Grown Ups 2
I have no idea what this is.
Anyway, I just saw it this morning. I liked it a lot. At first I saw a lot of parallels with Evangelion, but that was only really because I was looking for them, I suspect. When you get down to it, Mako and Rei really don't have that much in common aside from the haircut and the general outlines of their relationships with their respective commanding officers, though Mako's case was a hell of a lot more healthy and a lot less creepy than Rei's. I do suspect that someone in the makeup department is an Evangelion fan, though. Her haircut, especially the blue tips on the ends, struck me as a definite nod, but again maybe it's just coincidence. Raleigh was nothing like Shinji at all. Pentecost (what the hell is up with that name? Is that seriously a last name?) wasn't much like Gendo, beyond being the determined commander who is committed to his cause and will defy orders to do what he thinks must be done.
What I liked: the world building was excellent. The Jaegers were awesome. The Kaiju were also awesome. There were some great scenes in it, and the premise as a whole was great. Also, Ron Perlman is amazing.
What I took issue with:
None of that negates the fact that the movie was great and that people should go see it and support it. It really is very good. It's just that with a little bit more thoughtful work on the script and a willingness to play it just a little bit more slowly, it could have been great.
In re the complaints about the practicality of using things like shipping containers and container ships as improvised weapons... it made perfectly good sense to me, especially the containers. You know how if you're holding a roll of quarters in your fist when you punch someone, it hurts a hell of a lot more? It's like that, only Giant Robot sized. I see nothing wrong with using a container ship like a baseball bat either. Those things are pretty sturdy. They have to be; they sail over the grossly misnamed Pacific Ocean.
I don't think Raleigh needed to go Full Kamina, but he could indeed have used a touch more of that.
Ron Perlman really helped make the film for me, though. Every scene he was in was gold. I think he should have been in more, somehow, but the charm might have worn off eventually. In any event, he really added to the film, even if it was just a bit part.