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

'The Shape of Water' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Guillermo del Toro, Best Actress; Sally Hawkins, Best Supporting Actor; Richard Jenkins, Best Supporting Actress; Octavia Spencer, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score.

Won: Best Picture, Best Director; Guillermo del Toro, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.

The Shape of Water washes audiences ashore in the year 1962 to follow Elisa, a mute janitor currently cleaning a top secret research facility. One day, security officer Richard Strickland arrives to the government lab with a mysterious monster in tow from South America. As Elisa encounters the aquatic creature in her day-to-day work, she forms a bond with the beast and decides she must free the wrongfully imprisoned Amphibian Man for the sake of its survival. 

Guillermo del Toro dives into telling an unconventional story as both writer and director, receiving an assist from Vanessa Taylor in regards to screenplay. Del Toro is a visionary director who's perhaps most well known for writing and directing Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, and Crimson Peak. While I've only seen two of those films, I can say I'm quite familiar with hearing del Toro's name mentioned by cinephiles as a promising choice of director for countless peculiar projects. From the trailer alone, I could tell this film was coming from del Toro based on the picturesque production design and strange sensibilities of the story. My interest was peaked, but I didn't quite know what I was in for... Then the film stunned the festival circuit with standing ovations and took home many of the top audience awards... That was followed by a stream of critical acclaim and nominations out the wazoo in various critic circles and the Golden Globes... At that moment, I knew The Shape of Water had to be something special... and boy, was I right. 

The Shape of Water is simply a beautiful film in all regards. The sea-foam green and aqua blue color scheme evidenced in Dan Laustsen's striking cinematography and Paul D. Austerberry's attractive era-appropriate production design evokes the guise of an extraordinary underwater environment. The creature design in-of-itself is stupendous, while the make-up, prosthetics, and visual effects effectively integrated with one another to create a convincing creature. The film's not just visually arresting though, as del Toro pours out a story that is sweet, sometimes dark, and surprisingly timely in spite of an antiquated setting. All of which is then reflected in Alexandre Desplat's exquisite score as it's able to sweep you off your feet, strain itself in the tense moments, and even startle you when things get scary.

At the center of it all, del Toro explores a shared connection between a human and creature that's rather reminiscent of the romance in Beauty and the Beast. For some, that may seem a bit off-putting. I had my own doubts that I would actually be invested in such an unusual relationship, but was shocked to see del Toro fully fill that proverbial glass. However, I'm sure there will still be those weirded out by the very idea of such a thing, so it really depends on your willingness to suspend disbelief and reel in the fishy concept. On that note, I feel it's worth warning you that del Toro's grounded fairytale is probably more mature than you'll be expecting. I'm not providing further context than the fact it's rated "R" for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence, and language, so I don't want to hear that you weren't ready.

When it boils down to it, The Shape of Water is all about outcasts. Del Toro's story flows alongside a mute janitor, a merman, a closeted gay man, an African American woman, a kind-hearted scientist, and, sadly, the guy that fits in happens to be cruel, perverted, and racist. They each seek acceptance from others in their own unique way, and their longing looks for wish fulfillment can certainly be soul shattering at times. So naturally, it's comforting to see their desires realized in unique, unexpected ways. With that being said, some portions of the plot are pretty predictable because you've seen other fantasies elsewhere. However, del Toro and the crew have put so much love and care into their craft that the heart of The Shape of Water reverberates endlessly, and so the current still flows in their favor.

Leading the exceptional ensemble, Sally Hawkins works wonders in the role of the unspoken Elisa Esposito. Hawkins communicates an abundance of expression without uttering a word. Her physicality, mannerisms, and screen presence do all the talking, and I seriously think she'll earn an Oscar nomination and maybe even win so long as the tides remain in her favor. Opposite Hawkins, Doug Jones is caked in makeup and prosthetics as the Amphibian Man. Jones is basically the practical equivalent of Andy Serkis. Where Serkis rules the motion-capture acting arena, Jones has been known to impressively act under plenty of prosthetics in the past. Like Serkis utilizes the magic of mo-cap to strengthen his performances, Jones makes the most of his makeup and body suits to craft compelling creatures, and the Amphibian Man is no exception. The fact he and Hawkins were able to extract such a rich rapport from a relationship of a mute woman and a scale-covered creature speaks volumes to their astounding abilities as actors.

Playing Elisa's nice neighbor Giles, Richard Jenkins steals the spotlight in such subtle ways. Jenkins takes what could have purely been a cliché character and excellently imbues him with nuance and a rich essence, leading you to pity the man for facing appalling animosity on account of Giles' sexuality.  

Rounding out the endowed ensemble cast are Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Shannon. Stuhlbarg's got another powerhouse performance in his unbelievable year as an actor (he's also been in The Post and Call Me By Your Name), playing the part of a tender, concerned scientist Dr. Robert Hoffstetler. Spencer is a swell supporting presence as Elisa's coworker and friend, Zelda Fuller, elevating an otherwise ordinary role. In my book, it's Michael Shannon who lights up the screen though. Shannon is scary good here, turning Richard Strickland from a scumbag security officer to a driven, malignant force of contempt. Shannon is totally terrifying as the true monster of the tale.

Just like H₂0, The Shape of Water has no definite shape. The Shape of Water takes many different forms as a riveting romance, a sinister creature feature, and an affectionate ode to cinema, but each phase is deeply satisfying on account of its own merit, so the spontaneous compound is quite captivating.

Film Assessment: A