'A Quiet Place' Review

Nominated For: Best Sound Editing. 

A Quiet Place follows a family who lives in silence because creatures drawn by sound threaten their survival. To say anything else regarding the plot would risk spoilers, and I'd rather not ruin the experience for anyone.

John Krasinski, whom you may be most familiar with as Jim from The Office, directed and co-wrote A Quiet Place in addition to starring in the film alongside real life spouse Emily Blunt. A Quiet Place marks Krasinski's third feature length directorial effort, but it also represents his first foray into the horror/thriller genre. Considering his comedic background and the natural difficulties of crafting unique and effective scares, the odds were certainly stacked against Krasinski. However, I'm starting to think comedians may be best-suited to directing these types of films after considering Jordan Peele's remarkable directorial debut last year and Krasinski's outstanding work here.

A Quiet Place is a film which relishes in its intriguing post-apocalyptic environment. If the monsters hear you, you're toast. Say "Hi." Dead. Drop something? Better start running as stealthily as you possibly can before the creatures catch you. Make any noise and you'll be dead in a matter of seconds. In this world, silence is survival. Therefore, this family has been forced to fundamentally adapt their entire way of life in order to persevere. They communicate almost entirely through sign language, carry around bags of sand to cover pathways, and walk around barefoot to make minimal noise. While this concept is undeniably quite creative, it's ultimately the execution that matters most, not the idea itself. Under lesser hands, A Quiet Place could have simply been standard horror-fare. Fortunately, Krasinski's in charge though, as he and his crew prove up to the task of delivering a spectacularly suspenseful, sound-driven thriller. 

As I've already insinuated, A Quiet Place is a film that lives or dies based on a few very important things. Obviously, sound is integral to everything. Therefore, A Quiet Place relies almost entirely on sound to craft a suspenseful atmosphere, and it is with great pleasure that I say the sound design is seriously SUPERB and Marco Beltrami's score is incredibly effective in immersing the audiences into a terrifying turn of events. The sound editing and sound mixing stand out as some of the most noteworthy work I've seen in a film since Baby Driver (not including sci-fi or war films). There's an unbelievable attention of detail to noises normally slight, subtle, and lost to the loud hub-bub of busy environments. You'll be able to hear the faintest footstep, the rustling of leaves, and even the actors' breathing if your audience cooperates. The film will be best experienced in the quietest possible theater, so I'd actually recommend purposely going to an early or late showing to see it with a smaller crowd if your schedule permits. 

Otherwise, A Quiet Place is an exceptional directorial display from Krasinski all around. The film's perfectly paced at a reasonable runtime of ninety minutes and it's worth noting that Charlotte Bruus Christensen often framed the camera so that it appears as though the characters are being watched by some sort of predator. Of course, it also helps that Krasinski, Bryan Woods, and Scott Beck were able to write a well-throughout screenplay with logic, stakes, and an emotional element. Oftentimes, characters in a horror film suffer from an overbearing and obnoxious incompetence. Well, that's not the case in A Quiet Place. The Abbott family have prepared a contingency for everything. It's the unforeseen and unavoidable accidents which ratchet up the tension. I found the film to be gripping from beginning-to-end as I sat on the edge of my seat anxious about the inevitability of these characters generating noise. 

When it happens, every moment onward becomes an absolute nail-biter as you immediately understand the importance of preserving silence. On that note, the creatures are creepy, but I didn't include images of them to preserve the element of surprise. You'll see them earlier than you probably expect to, but once you do, you'll nervously bide your time hoping you don't have to see them again because their appearance spells certain doom for those around. 

The lynch pin of it all though is undoubtedly the impressive acting on display. Without a convincing look of fear in an actor's face, everything falls apart. And on that note, the actors are handicapped without the ability to speak due to the obvious story implications. There are some inventive workarounds for this, but they're few and far between, so the actors are ultimately tasked with communicating a family dynamic through mere facial expressions and sign language. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt effectively measure up to the challenge set before them, playing parents and spouses Lee and Evelyn. As one might suspect, their real life marriage authenticates their chemistry and enhances the intimacy between their characters so you feel the connection between them even without dialogue to reaffirm it. Both actors also offer extraordinary performances independently of one another and shine in specific sequences I wouldn't dare spoil.

As for the young performers, I was enamored with the performances from both Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. Simmonds and Jupe portray siblings Regan and Marco respectively, and both child actors communicated remarkably well without words. I found out afterwards that Simmonds is actually deaf, which only lent further credence to her character's condition. One may shrug off her performance because of this, but I'd say that's an example of shortsightedness because Simmonds showcases true talent through her various heightened emotional states. 

To say I was speechless after watching A Quiet Place would be an understatement, as I had no idea how to best articulate its brilliance to my readership. Those interested in seeing the next great horror film better listen up because A Quiet Place is absolutely unrelenting. It will probably be awhile before people stop talking about it.

Film Assessment: A+

Star Wars Speculation: Creatively Celebrating 40 Years of Star Wars

Greetings everyone! It's been a little while since I last shared a Star Wars Speculation post, but I recently finished reading the Star Wars novel From A Certain Point of View and felt a strong desire to discuss it in a blog post, so I'm back to talk Star Wars with you once more. In order to diversify my Star Wars Speculation series of posts, I'd like to occasionally highlight various facets of the Star Wars canon that most of my followers may not be familiar with already. This means you'll probably see me backtrack to share my thoughts on many books I've already completed to analyze what makes them all so unique. As always, the topic of conversation will change from post-to-post, but if there's anything you'd like to read about, just give me a heads-up and I'll write about your request. 

Creatively Celebrating 40 Years of Star Wars

What is From A Certain Point of View?

From A Certain Point of View is a collection of 40 short stories written by 40 different authors who retell moments in A New Hope from the perspective of 40 different background characters. It was released last year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars and readers will be treated to every viewpoint they could imagine including Stormtroopers, Jawas, droids, Tusken Raiders, and even an assortment of aliens in the Mob Eisley Cantina. So long as you're not hoping to see things directly from the perspective of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, or R2-D2, you'll probably be immensely satisfied. Just remember you won't get their outlook because a film exploring that already exists.

The book was first teased on social media under the hashtag, #OperationBlueMilk. This is, of course, because of the blue milk prominently shown in a scene from A New Hope where Luke is drinking a glass of blue milk at the Lars homestead. Anyways, how fitting that such a staple of the first Star Wars for some fans would become this book's codename considering the book is essentially a celebration of not only of Star Wars' 40th anniversary, but also a tribute to 40 years of the Star Wars fandom. What better way to celebrate that then exploring various scenes from A New Hope through forty different perspectives? That's not even to mention that the book's title, From A Certain Point of View, which alludes to both the book's unique approach and a specific line of dialogue from Obi-Wan.

If you're a Star Wars fan, then reading this book is a no-brainer. I'd daresay it was one of my favorite Star Wars books to read because of its unique approach. I found it to be immensely enjoyable reading about specific sequences of events from a background character's frame of reference. Each author did a wonderful job of getting inside their character's head space in a limited number of pages through their unique writing style. Some stories are longer than others, but I was able to understand enough of that specific character's history, personality, motivations, connection to other characters, and outlook on life to get a grasp on who they each are as individuals in the larger galaxy.

Of course, certain characters have the luxury of further development outside their specific story like Boba Fett, Greedo, Grand Moff Tarkin, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Lando, Yoda, and so many other characters Star Wars fans are otherwise familiar with. What makes the whole notion of retelling a familiar scene through those character's lenses interesting is learning what those characters were thinking during those moments and finding out where some of those characters were at that point in time. That's a gimmick that could have worn thin, but it didn't because each story felt fresh and unique because it came from a fresh and unique perspective in varying writing styles. If you don't like a particular story, chances are you'll like the next chapter since they're all so drastically different. There were some stories that I read with a giddy smile from ear-to-ear while I felt others were a little overlong and too silly.

Some stand-out stories for me were "The Red One," "Stories in the Sand," "Master and Apprentice," "Time of Death," "There Is Another," "Bump," "Added Muscle," and "Verge of Greatness" which were about R5-D4, Jot (a Jawa), Qui-Gonn, Obi-Wan, Yoda, TD-110 (the storm trooper who bumps his head), Boba Fett, and Grand Moff Tarkin respectively. My absolute favorite two were "Master and Apprentice" and "Time Of Death" because they explore the process of becoming a Force Ghost and what that would be like as an experience. I've long championed the idea of an Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off film because the canon material's done a lot so far to flesh out his time on Tatooine, and I felt there were a few stories that heavily hinted at possible plot points and storylines which could be utilized in a Kenobi spinoff.

Needless to say, I loved this book and would be glad to see Lucasfilm and Del Rey repeat this process for the other films for their respective anniversaries because it's such a fun way to pay tribute to them. Also, if you're a fan of audiobooks, the audiobook features a fairly recognizable cast of narrators that you'll likely enjoy listening to. These narrators include Jonathan Davis, Ashley Eckstein, Janina Gavankar, Jon Hamm, Neil Patrick Harris, January LaVoy, Saskia Maarleveld, Carol Monda, Daniel José Older, and Marc Thompson. If everything I've said is not enough to entice you to pick the book up and read it, the authors wrote their stories for free and the proceeds from the book are being donated to The First Book organization, a non-profit that seeks to provide quality education for kids in need. Not only will you be treated to a fun read through, you're contributing to a great cause as well! Whether I've convinced you to read From A Certain Point of View or not, I hope you've found this post to be interesting and informative. 

-As always, May the Force be with you!

'Ready Player One' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects. 

Set in the dystopian future of 2045, people escape the harsh realities of life by spending a majority of their time in the OASIS, a vast virtual reality invented by the brilliant and eccentric entrepreneur James Halliday. Inside the OASIS, anything is possible. Users are able to endlessly customize their avatars and unlock unique items to help them in their quests. The only limit is your imagination. However, once Halliday dies, it's revealed to the world that he's hidden an Easter egg inside the OASIS that will grant the finder full ownership of the game in addition to Halliday's massive fortune. Ready Player One accompanies the unlikely young hero Wade Watts as he races against time and other users of the OASIS to locate all three keys left behind by Halliday so he can unlock the highly sought-after Easter egg. 

Functioning as Steven Spielberg's triumphant return to the big budget blockbuster, Ready Player One is helmed by the beloved director and features a screenplay co-penned by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline which adapts Cline's best selling novel. It's hard not to be ecstatic for a new Spielberg movie so, of course, I was overly enthusiastic going into Ready Player One. We don't get too many flicks from Spielberg these days, and I know there will inevitably be a tragic time where we never see another, so I relish in whatever he has to offer, whether it be The Post or The BFG. Where Steven Spielberg's career of-late has mostly pertained to dramas, Ready Player One presented itself as an opportunity for the genius filmmaker to get in touch with his blockbuster roots, and that idea alone excited me very much. 

I haven't read Cline's novel, but I was well aware there would be a heavy emphasis on '80s pop-culture due to the film's marketing material. On the surface, Ready Player One may look like a candy-coated nostalgia fest, but I can assure you the references are incorporated tastefully and there's an in-universe reason for it all. It's actually quite fitting that a film about a hidden Easter egg would be crammed full of them and also be released on Easter weekend. I can assure you that's no coincidence. Geeks are sure to be giddy whenever they spot references to a character, weapon, location, or vehicle they recognize from their favorite video games or movies, but that's not the sole source of the film's whimsy. While many homages had me smiling ear-to-ear, I was ultimately engaged by the characters, the focal mystery, the breathtaking, fully-realized OASIS, an exceptional score from Alan Silvestri, and the sheer spectacle of it all. 

It's no secret that Spielberg knows how to handle an action sequence, so it then comes at no surprise that Ready Player One would be littered with instances invigorating activity. As a child of the late '90s, I missed out on seeing Spielberg's more noteworthy motion pictures in theaters. Therefore, I saw them at home plopped in front of the television screen and missed out on the complete cinematic experience one desires from a Spielberg production. For the last decade or so, Spielberg has made many well-crafted films that I've had the pleasure of seeing in the theater, but none of them really carried that trademark "Spielberg magic." Wednesday night, I watched Ready Player One in IMAX and felt the Spielbergian sense of awe and wonder for the first time in awhile. It was glorious, and well worth the price of admission. So much that I intend to see Ready Player One at least once more this weekend.

However, my enthusiasm going into Ready Player One was paired with a couple caveats. The first of which being that it would be an indulgent nostalgia parade. I've already touched on that, but another one of my concerns was that the overall design of the OASIS and the avatars looked very video game-ish and the shift from the OASIS-to-reality might be jarring. Fortunately, this proved not to be the case. While the aesthetic of the OASIS does certainly resemble the graphics found in a modern high-end video game, that's kind of the point. It's a virtual reality after all. With that being said, the visual effects are absolutely outstanding. The environment and avatars of the OASIS are richly rendered and exhibit a wide array of vibrant colors that are truly a treat for the eyes. Editors Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn also ensured the transitions between worlds were smooth and managed to keep the flow of the movie at a lively pace. 

Where the film doesn't fully deliver is fleshing out the nuts and bolts of the real world. By design, the OASIS is infinitely more interesting than reality, so it's not a stretch to say humanity would become obsessed with this form of escapism. Just look around you for goodness sakes. Everyone's already addicted to the internet. The commentary on that addiction is Ready Player One's poignant truth and part of the reason Ready Player One should be seen aside from the aforementioned attributes. Anyways, it's easy to imagine something like the OASIS taking off in our own world so the futuristic dystopian society depicted doesn't require significant suspension of disbelief.

What becomes questionable under further scrutiny is how the evil IOI even operates. You vaguely understand the inner workings, but the legality remained fuzzy. This becomes most problematic at the end when the audience is shown something that suggests their activities weren't legal. This probably won't bother you if you can set logic aside, but it may drive others insane. I simply viewed it as an unclear area of this universe. Otherwise, strap in for an exciting ride!

Leading said ride is Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts/Parzival (the second name being his OASIS username). Sheridan imbues Watts with traits one would expect from an unsure hero who's also a huge nerd, and he hit the sweet spot as an ideally awkward audience entry point. He's a likable lead, but never charming enough to upend his geek cred.

Opposite Sheridan, Olivia Cooke is the sure standout in the role of Samantha (also known as Art3mis in the OASIS). Cooke plays Art3mis as a stoic badass with some underlying insecurities, and seeing her eventually come to embrace those will undoubtedly inspire others as well. Sheridan and Cooke carry a captivating chemistry between them so their on-screen pairing was undoubtedly one of the film's highlights. Rounding out their friend group are Lena Waithe, Phillip Zhao, and Win Morisaki who were all equally endearing characters as Aech, Sho, and Daito respectively. 

Surrounding the young cast, veteran actors Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, and Ben Mendelsohn leave substantial impressions in their varying roles of Halliday, Ogden Morrow, and Sorrento. Mark Rylance's good natured temperament and subdued personality lent itself well to Halliday and it's always a delight to see Simon Pegg in something! I'd rather not spoil his role for anyone, so I've decided to just skim right over it... Meanwhile, Mendelsohn made for an excellent antagonist and elevated what could have been a cliché corporate baddie to an intimidating force of evil.

Now let's be honest folks... Some of you are considering seeing Black Panther again this weekend, aren't you? Haven't you seen that enough by now? All jokes aside, Ready Player One currently isn't tracking very well for its opening weekend considering it's a Spielberg film (currently in the range of $52-55 M for the four day Easter weekend) and that saddens me. While that number's fairly high in comparison to everything Spielberg's made since Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ready Player One honestly deserves better. If for nothing else, you should really be see Ready Player One on the biggest screen possible for the cinematic Spielberg experience. It's a celebration of pop-culture like no other and will be the most exhilarating Easter egg hunt you'll witness all weekend. 

Film Assessment: A-

'Isle of Dogs' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

In the near future (twenty years from now), snout fever (aka "dog flu") ravages the canine population of Megasaki City. By executive decree of Mayor Kobayashi, all dogs are hereby banished to a gargantuan garbage-dump otherwise referred to as Trash Island. Isle of Dogs then follows a determined twelve-year-old boy named Atari as he hijacks a miniature plane and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. Once he crashes on Trash Island, a pack of mangy mutts join him on his epic odyssey to find and rescue his long lost friend. 

Isle of Dogs is the ninth feature length film to be written and directed by the idiosyncratic Wes Anderson. If you've ever seen a Wes Anderson production, you have a clear idea of what you should expect from an acclaimed auteur of his pedigree. There will be whip pans, symmetric shot composition, an obsessive attention to detail, colorful settings, obscure older music, quirky characters, and abundant instances of offbeat humor. Of course, all of these elements can be found within Isle of Dogs since the film champions Anderson's unique, eccentric style as its most defining attribute.

If you're a fan of Anderson's work, you'll likely be drawn to see Isle of Dogs because it's the distinctive director's return to stop-motion animation after his first foray utilizing the medium in 2009, Fantastic Mr. Fox. His obsessive-compulsive nature as a filmmaker simply means he's suited to deal with stop-motion because the process is absurdly tedious and requires an incredible attention-to-detail. In order for the models to move with an authentic fluidity, animators have to continually adjust puppets with the slightest alterations between individual photographed frames. It's truly a testament to the ability of these animators that I often forgot I was watching stop-motion because there was such a lifelike look to it all. It's really remarkable, and I'd consider it to be among the finest stop-motion animation I've ever seen on film. 

Like any other Wes Anderson production, the art direction, production design, cinematography, and score are all exceptionally executed as can be expected. Stylistically, the film pays homage to the traditional Japanese epic, and Japan in general, in so many ways. Tristan Oliver's cinematography excellently communicated a sense of scale and intimacy/aggression (depending on the scene's context) while sticking to the symmetrical shot composition characteristic of all Anderson's work. All the while, the film is immensely energized by the beat of Alexandre Desplat's percussive score that stands out as a unique addition to the two-time Oscar winning composer's resume. 

Meanwhile, the film is facing some online controversy of cultural appropriation... I'm not quite sure what exactly is being interpreted as such, but I didn't think there was anything in the film that could be construed as offensive. Perhaps I'm not "woke" enough to understand it, but I believe these claims are grossly over-exaggerated. If you see the film and think otherwise, feel free to let me know what I'm missing. I'd actually say Anderson does a great deal to honor Japanese culture by casting ethnically appropriate actors for the Japanese human roles, homaging Japanese cinema, art, and architecture, and incorporating elements of cultural significance. That's not even to mention the fact that Anderson made the stylistic choice for all the Japanese characters to speak in Japanese throughout the entire film. 

A title card appears in the beginning to inform the audience in addition to letting everyone know there won't be subtitles either. Fortunately, the dog barks have been translated to English and an interpreter and outside narrator are incorporated for occasional English translations. I'm sure this will be met with a divisive reaction from American audiences because we'd like to understand everything. I felt the decision paid off for the most part, but it admittedly impaired the narrative from as I found it difficult to completely connect with characters I didn't always understand. Although I respect Anderson's commitment to the concept, subtitles would have been immensely beneficial.

While I appreciated the broad overarching themes regarding the canine breed's celebrated characteristics of bravery, loyalty, and unconditional love, the film's storytelling is a little ruff (pun intended). This isn't to say film's story is entirely problematic, but rather to note it stands out as superficial when compared to Anderson's other work. The film relies heavily of the whimsical charm of these junkyard dogs cracking quips in deadpan, which worked wonders by the way. Otherwise, it's as if Anderson is holding audiences at an arm's distance from the human characters due to the aforementioned decision not to translate all the Japanese dialogue. There's enough expression for audiences to pick up on distinctive personalities, but they simply weren't fleshed out or developed as much as I'd have liked. 

Isle of Dogs does however feature an especially distinguished cast composed of Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, Francis McDormand, Greta Gerwig, Liev Schreiber, Kunichi Nomura, Koyu Rankin, Ken Watanabe, and common Anderson collaborators such as Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, F. Murray Abraham, and Tilda Swinton voicing an assortment of humans and hounds. To discuss them all individually would be a logistical nightmare, but do know that each actor added a great deal of charm and lent themselves well to their respective roles. Cranston is undoubtedly the standout as the surly stray alpha dog, Chief, and I have to say Koyu Rankin did remarkably well for his first role in a feature film in spite of the Japanese language barrier I brought up earlier. 

Before I wrap things up, I suppose I ought to mention that adults will have more to take away from Isle of Dogs than children. I realize the appeal of cute dogs and a young protagonist might make it appear to be made with children in mind, but that couldn't be further from the truth. There's not really much in the way of inappropriate humor, but the comedy is dark on occasion and the story itself is fairly mature. Significant portions of the film also move at a slower pace that I can't really envision kids enjoying, especially when the humor will fly over their heads. One other thing well worth mentioning is that you may look to see where you can watch Isle of Dogs after reading this review to learn it may not be playing at a theater near you just yet. That is because the film's had an especially limited release roll-out from Fox Searchlight. They'll be expanding in the coming weeks, but I'm unsure when the wide release date is. I was fortunate enough to attend an advanced screening of the film though and wanted to share a review regardless of that.

I may not consider Isle of Dogs to be one of my favorite films from Wes Anderson, but Anderson sure is one sly dog, because I can't dispute the fact I left the theater with my tail wagging (metaphorically, of course). It's taken three months, but Anderson's given audiences the first animated feature worth barking about this year!

Film Assessment: B+

'Pacific Rim: Uprising' Review

In the decade since the Pan Pacific Defense Corps sealed the inter-dimensional breach and ended the Kaiju War, humanity has continued developing Jaeger technology as a contingency to combat Kaiju. Pacific Rim: Uprising drifts alongside Jake Pentecost, a once-promising pilot-turned-petty scrapper whose father heroically sacrificed himself to ensure the monstrous Kaiju would be defeated once and for all. When Jake is caught with fellow scrapper Amara Namani, the two are presented with the choice of either joining the corps or going to jail. They choose the former, so Jake is then tasked with training a new generation of Jaeger pilots (including Amara) alongside rival ranger Nate Lambert. However, everything changes once a rogue Jaeger bursts onto the scene and prompts a Kaiju resurgence.

Did that plot synopsis seem needlessly convoluted? Well, I made my best effort to streamline the plot and that long-winded paragraph was all I could conjure... Pacific Rim: Uprising is in fact needlessly convoluted, which is actually odd when considering its predecessor (Pacific Rim) met the criteria of a unique flourishing franchise by being simultaneously stylish and simplistic. Visionary director Guillermo del Toro was largely responsible for that film's success since he was passionate about the project and well aware of the reality he was making a "B" movie centered on mechs fighting monsters. Unfortunately del Toro didn't return to direct Uprising, so the sequel sorely lacks the creative spark that made the first film special. Instead, Steven DeKnight took command of the franchise for his feature length film debut while del Toro went on to win a few Oscars for his work on The Shape of Water. Not a bad trade-off on del Toro's end, but del Toro's absence lead Uprising to become a far less interesting, commoditized imitation of the original so it was franchise fans who wound up suffering. On the bright side, The Shape of Water got made!

In case you couldn't already tell, Pacific Rim: Uprising pales in comparison to Pacific Rim in just about every way imaginable. While I'll admit that John Boyega's a bright spot in the cluttered cast, the visual effects are noteworthy, and the action sequences can be fun at times, Uprising's plagued by an onslaught of issues that had me dreading the possibility it was covertly Transformers 6. Michael Bay wasn't involved in this production whatsoever, but I'd have totally believed anyone who told me he was because this film is full of everything people dread about the latest Transformers installments. The humor's very juvenile and painfully unfunny, the fight sequences amount to bots bashing monsters through skyscrapers, there was occasionally a heavy emphasis on slo-motion, and they even incorporated a young girl determined to join the fight just like in Transformers: The Last Knight. Transformers wasn't the only film franchise that came to mind while I was watching though... There were several startling similarities to Independence Day: Resurgence and Power Rangers (2017) that I won't go into for the sake of length...

Now, lets take a second to talk about the sloppy script written by Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder, T.S. Nowlin, and Steven DeKnight. The general turn of events was pretty predictable, but there were numerous occasions where DeKnight and the screenwriters presented an interesting subversion of expectations only to turn around and surprise the audience again by going along with precisely what you thought the "twist" was all along. I wouldn't mind this if it only happened once or twice, but it happened fairly often and simply grew annoying. The characters were also written fairly inconsistently as they'd frequently act differently than they did earlier without any underlying development or growth to explain why. The writers established mental roadblocks setup for the characters that weren't really dealt with at all, and one was a direct rip-off of the first that I won't expand upon to avoid spoiling anything for you. 

If there was one thing that made the entire experience unbearable though, it would have to be the cringeworthy attempts at comedic relief. One prime example is an entire scene which takes place in a kitchen where John Boyega's character is making himself a bowel of ice cream and adding various toppings while speaking to Scott Eastwood's character. It was one of the strangest scenes I've seen in a theater so far this year. The ice cream itself wasn't what was weird though... Sure, it felt out of place and unnecessary by itself, but the way it was heavily incorporated into the scene to cheekily function as a comedic device was really awkward in execution. It was laughably stupid, so I guess it achieved its purpose? Don't even get me started on the dreadful dialogue sprinkled throughout though... 

Anyways, I had no idea that a battle between monsters and mechs could become so uninteresting so quickly, but Steven DeKnight proved it's possible. Uprising's aesthetic isn't very dynamic from a visual standpoint since the film has a very flat color palette, so the fight sequences became stale quite quickly. While the action fits the fun formulaic mold audiences may be satisfied with, it's all incomprehensibly edited and I was never awestruck by any radically cool visuals, so the action is also a step-down from the first in terms of impressive spectacle. With that being said, I'm not a big fan of the sleeker Jaeger design compared to the previous rough, rugged look and the Kaiju creature design seemed to be uninspired in comparison as well. Another troublesome component was that the ending was poorly paced. In the third act, everyone takes their sweet time to really react while the world is on the brink of destruction, so you're left wondering how the Kaiju didn't successfully destroy the world in the time it takes for them to act.

As a charismatic lead, John Boyega is undoubtedly one of the sole saving graces of Pacific Rim: Uprising. It's such a shame he was stuck in such a crummy film though. Surrounding Boyega are a bunch of actors who are either obviously inexperienced or remarkably bland. Scott Eastwood's Nate is as stale as can be. Newcomer Cailee Spaeny seems to have potential to emerge as a quality actress in the years to come, but I found her character to be kind of annoying. Just about every other cast member proved to be unmemorable due to lacking development or screen time.

One thing I won't be forgetting about Pacific Rim: Uprising anytime soon though was how obnoxiously over the top Charlie Day was in the role of Dr. Newton Geiszler. I think the writing's largely to blame for this since such his character went in such a strange direction carrying over from the first film. Day did what he could with the material by trying to ham it up, but there's only so much one can do to try and save a sinking ship.

I'm sure many may be interested in seeing Pacific Rim: Uprising purely to watch Jaegers and Kaiju duke it out, but if that's the case, you'd be better off staying home and watching the first film. Pacific Rim: Uprising appears to be another attempt to commercialize a promising franchise in hopes of setting up several sequels. If that's the case, a more apt title would have been Pacific Rim: Downfall because my interest in future franchise entries is now at an all time low.

Film Assessment: D

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Pacific Rim'

I'm reviewing Pacific Rim to tie in with the release of its sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising. Since March is almost over, I'm going to ahead and fill you in on the reviews you can expect to see through April, but I've made some changes to the previously outlined schedule because my finals are the same week that Avengers: Infinity War will be released. In order to get that review out as soon as possible for my readers, I'm easing my schedule by not reviewing anything else that week. Now that that's all cleared up, reviews you'll likely see through April include Throwback Thursday Reviews of Jurassic Park, Ocean's Eleven (2001), and The Avengers, a Triple-R for Avengers: Age of Ultron, and new reviews of Pacific Rim: Uprising, Ready Player One, Isle of Dogs, A Quiet Place, Rampage, and Avengers: Infinity War. 

'Pacific Rim' Review

Pacific Rim thrusts audiences into a far-flung future where humanity has been besieged by monstrous sea creatures called Kaiju. As the beasts emerged from a dimensional rift in the Pacific Ocean, mankind developed massive robot fighting machines to combat the Kaiju. These mechs, dubbed Jaegers, were designed to be piloted by two humans locked together in a neural bridge. However, even with weaponized robots at their disposal, humanity's efforts to extinguish the Kaiju three has proved futile. As the Kaiju approach for their final strike, a former pilot and untrained trainee pair up to pilot an old, obsolete Jaeger in a last ditch effort to save the world from an impending apocalypse.

Pacific Rim is helmed by the recent Academy Award winning director Guillermo del Toro with a screenplay co-written by del Toro and Travis Beacham. When perusing through del Toro's filmography, you'll quickly take notice that he has a knack for spearheading creature-features so it only makes sense that he would have felt drawn to a blockbuster of this nature. It's about robots fighting sea creatures after all... Which is precisely why he was the perfect fit for the project. 

Del Toro's passion seeps through every frame thanks to the exceptional work of cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and the various visual effects artists at del Toro's disposal. They each ensure the neon-infused atmosphere envisioned by del Toro was executed to the fullest. When researching the film to see if it was nominated for any Oscars, I was shocked to learn it wasn't nominated for Best Visual Effects in 2013 because I was sure it would have been, and it certainly should have been. Beyond its impressive visuals, Pacific Rim also features an epic score composed by Ramin Djawadi and some solid performances. However, the film falls a little short in the story department. 

Despite a clear effort to establish the core characters as empathetic individuals, they weren't fully fleshed out enough for me to invest myself completely in their struggle. Sure, I want humanity to emerge triumphant... But not for anything the characters did to draw my interest. Mainly because I too am human. Most of the characters are little more than two-dimensional avatars when all is said-and-done because so many of them lack a personality. With all that being said, it's difficult to fault del Toro considering he's well aware that this is a "B" monster movie all about sheer spectacle. 

For every criticism I could conjure for Pacific Rim, I'm able to come up with at least twenty more reasons why Pacific Rim is awesome as an action-oriented blockbuster. The concept behind it all is incredibly interesting, the Kaiju and Jaeger designs are unique, and the fight sequences are incredible. It's just the characters and story that are lacking. 

Leading the rock 'em sock 'em ensemble are Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, who each imbue their characters with the essential attributes. Hunnam portrays Raleigh as a loose cannon while Kikuchi's Mako is a troubled trainee. Even though they fit their respective roles well, I've never quite bought their romantic connection as there's not much chemistry between the two of them. The romance then feels forced into the narrative for the sake of including one.

Elsewhere, Idris Elba's magnetic screen presence as Marshal Stacker Pentecost positions him to be a cut above most movie military officials, but his stance as the most dynamic character only aids him in being the standout scene stealer.

Meanwhile, Charlie Day and Burn Gorman play a pair of eccentric geniuses whose silly side quest seems to be a contrived scheme to obtain pertinent information. Other cast members deserving of a shout out include Ron Perlman, Max Martini, and Robert Kazinski who all manage to make a unique impact with varying screen time. 

Despite adhering to the nuts-and-bolts of a traditional "B" monster movie, Pacific Rim remains an exciting popcorn movie that will scratch your itch to watch gigantic Jaegers punch it out with enormous Kaiju. While it underwhelms on a storytelling level, the interested audience members probably weren't even asking for that to begin with. 

Film Assessment: B