What exactly should we expect from Guillermo del Toro’s forthcoming sci-fi adventure Pacific Rim? And just as importantly, what exactly do we want from the movie?
The premise alone would promise something in the vein of your typical summer blockbuster: aliens invade and attack, humans employ robot suits to fight back, Idris Elba gives a speech. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing in the new trailer from the Warner Bros. picture, which you can watch below. But is that all we’re going to get from an auteur like del Toro — a visual spectacle, riddled with behemoth fight scenes and extensive property damage all with the ever present stakes of the fate of the world circling the drain?
There is plenty of room for that kind of movie, especially in the summer months. But with a cavalcade of Michael Bays at Hollywood’s disposal, we’re hardly experiencing any deficit of capable sources. Fans of del Toro, though, might expect a bit more: the haunting whimsy of Pan’s Labyrinth, the comedy and imagination of Hellboy, the frightening charms of Cronos and Mimic. With all this and more (including the screenplay to the recent hit The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) on del Toro’s resume, fans’ hopes should sail high above a simple robots-beating-the-hell-out-of-aliens action flick.
And while that surface value entertainment might be all that we see in this new trailer, we should still keep our heads high: after all, the best way to sell a robots-beating-the-hell-out-of-aliens action flick is with scenes of robots beating the hell out of aliens. And once the masses are happily stacked in theaters nationwide, then hit ’em with the character and gravitas at which del Toro excels.
Check out the trailer for Pacific Rim, and for now, drink in the big, brazen action — an impressive display, in its own right. The film hit theaters July 12.
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros.]
More:
Guillermo Del Toro Said No to Directing ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s in ‘Sin City’ Sequel: the Man Wants a Comic Book Movie!
‘Godzilla’ + Zombies? ‘Walking Dead’ Creator to Rewrite Script
From Our Partners:
’Texas Chainsaw’: Top 5 Leatherface Kills (Moviefone)
