Bob saw Pacific Rim last night and posted his reaction on Twitter. Naturally, he loved it.
The reviews I've seen have been surprisingly positive. The geek sites are going apeturds over it as expected, but the mainstream press is giving it a lot of love too (though acknowledging that it's far from perfect). It's being received as a refreshingly optimistic and fun blockbuster that celebrates old-fashioned, selfless heroism. If this movie makes money for its backers, it could go a long way towards reversing the current trend of dour GrimDarkness in tentpole flicks. And that, if nothing else, makes it worth supporting.
I don't think this movie is going to be either a flop or an out-of-the-park smash. It will likely do respectable but not spectacular business in North America, make its money back overseas, turn a tidy but not gargantuan profit, and prove that there is still room out there for a well-crafted, fun, original popcorn movie. If anything, the miserable failure of The Lone Ranger (and John Carter from last year) will be a much bigger clue to Hollywood that their current strategy of milking old properties dry is a losing proposition long-term.
Best of all, it will give a new generation of young geeks something to go nuts over, something that's THEIRS, rather than an older generation's warmed-up leftovers. Yes, it's not an entirely new concept, but so what? Star Wars was as derivative as a credit-default swap, but it still managed to become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation, because it FELT fresh and exciting. In the best-case scenario, this movie will do the same.
I can't wait for Thursday night.