Monster Review: Pacific Rim
Title: PACIFIC RIM (2013)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Length: 131 Minutes
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars aligned
A door has been opened beneath the waves of the Pacific ocean allowing creatures to pass into our world and wreak havoc on our planet. Through years of terrifying battles and countless tragedies, the governments from around the world pull together and form a new line of defense. Jaegers, designed to combat the alien Kaiju, become earths last and only hope for freedom and safety from what waits beyond the portal.
Remember when you were a child and everything was big? As adults, at some point, we look back on something from our childhood and say, “I remember it being a lot bigger.” That scale of things decreases as we get older due to both our increase in size and our ability to process things as accurately as we can while we mature. As we grow we understand things better. We can quantify life and put things in perspective that lets us rationalize the world and process it in a way that allows us to keep our sanity. That is why I love giant monster movies. It takes something big, whether it be a thought or an object, to put us in our place and feel small in this world and or universe. Guillermo del Toro achieves this effect with his newest action/science fiction phenomenon, Pacific Rim.
The grandeur of del Toro’s Pacific Rim is nothing to balk at. It is indeed the size of everything in this movie that brings us back to our childhood. The Godzilla-like destruction, scale of combat (literally), and the inter-dimensional concept that make us feel small again and loose ourselves in wonder and awe. But then again this is Guillermo del Toro we’re talking about. The imagination of this creature feature master is astounding, and it makes me sad, yet hopeful, that someday he will indeed adapt H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. The sheer otherworldliness of the whole plot, and the brief yet mind blowing glimpses into the Kaiju’s own home are clear winks and nudges to Lovecraft’s style and possibly del Toro flexing those muscles to show he’s got what it takes to dive into At the Mountains of Madness.
That said, in the gaps between all the action, the acting fell flat at times, even though I humored the idea that the character subplot seemed a bit satirical to the old kaiju films. I enjoyed Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as the seedy black-market dealer, and thought Idris Elba’s role was a good anchor for the plot. However I was left cold with Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) as Raleigh Becket, the lead role. This unfortunately seems to be the complaint I’ve seen amongst other reviews. There are also a lot of haters who write like they were expecting an Oscar nominated film. Some even go as far to describe how childish the film is and how del Toro could have done better. Personally I enjoy the fact that it brought me back to my younger days when I watched massive monster movies. I laughed out loud when one article in particular called out that, “‘Rim’ will be as gripping as seeing a Transformer battle a toy dinosaur in a bathtub.” It was funny to me because in my bathtub days the soapy battles my toys played out were imagined into giant leviathans fighting G.I. Joe’s.
All in all Pacific Rim was great fun and the perfect summer movie to take my 13 year old nephew to. Like I said the character arcs are a little strange, but no one should be showing up to a monster vs. robot showdown expecting get a Titanic, no pun intended, performance. Is this Guillermo’s new masterpiece? I think not. But I do think it is a film he will be known for, and fanboys will remember for a while. Pacific Rim doesn’t carry a heavy franchise like Marvel, but will develop into a cult classic, and open up the road for more giant monster movies like the upcoming Godzilla. This movie made my summer and solidified its place as a favorite in my book. I would rank this beast, 3.5 out of 5 stars in alignment
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Giant Eye Found on Ocean Shore Supposedly From a Swordfish?
If you haven’t seen anything about it on the internet yet, then you’re either watching too much porn, or playing to many Facebook games. A mysterious eyeball was found washed up on a Florida beach which lit up the internet October 10th with more speculative questions and answers than you can shake a tentacle at.
The softball sized ocular unit was found by a beach comber who turned it over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday. Many things have been “suggested” by “professionals” as to what the eye could have come from. One main conjecture is that it is from a large squid. But the guys over on the pseudopod side are saying nay!
New statements as of yesterday seem to be claiming that it is in fact from a swordfish or marlin of some kind. But, these claims are coming from individuals who are “almost sure” that this is from a large swordfish/marlin. Now I am no scientist, but there is roughly two pounds of DNA sitting in their hands. And no one has tested it yet? Maybe they have and are still waiting on the results, or maybe they found the results and didn’t care to share with us.
For some, the idea of it being from a large squid isn’t ruled out. And with comments like the one from Robert L. Pitman, who is a marine biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in La Jolla, California, people are still asking, ‘Why couldn’t it be from a squid?’ When asked about his thoughts by National Geographic, Pitman said this:
“It probably is a squid eye–other things with eyes that big (fish, cetaceans) have them imbedded in hard tissue. Squid eyes are in relatively soft tissue and more likely to dislodge as in the photo you sent. A quick DNA analysis could easily sort it out for you,”
Maybe it is from a swordfish, or another big fish of the sea. Or maybe it’s from a giant squid. Either way at least those are a couple possibilities that are tangible. What if this eyeball is from something never seen before, something unknown? What do you think?
Shoggoths Of The Sea!
“On land the great reptiles proved highly tractable; but the shoggoths of the sea, reproducing by fission and acquiring a degree of accidental intelligence, presented for a time a formidable problem.” H.P. Lovecraft ~ At The Mountains Of Madness
Well, the ocean is an amazing place, but it still terrifies me. The creatures of the deep have captivated imaginations and have been the topic of speculation for centuries. From ancient sea battles with leviathans and giant squids, to recent discoveries of life at depths that almost back up those mythical claims, the ocean has been a constant realm of fear and fascination.
The two videos below came to my attention via IO9.com, and feature two almost unexplainable creatures. The first has been described as a specimen of the Deepstaria enigmatica, from the jellyfish family. Others speculate that it is simply a free floating whale’s placenta. But upon viewing, as the creature unravels it looks to have a florescent tail, like other deep sea creatures that use florescent appendages to help lure prey. The second video is of a another species of the jellyfish family known as Stygiomedusa gigantea. These creatures have been sighted only 114 times in the last 110 years and have boggled scientists with their meter long umbrella-like bell, and paddle-shaped arms that extend to six meters in length and contain no stinging tentacles.
Either way, while watching these videos I couldn’t help but think of Lovecraft’s Shoggoths. Especially the amorphous creature featured in the first video. The way it moves through the water, and how it seems to show interest in the camera, or maybe the light.
What Has Washed Up On The Shores Of South Carolina?
So something else has crawled out of the depths of the ocean to land on our shore. Though it looks like something new, and unnamable, the South Carolina sea monster has been identified as a prehistoric Atlantic Sturgeon. Sturgeon have been around for approximately 100 million years. They have survived extinction after extinction, and have been around for most of the big changes our planet has gone through. But even with a hide of stone, these unique creatures have met their match.
For over a century these creatures, who swam with the dinosaurs, have had a lot of trouble with mankind. About a hundred years ago it was common, and very popular, for fisherman to come across one of these plated beasts harvest their eggs for caviar. This was done no other way than to sacrifice the female and harvesting the eggs. This is how Sturgeon began to disappear. Pollution never helps either though. These fish are bottom feeders, so it’s no wonder that when population began to drastically increase, so
These are amazing specimens. Covered in a bone plating called scutes rather than the usual scales seen on your daily catches. The average Atlantic Sturgeon is 10 ft long and weighs in at approximately 300 lbs, however they have been seen, as is the case with the guy above, to grow 15 ft long and 800 lbs.
Here in North Dakota they are trying to thrive in the Missouri River, and from time to time someone might snag one. But, no fisherman is allowed to bring that fish in the boat, on shore, or even touch it. I like that. Other places/states actually have a season to fish for Sturgeon. There are places, like in Maryland, that have been desperately trying to recover the Sturgeon population, but it has been tough.
This is what I have to ask you though. Why all the sudden are we finding all these exotic creatures in our backyards, and on our beaches? Why is it that some of the worlds most well hidden secrets are rising to the surface so to speak? I ask this because I have my own answer but would like to hear others. What do you think?
Octopus Leaves Water and Walks on Land
There is something completely creepy about the idea of octopuses walking on land, well at least for me its creepy. Though it’s not uncommon to see an ocotpus outside of water for a little bit, especially for captive ones that have been known to escape and turn up in the least expected places. It is, however, rare to catch the act on film. I’m not sure exactly why this one leaves the water and seems to follow the people, but I did see that it left behind a dead crab. Maybe the octopi was protesting pollution, and decided to throw his garbage on our turf.
Maybe its all the Lovecraft reading but things that live in the ocean should stay there. I’d feel more comfortable thank you.
Unspeakable Gibberer 