Now for once something nothing to do with writing. Last Friday I attended my local cinema to see Pacific Rim, a film that could be summarized as big stompy robots punching big stompy monsters in the face. A lot.
It is not a deep film.
It is however not a re-imagining, sequel, re-make or watered down adaption from another source. Sure it has borrowed heavily from several tropes popular in Japan but the point is that it is something that in reasonable light resembles a new idea. Which with modern Hollywood is pretty close to heresy.
So far this year in terms of blockbusters we’ve had that I actually saw or consciously decided not to see:
Ironman3: Best of a bad lot. Fun but in terms of artistic creativity playing safe by relying on an established franchise and a popular actor.
Oblivion: Pretty but utterly predictable (particularly if you saw the trailer like I did)
Star Trek – Into Darkness: Utter, utter, utter rubbish! The cast did their best but the script might as well be written in crayon.
Superman: Not a fan of Sup and nothing I heard encouraged me to try.
World War Z: The book is one of my favorites. This I clearly has nothing beyond sharing a title in common, I don’t begrudge the writer any payout he got from this but I will not go to see it.
A few others that haven’t left much of a stain on my brain.
So whatever its limitations Pacific Rim at least has the backbone to be something new and Hollywood should be encouraged to try that more often. Or to put it another way if you don’t see it don’t come crying when in the future all you’re offered is scarcely reheated sequels.
Edmond Barrett 