Pacific Rim

Remember Neo-Geo's King of the Monsters? No? Well, the amount of quarters I pumped into that game was obscene; by my rough estimate, I must have spent a couple hundred dollars body slamming and immolating the alien horde around Japan with a generic Godzilla & King Kong. Don't think I ever managed to beat it either.

This eventually led to the discovery of such classics as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, King Kong vs. Godzilla, the Ultraman series, and, of course Godzilla, King of the Monsters! I couldn't get into Mothra or King Ghidorah, though. Don't know why. I guess the appeal of a giant space moth wasn't there.

Giant robots were taken care of via anime/manga/whatever. Voltron, Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Code Geass, Megas XLR, Sym Bionic Titan, etc.

And now somebody has given Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone) a metric tonne of money to bring a fully realized version of giant robot vs. giant monster combat to theatre goers everywhere! Getting a glimpse of early footage @ last year's San Diego Comic Con was my primary motivation for attending, and it was quite impressive for not being complete (of course). Now with the Summer Blockbuster season gearing up, the advertising is coming hot n' heavy.

With a panel @ this coming weekend's Wonder Con in Anaheim you can expect a new flurry of activity regarding the flick.

Pacific Rim Synopsis said:

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes-a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)-who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

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A slightly different trailer was released @ the Consumer Electronics Show. And over the past week or so, character posters for the various Jaegers have begun to hit the 'net!





You dig giant robots! I dig giant robots! We dig giant robots! Chicks dig giant robots!


Nice.

This is a movie that came to my attention not long ago, and I was gobsmacked by the sheer insanity of the premise. Surely this film will break new ground in CG effects? How else would you bring to life giant robots fighting massive monsters?



Ohhhh......

25 hundred tonnes of awesome!

kongisking said:

Surely this film will break new ground in CG effects? How else would you bring to life giant robots fighting massive monsters?

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Well, I think we can expect bleeding edge digital animation. Warner Bros. expanded the flick's budget to a cool $150-million and Industrial Light & Magic is in charge of bringing it all to life. One point to remember though, is that Señor del Toro is quite fond of practical effects. See: Hellboy 2's market sequence and much of Pan's Labyrinth. That trend seems to continue with Pacific Rim.

Per this weekend's panel @ WonderCon in Absentia, Del Toro mentioned how he had a single foot built for a Jaeger built on a 1:1 scale. To what effect, I couldn't comment on. The idea of a giant foot the size of your typical basketball arena is wonderfully appealing, though. The production team also built several blocks of Hong Kong in order to destroy them, and built the entire head and shoulders array of one of the Jaegers. Unfortunately I don't think he mentioned which one. If I were a betting man, I'd say it was Gypsy Danger.

He also mentioned using the biggest soundstages in North America, and filling them to the brim. So, again, I think you'll see that $150-million budget reflected on the big screen.

Why are there two pilots?!

Guillermo del Toro said:

?Every single robot is controlled by two pilots. One that controls the right hemisphere and one that controls the left hemisphere?controlling a machine that large would fry the nervous system of a single pilot. So they use two?they are linked by a neuro bridge that fuses them with the robot.?

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Amusing tidbit: Ron Perlman is playing a black market dealer in kaiju organs. Apparently 500-bones will get you a pound of ground up kaiju bone powder that's supposed to cure erectile dysfunction. His name? Hannibal Chou. He adopted the sobriquet in honor of his favorite historical figure and his second favorite Chinese restaurant.

If you need any more reason to see it, then how about a giant robot beating the hell out of a giant monster with an oil tanker *** baseball bat?!

Also: There will be a graphic novel released in conjunction with the film that delves into the history of the kaiju battles, and explains some of the mythos.



Go Big Or Go Extinct!

Le Saboteur said:

This eventually led to the discovery of such classics as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, King Kong vs. Godzilla, the Ultraman series, and, of course Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

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Sabo, if you haven't seen "King Kong Escapes" yet, you may want to check it out. Of the 2 Toho films about Kong, in my opinion, it's the better one (and if you're into giant robots, it has a giant, robotic Kong).

Which "Ultraman" series? When I was a wee lad, every kid in my neighbourhood was hooked on the re-runs of the '60s series (with it's cool theme tune & psychedelic imagery). In c.1996, two of my friends & I were in the gigantic Tower Records store in New York City and were freaking out over a laserdisc of the '60s "Ultraman" show. An employee who overheard us came over to say that someone famous had just bought one the day before. That person was Nicolas Cage!

I've never heard of "Pacific Rim" before and am assuming it's a video game? Consider me semi-interested in this movie because of the giant monster (and not the robot). The only reason I looked at this thread is because you started it.

kongisking said:

This is a movie that came to my attention not long ago, and I was gobsmacked by the sheer insanity of the premise. Surely this film will break new ground in CG effects? How else would you bring to life giant robots fighting massive monsters?

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Kongisking, I don't see how the premise is "sheer insanity" when it has been done before. Anyway, what kind of a Kong fan are you by posting a photo of "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" when you should have posted one from "King Kong Escapes"?

Stoo said:

Sabo, if you haven't seen "King Kong Escapes" yet, you may want to check it out. Of the 2 Toho films about Kong, in my opinion, it's the better one (and if you're into giant robots, it has a giant, robotic Kong).

Which "Ultraman" series? When I was a wee lad, every kid in my neighbourhood was hooked on the re-runs of the '60s series (with it's cool theme tune & psychedelic imagery). In c.1996, two of my friends & I were in the gigantic Tower Records store in New York City and were freaking out over a laserdisc of the '60s "Ultraman" show. An employee who overheard us came over to say that someone famous had just bought one the day before. That person was Nicolas Cage!

I've never heard of "Pacific Rim" before and am assuming it's a video game? Consider me semi-interested in this movie because of the giant monster (and not the robot). The only reason I looked at this thread is because you started it.
Kongisking, I don't see how the premise is "sheer insanity" when it has been done before. Anyway, what kind of a Kong fan are you by posting a photo of "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" when you should have posted one from "King Kong Escapes"?

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I meant sheer insanity in that I always thought we'd never get a modern Hollywood equivalent of a kaiju film due to the fact that to do the project full justice, you'd need an, ahem, Godzilla-sized pile of cash to pay for the effects. I never thought Hollywood would attempt such a huge effects-laden film. Remember when Star Wars was made, how Fox constantly bemoaned the budget used for that film's extensive effects?

That's how I thought execs would react: "What's that? A film about giant robots slaying alien monsters? Nah, we'd have to spend half the country's budget to pay for effects alone, and we're too cheap!"

Again, this is all based on my admittedly slim knowledge of movie studio politics...

As for why I didn't use that picture, Stoo...didn't even occur to me. Honest. And I'll regret it for the rest of my life...

kongisking said:

I meant sheer insanity in that I always thought we'd never get a modern Hollywood equivalent of a kaiju film due to the fact that to do the project full justice, you'd need an, ahem, Godzilla-sized pile of cash to pay for the effects. I never thought Hollywood would attempt such a huge effects-laden film.

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Hollywood did "Godzilla" in 1998 (but you were 6 years old at the time and might have been too young to have seen/remember it) and Hollywood did all that "Transformers" business later on. Regardless, kongisking, you are: Naive. Naive! Naive to think that this premise is "sheer insanity".

kongisking said:

Remember when Star Wars was made, how Fox constantly bemoaned the budget used for that film's extensive effects?

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Yes, I remember those days very well but you weren't even born/alive at the time! The industry has changed immensely since then. You are comparing "Pacific Rim" to a 30-year-old situation so the comparison to 1977 doesn't apply.

kongisking said:

As for why I didn't use that picture, Stoo...didn't even occur to me. Honest. And I'll regret it for the rest of my life...

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If "King Kong Escapes" didn't occur to you, then you have no right to use "Kong" in your username. Faux fans should be stripped of their screen names and whipped forever!

Stoo said:

Hollywood did "Godzilla" in 1998 (but you were 6 years old at the time and might have been too young to have seen/remember it) and Hollywood did all that "Transformers" business later on. Regardless, kongisking, you are: Naive. Naive! Naive to think that this premise is "sheer insanity".

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Well, in my defense, I meant specifically the concept of "giant robots fighting monsters" done by modern Hollywood. We've done the giant robots part and the monsters part, but not both together, until now.

Yes, I remember those days very well but you weren't even born/alive at the time! The industry has changed immensely since then. You are comparing "Pacific Rim" to a 30-year-old situation so the comparison to 1977 doesn't apply.

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Fair point. I just used that example thinking it would be most relevant, seeing this is a website devoted to a product of George Lucas...

If "King Kong Escapes" didn't occur to you, then you have no right to use "Kong" in your username. Faux fans should be stripped of their screen names and whipped forever!

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You're absolutely right. I'll straightaway change my username to "Stooisking". Happy now?

kongisking said:

Well, in my defense, I meant specifically the concept of "giant robots fighting monsters" done by modern Hollywood. We've done the giant robots part and the monsters part, but not both together, until now.

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The concept of a giant robot versus a giant monster is not some wild, untapped idea for Hollywood. Perhaps you're unaware that Hanna-Barbera (based in Los Angeles) did "Ultraman" in the late '80s? (Sarcasm on full: Oh, these 2012/3 Hollywood execs are nuts! Putting those two genres together is "sheer insanity"! )

kongisking said:

I just used that example thinking it would be most relevant, seeing this is a website devoted to a product of George Lucas...

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Your example was not relevant at all, Kongisking, especially in today's era of CGI-filled movies like "Transformers" & whatnot. This "Pacific Rimjob" movie might have tonnes of CG effects but I doubt that you'll see anything you haven't seen before. Mechanical objects are relatively easy to animate so any 'ground-breaking' effects that you may anticipate won't be with the robots.

You "never thought Hollywood would attempt such a huge effects-laden film"? C'mon, dude. You're disappointing me. I thought you were smarter than that.

I know that you're buddies with that Dr.Jonesy guy (who pretended to be 10 years older than he really is) but it would be wise for you to not follow in that faker's footsteps. When you wrote this: "Remember when Star Wars was made, how Fox constantly bemoaned the budget...", I laughed.

kongisking said:

I'll straightaway change my username to "Stooisking". Happy now?

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No. I wouldn't like that at all. Your screen name is fine as it is (though you don't deserve it)! Be yourself, you B-grade Kong fan chump!

Stoo said:

Sabo, if you haven't seen "King Kong Escapes" yet, you may want to check it out. Of the 2 Toho films about Kong, in my opinion, it's the better one (and if you're into giant robots, it has a giant, robotic Kong).

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I haven't seen it. Though, I am aware of the existence of Mechani-Kong. I'll add it to my ever growing stack of things that I need to watch!

Stoo said:

Which "Ultraman" series?

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I've seen a handful of series from the '66-series, but I'm most familiar with the series of movies that came out in the mid-to-late nineties. There was also the anime series The Ultramanthat I found @ my neighborhood Asian video store. It's just one of the fringe benefits of coming of age in Hawaii.

Stoo said:

I've never heard of "Pacific Rim" before and am assuming it's a video game?

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Surprisingly enough, no, it's not. While nearly every blockbuster release seems to be based on/inspired by/ripped from the headlines of a video game or comic book these days, this is an original idea. Or, as original as a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters could be. I don't doubt that it will soon to be a video game (if not already in development) given the trans-media nature of anything with franchise potential these days.

Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. seem to be so excited about the flick that they're seriously discussing greenlighting a sequel before the first one is out of the gate. It's bound to make money. The question then is just how much is it going to rake in.

Stoo said:

Consider me semi-interested in this movie because of the giant monster (and not the robot).

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Note: The flick has at least five giant robots and nine kaiju! One just isn't enough these days. Several others were cut during the storyboard sessions, so there's a chance that they'll pop up in other outlets.

I, for one, am glad that the kaiju are being kept under wraps for now. Well, aside from that giant turtle looking thing. Hopefully they leave some surprises for the movie.

Side note: It looks like all of the major Pacific Rim countries -- United States, Russia, China, Japan, & Australia -- are represented in the movie with their own Jaeger. No, Canada isn't a major player in the Pacific. Of course, you could make the argument: If Vladivostok makes Russia a major player in the region, then Vancouver should count. But, alas, it does not.

As part of the movie's viral marketing campaign, the studio was handing out trading cards of the movie's giant robots. They're just miniature versions of the posters we've seen thus far, but they contain "vital stats" on the flipside. Turns out the Aussie's (Oi! Oi! Oi!) Striker Eureka is the most powerful of the bunch with eleven confirmed Kaiju kills.

Stoo said:

This "Pacific Rimjob" movie...

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Yeah, no. Let's nip that in the bud right there.

Too bad they didn't use this as the theme song.

Le Saboteur said:

I've seen a handful of series from the '66-series, but I'm most familiar with the series of movies that came out in the mid-to-late nineties. There was also the anime series The Ultramanthat I found @ my neighborhood Asian video store. It's just one of the fringe benefits of coming of age in Hawaii.

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There was also an Ultraman-type robot guy in "Godzilla vs. Megalon" and (I think) there was another Godzilla movie with a mechanical version of Ghidorah. (I've never seen the '90s Ultraman.)

Le Saboteur said:

Surprisingly enough, no, it's not. While nearly every blockbuster release seems to be based on/inspired by/ripped from the headlines of a video game or comic book these days, this is an original idea. Or, as original as a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters could be. I don't doubt that it will soon to be a video game (if not already in development) given the trans-media nature of anything with franchise potential these days.
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Side note: It looks like all of the major Pacific Rim countries -- United States, Russia, China, Japan, & Australia -- are represented in the movie with their own Jaeger. No, Canada isn't a major player in the Pacific. Of course, you could make the argument: If Vladivostok makes Russia a major player in the region, then Vancouver should count. But, alas, it does not.

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'Tis quite a surprise that "Pacific Rimjob" isn't based on a video game nor a comic. However, it's NO surprise that Canada (nor anything south of the States) has zero part in this story. It's quite typical. What confuses me, though, is the term, 'Jaegers', for the robots since it essentially means 'hunters' in German and doesn't evoke any sort of 'Pacific' naming conventions.

Le Saboteur said:

Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. seem to be so excited about the flick that they're seriously discussing greenlighting a sequel before the first one is out of the gate. It's bound to make money. The question then is just how much is it going to rake in.

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If that isn't a giant, robotic course of action then I don't know what is!

Le Saboteur said:

Too bad they didn't use this as the theme song.

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Pretty good, Sabby, but the '60s "Ultraman" theme is still better!

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Kongisking: Please don't take me too seriously, eh? I'm just giving you a hard time with some friendly ribbing.

Stoo said:

However, it's NO surprise that Canada (nor anything south of the States) has zero part in this story. It's quite typical.

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That would be the cynical answer. I like this one: Each nation represented in giant robot combat is one of the top Indo-Pacific navies if not the world. Following that line of thought, the only nation currently missing is South Korea (the ROK). Northeast Asia is already well represented, though. Poor Russia will never be able to flex their maritime muscle with Japan & the ROK strangling the Strait of Tsushima.

Even if I was being extremely generous, I can't even make a honest argument for Canada's pathetic Pacific Fleet. MARPAC consists of:

5 Halifax-class frigates
1 Iroquois-class air defence command and control destroyer
1 Replenishment vessel
6 Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels
1 Victoria Class submarine

That's not even a third of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force! The Royal Australia Navy laughs in Canada's general direction! The US Navy is, of course, the dominant force afloat, but given the global nature of their mission, their forces are spread out. Until SECNAV commits to refocusing on the Indo-Pacific, the US Navy will rank... oh, third in terms of operational effectiveness.

According to the Pan Pacific Defense Corps, there's a Shatterdome in Santiago, Chile. I'm inferring from the site that these serve as the homebase for the Jaegers. It's supposed to house Tacit Ronin and Diablo Intercept. Given the Mark-2 designation of the Diablo Intercept system, it sounds like they had older units. Wonder if they were destroyed in an early encounter?

Stoo said:

What confuses me, though, is the term, 'Jaegers', for the robots since it essentially means 'hunters' in German and doesn't evoke any sort of 'Pacific' naming conventions.

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No, it doesn't conform to any sort of established naming conventions. I suppose they thought it sounding cool in the pitch session and stuck with it. It makes a certain amount of sense in the movie's narrative scope.

Stoo said:

If that isn't a giant, robotic course of action then I don't know what is!

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Yes, it's normally pneumatic after the receipts are tallied. Not before the movie even hits theatres!

Stoo said:

Kongisking: Please don't take me too seriously, eh? I'm just giving you a hard time with some friendly ribbing.

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I wasn't sure if that was the case, man...

You do have a decent argument. I probably wasn't thinking my posts through very well those days. Everybody has their sloppy moments, even Spielberg. Which is a fact that comforts me.

But, enough dumbness. All in all, I look forward to Pacific Rim.

P.S. That jab at Jonesy? Lame, dude. Lame.

A new banner featuring Striker Eureka defending Sydney Harbor from that giant turtle looking kaiju has hit the 'net! This is the clearest look we've had at one of the giant monsters so far, and might get more the closer we get to the film's domestic release! Fingers crossed that Warner Bros. continues to keep them under wraps until the movie's debut.

While those of us @ Wondercon were ultimately lied to, it does benefit everybody who wasn't in attendance. Why? Because the Wondercon trailer has also found its way onto the 'net!

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A third trailer has been released for your viewing pleasure. The narration briefly details the beginnings of the conflict citing the first kaiju as making landfall in San Francisco (again), the second demolishing Manila, and a third in Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California. Seems that it took a third attack before the Pan Pacific Defense Corps was created.

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Speaking of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps, the website has gone live. Only the first section is open, but you can take a quick survey to decide with division of the Corps you would end up in. I've been sent to the frontline of the Strike Corps as a Shatterdome Marshal. Most "recruits" end up in Jaeger Academy, but K-Science (Kaiju Detection & Analysis) remains pretty exclusive.

Once you've completed the testing phase, you'll be given access to a Facebook badge, a desktop kit, and a Facebook kit.

You can also customize your own Jaeger through the Jaeger Design App. If you don't already have it installed, the application requires the Unity Player application.

Here's my contribution: The Chasseur XL!

To fight monsters we created monsters

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That glowing circle in the chest...

Looks like something Tony Stark might have been working on.


Looking at the production company on this, they're also making Godzilla (2014).

The instant I learned about this movie, my inner child was completely psyched. Giant robots vs. Giant monsters!!! I have every intention of hitting the theater on opening day.

Plus, I've really enjoyed Del Toro's previous efforts. This kind of material seems right up his alley.

Now, if only the At the Mountains of Madness project could be salvaged somehow...

I saw this on Blu ray the other day. I was disappointed by it. Yes it looks great and the effects are very good (even though a couple of the monsters reminded me of something from Evolution. But (probably as with many other big effects movies) I didn't particularly enjoy the story much or particularly care for the characters either.

AndyLGR said:

I saw this on Blu ray the other day. I was disappointed by it. Yes it looks great and the effects are very good (even though a couple of the monsters reminded me of something from Evolution. But (probably as with many other big effects movies) I didn't particularly enjoy the story much or particularly care for the characters either.

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Eh, for what its worth they were given arcs and personalities. Not original ones, but what's truly original anymore?

kongisking said:

Eh, for what its worth they were given arcs and personalities. Not original ones, but what's truly original anymore?

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True I guess not a lot is. But even though they tried to give a bit of story to a couple of the leads I couldn't warm to it. It was one of those films with no real story that throws you into some fantastic effects. It's like a diversion tactic, look at these effects and forget there's no story.

Hopefully not too much thread drift - But the San Francisco Airport has a display in Terminal 3 (The United Terminal) of old toys from Japan. Many cool old Ultraman, Godzilla, Speed Racer, and yes the original Huge Robot Monsters. I remember playing with some of these in the mid to late 80's. So cool

Ok Back to Pacific Rim(jo*) Sorry, bad title.