So I just finished watching Pacific Rim and I found it underwhelming. The action wasn't very dynamic and so-so while the acting was just as bland and the writing predictable and uninspired. That said, it was clearly a visual spectacle. I was reading reviews about this film and in general people were praising it for being a visual spectacle and as written on wikipedia according to a reviewer: "a "fist-pumping, awe-inspiring ride", and opined that its focus on spectacle rather than characterization "simply does not matter" in the summer blockbuster context." We all know how critics feel about Transformers. My problem is why is it that Transformers gets flak for being a dumb action movie about robots fighting each other while Pacific Rim get praised praised for being a dumb action movie about robots fighting monsters?
I totally agree. At least in Transformers they have developed the characters and there is more emotion involved. In Pacific Rim everyone is monotone and unfeeling really. I actually didn't really like the effects in Pacific Rim either. All of the monsters and the robots were blue and gray with maybe some yellow thrown in at times.
You got it dude! thats the rule they follow, and I hate they keep doing that, I feel sad for Michael Bay haha :,(
Michael Bay get's so much crap, not just from critics but TF fans who think they can do better. I feel sorry for him I think he makes great action packed movies!
Captain Fanzone, is that you? Anyway, Transformers is not critic material. It sounds unfair perhaps, but very few if any adaptations of a cartoon series have boasted wonderful storytelling worthy of a critics' thumbs up/five stars. Thankfully, it does not need critics. It's VFX-extravagant entertainment and unashamedly so, and it's best enjoyed that way. A film does not need critical acclaim to be enjoyable.
People have mentioned that Bay does carry a certain stigma, and that's a part. All the same, I think there are reasons why some people might like PR more: -Very little "goofy" humor -Related to that, there was much less "bloat" about minor subplots that were uninteresting or pointless (let's face it, the Bay movies could be trimmed down) -ROTF. Let's face it, the 2007 movie got some decent praise here and there. It was the second film that really messed things up (from a criticial perspective) -The important characters get lots of focus (unlike how little dialog the TFs themselves often get) -Plot was a bit more straightforward (no convoluted conspiracies or mythologies) -(arguably) better directing/cinematography Personally, I like both the TF films and PR, and ultimately, you've got to enjoy what you like on your own, regardless of other people's opinions.
Pretty much this. You can't maintain your 'cred' as a professional critic if you make any positive comment about a Michael Bay movie. I guarantee, if some other director had made literally the exact same movies as Bay, the TF films would be better regarded by critics. Not saying they'd be considered high quality cinema or anything, granted, but the critics wouldn't just automatically hate the TF films because Bay was involved. But it doesn't really matter anyway; with internet forums, social media and quicker spread of word-of-mouth, professional critics are increasingly irrelevant. Personally, while I check RottenTomatoes for movie reviews, I ignore the professional critic rating and just pay attention to the user reviews. Those are more likely to accurately reflect a film's quality, IMO (note that all of the TF films have at least a 20% higher rating from audiences than from critics).
It's definitely to do with Michael Bay being the Director and Producer. He's extremely hated by a large community of critics due to his past comments of not caring about them when it came to making films. He has said in the past he doesn't care about reviews, it's all about entertaining the audiences. The fact his movies tend to get really poor reviews but still make a fortunate at the box office, is to a degree, an insult to those critics who are annoyed their opinions have no affect on his movies success.
but what do you think happened? What did Bay do to get all this hate? say stuff about their mums? scratch their cars? shave all their cats? dumb down the art of film making and make mostly bad movies? must be one of those... hmm just saying.
That would be because ROTF and DOTM are pure tripe. They are just crap movies. And the comment about if another director made them then they wouldn't be panned as much is so untrue. If a reputable director made those movies, his reputation would be destroyed.
I really loved pacific rim and i really love the transformers series. I do agree with people here Michael Bay doesn't get the benefit of doubt, any film he makes is automatically bad. However Pacific Rim was child-friendly and wasn't full of all the (terribly executed) sexual humor and vulgar Transformers has.
Oh boy another thread where movie fans get to bitch, moan, whine and hate the critics for not worshiping Bay as a god! Not like we had a million of those before!
People need to realize that critics are just some people uttering their personal opinion, even the "high calibre" critics are no different from that. All their "professional" knowledge about movies is just playing pretend and acting like they know better than the rest of us when in fact they dont. Critics are not movie directors, they are not actors and they are often not even script writers, they never made a movie in their life and as such their understanding of movies as an art form is just as uninformed and immature as the opinion of the regular movie goer. If you really want to read a meaningfull opinion about a movie or movies in general, read what artists in the industry, preferably directors, have to say - even the insight of the "worst" director is much more worth than the opinion of the "best" critic.
It's all perspective. See, I LOVED pacific rim. Even though it was a shallow plot, it was an incredible roller coaster ride of what seemed to me, an all new movie. So, to me, your the critic. It's all perspective man. The other day, my son was riding his bike around the back yard, wearing his optimus prime mask. My neighbour buddy says "who is that sopossed to be?" And my wife said "...its...optimus prime. You don't know who that is?" Like, she seriously could not believe a 40's age guy could not know who that was. He said "no...I don't get that shit..I never have." My wife said "dont say that to the boys! They love that stuff" so he says back, "really? You like that kind of shit?" So I said "hell yea mike...its Freakin neat stuff...we like different stuff, example, you would not catch me DEAD riding a Harley with hard bags and a windshield, I'm a gixxer guy..ill ride a Harley when I'm 60.." He laughed.."yea..yea..fair enough..my buddies with choppers say the same shit" It's because you, and us, we love the franchise...the story. But so many other people, this is just a movie. Actually, to some its LESS than that..when some hear about a new transformers movie, they roll their eyes, like when some people hear star wars or star trek. And another thing..you just shut up you! Pacific rim was THE SHIT! Everyone MUST love that movie.
I was disappointed that Del Torro made such a piece of crap. A good critic should forget his own opinion and watch a movie from a theoretical perspective. That's why i hate rotten tomatoes. They try to look at it from a theoretical perspective, but ends up from a personal wanna be artistic view. You cant look at a action film from another perspective then from a action movie view. You can look at John woo's action sequences from an artistic point of view A good example are the expandables movies. They fulfill all the Action movie archetypes. The problem with Bay is the plant pot fill ups off bad humor.
I judge movies based literally on how many times I am forced to cringe, and how mnay times I yawn. Too many of each and I don't recommend the movie. Don't recall yawning through any of the TF movies, but the cringe factor was off the scale, and a lot of it had to do with the 'goofy humor' mentioned above. There should always be some form of comic relief in these types of movies, but John Malkovich being eccentric, John Turturro' ass, Devastator's balls, the Twins (God help us), and Ken Jeong were in no way relief - they were burdens. I hope we won't be made to endure these kinds of things this time around.
