Strangers and Aliens: Science Fiction & Fantasy from a Christian Perspective

Ep. 78 — PACIFIC RIM (Summer Movie Series)

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PacificRimOnce more, Dr. Jayce and Steve were not interested in seeing a summer blockbuster, but unlike Lone Ranger (which Ben wanted to see solely so he could bash it and was proven wrong), Ben has been excited about Pacific Rim for a while now.

Does it live up to his expectations?

Find out, when he joins forces with jack-of-all-trades JS Earls, a musician and writer that Ben has been friends with for years because of their comic book connections.

You can find JS Earls here:

MUSIC — http://jsearls.bandcamp.com

WEBSITE — http://jsearls.webs.com

FACEBOOK — http://facebook.com/js.earls.writer

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5 responses to “Ep. 78 — PACIFIC RIM (Summer Movie Series)”

  1. Andrew Musser Avatar
    Andrew Musser

    Good overview of the film, and I generally agree with the points you guys made. I’d give it an even “B”. Loved the action, marveled at the detailed and functional look to the robots, but there was definitely room for a few more character development scenes. Supporting characters were introduced, and I only had time to get an impression of a vague stereotype before they were thrown into another action sequence. Then again, given the so-so dialogue that remained, I should probably be happy they decided to punch more monsters instead of talk.

    Regarding what the Kaiju might have been meant to represent, I wonder (though it might be a stretch) it they were meant to be a symbol of environmental dangers. There’s a brief mention about how the aliens were attracted to our planet because of climate change and pollution, and that we had basically terraformed Earth for them.

    Reply
  2. Allan Reini Avatar
    Allan Reini

    I haven’t seen the movie yet, but wanted to thank you and J.S. for an entertaining podcast. You kept me awake and on the road at the end of a long business trip. I wasn’t planning on catching Pacific Rim, and now you’ve got me interested.

    Since I haven’t seen the movie, here is my only other comment:
    Wow, you are giving Koby waaaaaay too much credit.
    Seriously, though, it’s kind of fun to see him becoming a bit of a mini-meme in the midst of this Christian-geek-scifi-podcast-media culture we’ve got going here.

    Long live King Koby! Advisor to Mr. Spielberg!

    Reply
  3. Allan Reini Avatar
    Allan Reini

    Oh! There was one more thing.
    Was it just my blackberry interface, or was there actually about 12 1/2 minutes of blank tape at the end followed by about eight seconds of cheesy organ music? I haven’t heard anything like that since the Nixon administration.

    Also, did anyone else actually listen all the way through to hear that?

    Reply
    1. Ben Avatar
      Ben

      Ha! That’s our spoiler music…

      And oops! Shouldn’t have been like that. Looks like I finalized it without noticing that was on the time line.

      Reply
  4. Mikel Withers Avatar
    Mikel Withers

    Just got to this podcast, and had a couple thoughts. First, when I watched Avatar in 3D, I LOVED it. It was so all-encompassing that I felt like I was there. When I tried to watch it on DVD, I found that I just didn’t care about the story. Pacific Rim translates well, though. In the theater, in 3D was awesome, don’t get me wrong, but it is more than adequate on the small screen.
    Second, you mentioned that this movie was ground-breaking in the sense that it shows what is now possible with the genre. You also mentioned Robotech. As a big fan of Robotech, I can’t help but look forward to what comes next.
    Thirdly, (which puts me over a “couple”) you are right that there wasn’t that part where, at home with my wife and kids, I got embarrassed and thought, “Oh right THAT scene…sorry guys, forgot about that.”

    Reply

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