It’s been awhile since we last saw a film directed by Guillermo del Toro so the buildup for his film ‘Pacific Rim’ is to be expected. After all, how can you not like a movie that’s about gigantic extraterrestrial monsters from another dimension attacking the Earth and battling 25 foot tall robotic machinery piloted by humans using technology that connects to their brains?
Now that I’ve got your attention, here’s some more exciting news! Screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan were in Toronto not too long ago and got to see firsthand some of del Toro’s work on the movie. The duo are responsible for such horror flicks as ‘Saw IV – Saw VII’, the ‘Feast’ franchise, and ‘Piranha 3DD.’ They worked on the rewrite of the script for ‘Pacific Rim’ and, in an interview with Fearnet, shared a little of what they got to see being filmed.
Melton seemed very excited by what he saw:
“It is going to kick major ass. It’s giant monsters versus giant robots, and Guillermo del Toro is the only person who could bring it to you. That was an amazing experience, because we read the script, and so we went in knowing what the producers and studio wanted us to do; and we went in and met Guillermo, and he started showing us the tests by ILM. They were just mind-blowing. I think they’ll probably show something at Comic-Con 2012. Because they should be done by then, or close to done by then. I’m telling you, it’s gonna rule Hall H when Guillermo, the king of geeks, comes out and shows some of the stuff he’s shot. People are gonna be blow away.”
Dunstan added:
“We’ve been denied a Guillermo del Toro movie for a few years now and we had the feeling in sharing some time with him that there’s been a well, that became a dam, that became a crushing force waiting to burst and give everything to Pacific Rim. I think he’s the Santa Claus of fantasy, and he’s going to gift everyone with an experience. Bring dad, bring the kids, bring everybody, and hold on.”
“This is a PG movie, “ Melton continued, “Most of his stuff is pretty edgy, for the most part. Nothing below PG-13 that I can think of. So this is his sort of four-quadrant movie. But it’s got all the traits of a Guillermo movie, with the monsters and the younger characters and the things that go bump in the night… It’s pretty great.”
(For those wondering what a four quadrant movie is, that’s Hollywood speak for a movie that covers the four main demographics of movie goers: male, female, under 25, and over 25)
So it sounds like ‘Pacific Rim’ is being packaged as a summer blockbuster along the lines of ‘Transformers’ (i.e. family friendly). Regardless, the movie sounds epic. Even actor Idris Elba (‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’, ‘Prometheus’) sounded excited when asked about the monsters in the film:
“We are talking about some big MF-ers. There’s a lot of actuality in this one because he’s created huge sets. I mean, we’ve taken over four sets in Pinewood in Toronto and built a lot of the stuff that you might see. Yes, there is huge CGI I’m sure, but we built a lot of stuff too.”
The movie has a lot going for it that point to something worthy to watch. Although del Toro’s films do tend to lean toward the “R” ratings side, I’m hoping this downgrade that was indicated by Melton’s comment won’t take away from the great filmmaking that he’s known for. I do have to add, however, that the movie has not been rated yet so his comments may just pertain to what he saw filmed.
Either way, the movie still sounds epic! What are your thoughts?
