and Kevin Bacon.



*Meanwhile, Schwentke’s 2010 action comedy ‘Red’ will get a sequel in ‘Red 2’, which hits theaters the same weekend. Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) takes over for Schwentke behind the camera for this film, which finds ex-CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) on the run from Interpol. John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, and Brian Cox reprise their roles from the previous film alongside newcomers Catherine Zeta Jones, Lee Byung-hun, and Anthony Hopkins.



*For the horror crowd, ‘The Conjuring’ hits theaters this weekend. The film is directed by James Wan (‘Saw’, ‘Insidious’, and the latter’s sequel, which comes out in September) and stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as a pair of paranormal investigators that try to help a family deal with a dark presence that is in their farmhouse.



*Finally, in the U.S. (in a more limited release), there’s ‘Only God Forgives’, which reunites Ryan Gosling with ‘Drive’ director Nicholas Winding Refn. In this film, Gosling plays a drug smuggler in Bangkok, Thailand who is compelled to find out who is responsible for the death of his brother. The film was previously screened at Cannes, where it was actually booed by the Festival audience.



*For those in the U.K., ‘The World’s End’ will be released this weekend. The final film in Edgar Wright’s ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ will be released later in the U.S. in August (more on the film next month).

JULY 26- This weekend, there’s one release in the U.S. and another in the U.K.



*Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as Wolverine in two movies that are set to come out; 2014’s ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ and ‘The Wolverine’; the latter hitting theaters this year. Based off of the 1982 limited series ‘Wolverine’ by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, the film follows Wolverine as he travels to Japan, where he comes across a mysterious figure from his past and ends up losing his immortality. James Mangold (the 2007 remake of ‘3:10 to Yuma’) directs this film, which is set after the events of ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’.



*The latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ will be released in the U.K. this weekend. The first since Baz Luhrmann’s modern day remake in 1996, this version is a traditional take on the story (similar to Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation). Hailee Steinfeld (2010’s ‘True Grit’) and Douglas Booth star as Romeo and Juliet, along with Damian Lewis (Homeland) as Lord Capulet, Paul Giamatti as Friar Laurence, and Kodi Smit-McPhee (‘Let Me In’, ‘Paranorman’) as Benvolio.

JULY 31- The final release of the month is another early Wednesday release, two days before the first releases of August.



*Two years after 2011’s ‘The Smurfs’ grossed over 500 million worldwide, the miniature blue creatures return for a sequel, ‘The Smurfs 2’. The main cast from the previous film returns for this film along with director Raja Gosnell. In this film, the Smurfs’ nemesis Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette after creating two ‘evil’ Smurfs called the Naughties.

And that’s the lineup of films hitting theaters during July. Check back next month for Part 8, where we’ll be looking at the film lineup for August.