GEEKGASM |
You're probably asking yourself why am I ranting about Man Of Steel, Chris Nolan and DC/Warner in the beginning of a Pacific Rim review. Well, it's because DC/Warner does have another director in their stable that not only knows the material, but has a genuine love for the material. A man who should be constructing their universe. That man is Pacific Rim's director Guillermo Del Toro. Give me a reason why not him. Worried Del Toro can't bring fun, eclectic comic book characters like Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Wonder Woman convincingly to life? See Hellboy. Worried Del Toro doesn't have the chops to do comic book perfect action scenes and sequences? See Blade 2. Worried Del Toro can't give a film pathos and originality? See Pan's Labyrinth. Worried that a comic book nerd would be the wrong choice to helm a superhero epic. See Avengers. Worried that a film like Justice League is just too big to bestow upon him. Well, Del Toro was the first person Peter Jackson asked to do The Hobbit before scheduling conflicts interceded. If Peter Jackson was willing to hand over the best fantasy franchise ever made to Del Toro, why is it such a far leap for DC/Warner to trust him with the JLA? Del Toro's resume just grows and grows almost without notice. Pacific Rim is just another awesome notch on his belt.
Rim is the fulfillment of a promise Del Toro delivered when he leaked the film's original title at Comic-Con. (Giant F%*king Robots Versus Giant F%*king Monsters) This is a tech versus terror smörgåsbord that draws breath from it's Toho Company & Manga Studios predecessors and creates something amazingly fresh and original out of it. If I was a producer on that 2014 Godzilla movie or that long awaited Voltron film, I'd shut down shop right now. There is NOTHING I can think of that those two films can do to equal, let alone, top Pacific Rim. Yes, Rim may be cliched empty calories as far as it's character archetypes and plot are concerned. However, it is the most tasty empty calories you'll enjoy this summer and probably this entire year. I haven't seen a film with as many GEEKGASM moments since The Avengers. Instead of the action scenes being incomprehensible, emotionally hollow, blunders, with the visual resonating effect of a strobe light...(Hello Battleship and EVERY Transformers movie)...they end up being well crafted, stunning, and cathartic displays of raw violence. The special effects here are, and I was convinced of this from just the trailer, the best I personally have ever seen. That is not hyperbole. Every effect, every monster tooth, every robot rivet, every building toppling explosion looks breathtaking and FINISHED. Every penny of the budget and every drop of sweat from the VFX crew is on the screen from beginning to end. Guillermo Del Toro understands the concept of fan service. And instead of shying away from it like most, he embraces it. He doesn't mind having a character in a giant robot shoot a fallen monster, video game style, as a joke just to get a "Hell, Yeah!" from the audience. That is who I would want to make my comic book universe. Someone who wants to please BOTH the fans and the uninitiated. Someone who can have a balls to the wall battle scene and still have time to make the battle fun. Yes, fun. It is not a four letter word, literally and figuratively. Fun is a word that needs to be the lifeblood of genre movies like this. If it isn't fun, then why the hell should we watch?
Recently, DC/Warner announced that Nolan won't be producing the Justice League film. However, it's a safe bet that they won't have the sense or vision to pick someone like Guillermo Del Toro to take the reigns. They are losing the arms race to Marvel and it saddens me. Not because I want them to win. I love Marvel. It saddens me because the two companies competing is better for the audiences than one totally dominating the other. DC/Warner's savior is right in their face flapping his arms like a cartoon character, and they still can't see it. Don't believe me? Watch Pacific Rim...imagine while doing so the same care, fun and GEEKGASM moments put into a Justice League film....cry your heart out when you realize that will probably never happen....then tell me I'm wrong.
I agree with you about both Pacific Rim and DC films. Justice League movie will be a blunder when and if it is ever made. That's not to say that it can't be done. The world that the Justice League lives in needs to be slowly grown in order to better explain characters like Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter to an audience that might not already know who they are.
ReplyDeleteI think a good JLA movie should have maybe only 3 key characters to start. Take Superman and Green Lantern, they are already established. Use John Stewart GL to avoid whatever happened in the GL movie. Then introduce Wonder Woman as the main character. The viewer could follow her to America and get "up to speed" as she learns about the DCU. Then introduce other characters in the sequel and/or their own movies.
I'm sure this will never happen, but ya know what? Marvel can have the movies. I think DC material is and has been best dealt with as animated films and television shows. But that's just my opinion.
- Cory
Completely...COMPLETELY...agree with you. I don't know what it is, but man does DC do TV shows and animated films spectacularly. I just saw Flashpoint Paradox...it was awesome. Red Hood...amazing. Justice League Doom...probably my favorite. Hell, on one of our first podcasts I swooned over Arrow...and the new sizzle reel for season two looks 20 times better. And on Arrow they cross over characters seamlessly. With films however...DC stumbles like a palsy victim with their shoes tied. I'll never get it. Thanks for the read my good man.
DeleteDJV