MOVIE REVIEW: "GO GO POWER RANG...OH SORRY, ITS PACIFIC RIM!"



When we thought we had heard the last of the popular children action series, Power Rangers (a programme shown in the late 90s which is a replica of the popular cartoon in the 80s, Voltron), Hollywood thought it cool to reintroduce the concept of giant robots controlled by humans, determined to protect the earth from giant monsters trying to unleash havoc on the human race.

The movie is Pacific Rim, and I must say that I am confused on whether to follow public opinion by giving the movie a thumbs up and avoid being lynched! Or rather just speak the truth and let it out...but actually words can't express my disappoint for this GLORIFIED POWER RANGERS MOVIE!

Human cities come under attack by the Kaijus: colossal beasts who come through an interdimensional portal on the Pacific Ocean floor. To combat them, the Pacific Rim nations build the Jaegers: equally colossal humanoid war machines. Each Jaeger is manned by two pilots whose brains are linked to share the overwhelming mental load of piloting the machine. A Jaeger's neural load is too much for a single pilot to handle alone, meaning they must first be psychically linked to another pilot—a concept called "Drifting". When pilots Drift, they quickly gain intimate knowledge of each other's memories and feelings, and have no choice but to accept them.

Commanding Officer of the Pacific Rim Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) approaches retired pilot Raleigh Becket (Hunnam) and convinces him to return and pilot Gipsy Danger, the Jaeger he and his brother Yancy once piloted. During a mission off the coast of Alaska in 2020 (Yancy was killed by a Kaiju while connected to his brother, traumatizing Raleigh).

 Raleigh has to test with potential co-pilots to find one with whom he connects strongly, which ensures effective performance in battle. Sensing a strong connection, Raleigh demands to be partnered with Mako Mori (Kikuchi), the director of the Jaeger refurbishment project.

The film centers on the relationship between Becket and Mori. Both are deeply damaged human beings who have decided to suppress their respective traumas. While learning to pilot their Jaeger, they undergo a process of "opening up", gaining access to each other's thoughts, memories and secrets. Both Becket and Mori have suffered profound personal tragedies; one of the movie's central ideas is that two damaged people can metaphorically "become one", with their figurative missing pieces connecting almost like a puzzle.

Watching this movie with what can be called personal torture, I could remember how irritated I was when Power Rangers came on but was unable to change the channel because my younger ones were watching, and trust mummy, changing the channel at the time was bullying!

The movie lacked depth as it was mostly about showing the fight scenes between the Jaegers and the kaijus. It failing to establish how and why the kaijus intended to invade earth and destroy humanity in the frst place.
The movie, although showed promise, failed to move me and I wonder how it was able to intrigue the majority of the audience.

Idris Elba showing off his British accent as he played the role of a no nonsense commanding officer, to me was trying too hard to display a tough exterior...he looked like an angry Charlie Chaplin!
This is what I suggest, those of you who gave kudos to this movie should watch it again, and trust me you will get my drift. Pacific Rim was a junk of metallic crap and moster slime grinding each other, that's all!

Pacific Rim received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Metacritic gives a rating of 64 out of 100 based on reviews from 48 critics, which indicates "generally favorable" reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 72% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10 based on 243 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "It may sport more style than substance, but Pacific Rim is a solid modern creature feature bolstered by fantastical imagery and an irresistible sense of fun."

Pacific Rim grossed $101,802,906 in North America, and has had a favorable international release, grossing $305,800,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $407,602,906.
Pacific Rim is a 2013 American science fiction monster film directed by Guillermo del Toro, written by del Toro and Travis Beacham, and starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba,Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, and Ron Perlman. 

The film was produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros.

There are already speculations of a sequel.

THE CONJURING...TRUE LIFE STORY!

If there are movies that easily catch my attention is one that claims to be based on a true life occurrence. And there is a movie that got me so curious about happenings, especially concerning the paranormal that I went online to investigate. Are these real? Is it possible? Asides the existence of ghosts and troubled spirits, did they really constitute so much trouble for inhabitants of a house?  We have always heard of stories of haunted houses and they have always been depicted as fictional, but when a movie comes out to say its based on true life...now that's a different ball game!

Its The Conjuring, a 2013 American supernatural horror film which tells the true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren, world renowned paranormal investigators, who were called to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse.

In 1971, Roger and Carolyn Perron move into a dilapidated farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island with their five daughters.
The next morning, Carolyn wakes up with a mysterious bruise. Over the next several days, various instances of paranormal disturbance occur, one of which is Carolyn noticing all clocks in the house stop at exactly 3:07. The activity culminates one night while Roger is away in Florida. After hearing various clapping, giggling, and seeing the picture frames shattered on the stairs, Carolyn is locked up in the cellar.

Carolyn contacts noted paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for help. The Warrens conduct an initial investigation and conclude that the house may require an exorcism, but they needed authorization from the Catholic Church and further evidence before that.

While researching the history of the house, Ed and Lorraine discover that the house once belonged to an accused witch, Bathsheba, who tried to sacrifice her children to the devil and killed herself in 1863 after cursing all who would take her land. The property was once 200+ acres but has since been divided up into smaller parcels. They find reports of numerous murders and suicides in houses that have since been built upon parcels that were once part of the property.

 

Now is it true or just a scam to attract the public to the movie? 

 

The real-life Perron family swears by their story, throwing their full weight behind the film and even appearing in some of The Conjuring's marketing materials. 

Andrea Perron one of the family members actually wrote a three part book on her experiences growing up on the farm called "House of Darkness, House of Light." Although she said the film was not based on her trilogy “House of Darkness House of Light”, it was, instead, based upon the case files of Ed & Lorraine Warren.

 

Andrea said that although she and Mrs. Warren both provided the studio with more information than they could handle, the screenwriters had much to pick & choose from. She says that the film 'The Conjuring' is a fair reflection of the chaos and danger they faced at the farm claiming that the movie stands alone as a work of art — not fiction.

 

The Warrens' (pictured on the left) 10,000-plus career cases include the alleged haunting depicted in The Conjuring. In 1971, Roger and Carolyn Perron moved into a colonial farmhouse in Harrisville, R.I., with their five daughters, and quickly began experiencing what they described as both haunting and spiritual possessions. They invited the Warrens to the farmhouse to investigate. Over the nine years they lived in the house, the Perrons described spirits, both harmless and angry, that "stunk of rotting flesh" and routinely arrived at 5:15 a.m. to levitate their beds.

 

Regardless of whether The Conjuring is a true story or completely made up, there is no denying that director James Wan has delivered a movie that is creating a great buzz.

The film has earned largely positive reviews from both critics and audiences alike. Rotten Tomatoes sampled 174 reviewers and judged 87% of the reviews to be positive with an average score of 7.2 out of 10. Its consensus reads: "Extremely well-crafted and gleefully creepy, The Conjuring ratchets up the dread with a series of smartly delivered, terribly effective old-school scares." Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 35 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film an A- grade.

 

After its initial run in theatres, the film turned out to be a box office hit by grossing over fifteen times its production budget with a worldwide total of $312,459,667.

 

Do you think its all real?

Well watch the movie and decide!