Hello there. My name is Ethan, I’m from Newcastle and study Film at the University of East London. I have quite a varying sense of style when it comes to what I like to consume but my speciality is narratives inside video games. It’s special because these fantastic stories are only being seen by a small number of people, when they should be shown to the masses.
Anyways, that’s next week. This week follows my (unlikely) top 3 films.
My Top 3 Films defiantly differ from others, and that is completely fine because it’s all down to personal choice. Some people like drama, with dialogue heavy scripts that carry the film. Others might relate to characters, imagining that they are them.
Well, I’m the third option, someone that likes seeing the magnificent visuals happen right in front of your eyes. Seeing what is seemingly impossible happen on screen. This is the art of filmmaking, and why these are my favourite films. They carry that aura that we all enjoyed when we were kids, seeing these huge robots or pieces appear right next to us is unbelievable. My list is in no order, it’s impossible to order them as they carry the same characteristics but explore the themes in many different ways.
Pacific Rim (dir. Guillermo del Toro 2013)
Pacific Rim has always been one of my favourite films, this is mostly because of seeing just the gigantic scale of Gypsy Danger. Gypsy Danger is the giant robot (Yeager) shown on the cover and the one that the main characters pilot throughout the film! Seeing two big robot beasts claw and fight it out is everything you’ve wanted to see as a child, and even watching it now, as an adult, I still get the same feelings as if I’m watching it for the first time.
One of my favourite shots in the entire film is when Gypsy Danger is coming back from the victory defeating the Kaiju in the ocean, when Raleigh has just lost his brother. It’s a dad and son trying to find treasure on the beach with a metal detector, when they’ve just found a dud, the detector picks something up in the ocean. Enters rolling, staggering through the fog is just a foot, followed by a leg, followed by a now falling Yeager. Just seeing the events unfold of what looked big compared to a fishing boat, to seeing the reveal of how truly large these things are is just massively impressive. Overall, though I just really enjoy seeing large robots or large things to that scale up close.
From a film perspective, I really liked that Guillermo del Toro decided to make most of the sets practical, rather than having them be CGI. Not only did it add to the size of the robots, but also allowed the actors to give better performances. A direct result of seeing what they would see in the movie, rather than a green screen. By having the actors be more immersed the film becomes more emotional and dramatic. Overall if you want to see giant robots battle giant beasts, this is the film for you.
We just don’t talk about the sequel. ;)
Jurassic World (dir. Colin Trevorrow 2015)
Jurassic World is my next pick. It’s a reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise. One which due its mighty success, made dinosaurs popular again. Due to the nature of Jurassic Park, it was always going to do well. It had the name, the park, and the dinosaurs. But it did change the lead actor from Jeff Goldblum to Chris Pratt, someone who is now synonymous with the franchise.
As a fan of Jurassic Park, it was a no brainer for me when the new and modernised version came out with similar dinosaurs, but many more, in more ways than none. We got the iconic T-Rex back from the original trilogy. We even got to see the monstrous size of the mosasaurus completely devouring a great white shark. The mosasaurus was also a major marketing point being in most trailers for Jurassic World!
Now I will say that this film is quite a serious look on things, any movie about dinosaurs is this way, but I really like the comedic character in Lowery. He always managed to make me laugh, whether that was his original Jurassic Park shirt to give the throwback or his witty lines, to his rejection. It just always made me chuckle. Overall, though. Dinosaurs are cool man!
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (dir. David Yates 2011)
Harry Potter is epic. Now as a third choice, you were probably expecting to see Transformers, and don’t get me wrong it is extremely close to joining this list. However, the list is just that competitive, and changes, often depending on how I’m feeling. Where Harry Potter grabs me though is in the soundtrack, followed by the massive structures involved. Or even the magic being used. This film differs because you get to see magic and sorcery being used on such a large scale. But then you pair that with a cast, who you’ve grown up with exploring their story’s and going through the hardships they have, you come to grow a bond with them. Wanting what’s best for them to stop. Then bursts through the work of Alexandre Desplat. Even before I was interested in film the soundtrack instantly caught my attention. It’s stuck with me since no other film has kept with me that much for having a soundtrack fit the feel of the film perfectly other than this one.
This is by far the greatest Harry Potter film, just because it gets you through the heartbreak of Dobby, pushing you to enjoy the spectacle that you’re about to witness. There is so many epic moments throughout, all built up over the previous ten years. From long bridges being destroyed, to giant guards coming to protect the school, to Nagini being killed and the final battle. All under the guise of an awesome soundtrack. It’s a fantasy brilliance.
Anyways. Look forward to next week where we cover the narrative experience known as Titanfall 2.
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