Pacific Rim
Giant monsters and mobilized mechanical suits hold a special place in my heart. Few things are more entertaining than watching creatures the size of buildings completely demolish an entire city before your eyes. Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming science fiction blockbuster, Pacific Rim, has been on my radar for quite some time, but only now are we privy to a sneak peak at the world of reckless, ancient kaiju and towering, triumphant Jaeger.
Feast your eyes on the film’s latest trailer. We get a startling glimpse at some of the monsters our heroes will be facing, in addition to a bit of exposition, though only just enough to whet our appetites.
I think what most excites me is that first opening shot of the kaiju’s skeletal remains sprawled over a Naval vessel. It’s completely and utterly chilling, and it gives you a great sense of scope as far as the monsters are concerned. Plus, take a look at the way those pilots are handling that mech. Based on what we know about the neurological connections needed to control one, wherein it essentially takes two people hooked up to one of those bad boys in order for it to work, it seems that we’re looking at an incredibly dark film with a lot of depth to explore, and I, for one, absolutely cannot wait to see it.
No word yet on a release date as of yet, but here’s hoping that Pacific Rim robopunches its way into our hearts sometime before the end of summer 2013.
Pacific Rim and Godzilla Take Over SDCC
Yesterday afternoon, the denizens of San Diego Comic-Con bore witness to footage from two of the most potentially awesome monster films ever created: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and Gareth Edward’s Godzilla.
Del Toro released highly-anticipated footage from his upcoming kaiju vs. Jaeger mash-up, Pacific Rim, to a room full of eager fans. The montage, though brief, featured two scientists happening upon a deserted Jaeger in the arctic, followed quickly by glimpses of colossal monsters inciting mass destruction. Shots of humans preparing to pilot the Jaeger were tailed by footage of the gargantuan creatures fighting in the classic kaiju style.
Of the film, Del Toro said that all the effort he put into this movie stemmed from his love of old Japanese monster flicks, and he wanted to inspire a similar awe in his audience. One of the more notable qualities is the sheer size of the film’s creatures. There are even moments where the camera cannot even capture the entirety of the kaiju. The towering beasts and their rival robots brawl on an almost unbelievably realistic scale.
I don’t know about you guys, but this film is now officially on my radar. There’s something absolutely terrifying about the thought of these creatures destroying entire blocks with minimal effort. It’s been ages since a good monster movie has decimated our cinemas, and Del Toro seems fully aware. He’s made sure to give this film it’s own presence, taking care to establish nine awesome kaiju that will be featured in the movie.
“We have approximately nine types of kaiju, each with its own ability. We designed about 40 kaiju’s and we did an American Idol on them. We would do a pageant and everybody would vote. Punches were thrown. The better kaiju are in the movie, the ones that won. Every time you think you know what a kaiju can do, something else happens.”
The fun didn’t stop there, however, as the footage for the film was followed by a terrifying teaser featuring the king of all kaiju, the incomparable Godzilla. Director Gareth Edwards, whose film Monsters I highly recommend, was urged on stage by boss-man Thomas Tull after the teaser for the film was dropped, only to find himself near the point of tears at the unanimous excitement to his upcoming flick. Edwards promises to bring real terror to Godzilla, aiming to show what it would really be like if a 400-ft tall monster were to terrorize the Earth.
The teaser for Godzilla was short, but effective. Brief glances at a dusty, decimated city were followed by J. Robert Oppenheimer’s chilling quotation of the Bhagavad Gita: “Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” Cut to the vaguest shots of Godzilla’s legendary tale and spiked spine, followed by a full-on glimpse at the beast himself. His roar ripped through the room like an atomic wave, and the word Godzilla slowly rose to the screen. It’s okay if you just got chills. I did, too.
Friends, if 2013 is set to be the year of astounding monster movies, then only good things can follow suit. I have full confidence that both Pacific Rim and Godzilla, which has no official release date as of yet, will be blowing fans out of the water.
What say you? Does the thought of two-ton monsters frighten you from the cinema, or will you be lining up to see these creatures duke it out on the big screen?
Robocop Reboot Gets Viral Video and Concept Art
Chances are, you have a great deal of apprehensive when it comes to seeing one of your favorite films rebooted, rehashed, and remade. Rightfully so, since this pattern of revitalizing franchises that have long since passed doesn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon. All that’s left to do is embrace it, I’m afraid.
On the other hand, take a look at this new viral trailer. Coupled with the fairly awesome concept art on the OmniCorp website that was launched this year, and this film isn’t shaping up to be quite as bad as many fans had anticipated. And how could it? With documentary filmmaker José Padilha directing, and living legends Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson attached to the cast, how can it go wrong?
Well, in a lot of ways, actually. Regardless of any internet hype, the only real way our questions can be answered is by waiting patiently until the films release. Sit pretty until August 2013, friends. It’s going to be a long wait.
Drew Struzan’s The Thing
The latest Mondo poster for the Alamo Drafthouse “Summer of 1982” event.
Faster than I can write about them, here’s four new Prometheus clips to whet your appetite, which you can watch here in HD (and/or 3D, if you are so inclined):
With the films rapidly approaching release date, fans seem to be divided on the topic of teasers. Many scramble for any information about the film that they can get their hands on, while others choose to abstain from any potential spoilers, shunning the clips in favor of simply waiting for the June 8th release.
What do you think? Can there still be any mystery in a film that seems overly saturated with teasers, clips, and trailers? Do you find yourself fed up with these “sneak peeks”, or are you hungry for more?
Image by John Berkey
