but we've seen this story told so many times before.
But the way Del Toro tells it?
That's what makes him so amazing. Yeah we've had Creature from the Black Lagoon, yeah we've had Beauty and the Beast, but the way he takes these stories and all the tropes that go with it and unflinchingly puts it into our real world, with all the creepiness and ugliness that would understandably go with it, is phenomenal. The way he mixes in all the themes of equality and civil rights and certain members of society being rendered silent amidst the more powerful that seek to control/squash them, was all fucking brilliant and def makes for something incredibly unique.
I mean he takes a movie about a woman banging a fish-man and turns it into one of the greatest civil rights films of all time.
2002 Blade II (total crap and has aged horribly. Can't even watch as a guilty pleasure)
Really? I strongly dislike some aspects of it. The action sequences leave a lot to be desired and hip hop during a Blade fight scene = trash. Still, it has enough to offer otherwise to be a solid followup and satisfyingly entertaining. Doesnt hold a candle to the BRILLIANT original, which is one of the greatest action movies of all time, but still a solid sequel. And that new monster vampire design, holy shit sooooo great.
I'm always surprised by the amount of people who feel it's stronger, even far stronger, than the original. Rarely come across someone who outright hates it.
What rubbed you wrong about the Hellboy movies? I always thought they were a lot of fun, and def brought a level of care and depth to the characters that is seldom, if ever, seen in a comic book/superhero movie. The first is def bogged down by the inclusion of the human character, but outside of that, very solid.
Pacific Rim was a ton of fun, but Charlie Hunnam is an unbearably awful actor and the dialog did not help. I was very dissapointed to see Del Toro not even attempt to elevate the standard blockbuster popcorn flick at all, which is something i feel he DID accomplish with the HEllboy movies. How do you go from Hellboy, which again had very well written characters that a great deal of care went into, into the celebration of mediocrity that is Pacific Rim? Some of the cast, like Pearlman and Elba, knew what they had in front of em and knocked it out of the park delivering some delightfully intentionally hamfisted overblown performances, but others like the trash asian actress and Hunnam clearly are not on the level. It reminded me of Starship Troopers, where Clancy Brown and Ironside were AMAZING and EVERYONE else causes physical pain to witness the abomination that is their "acting" performances.
If Hannibal Chow was the focus, I would have fucking loved it. Def best character.
Cool to see Devils Backbone get some attention/love. Criminally underseen gem.
I would go...
Pans Labyynth
Devils Backbone
Shape of Water
Hellboy 2
Hellboy
Blade 2
Mimic - awesome creature design and some cool creepy bits, but overall i'm kind always left wanting more, always left thinking it could be a LOT better.
Cronos - kind of a tie betwene Mimic and Cronos honestly. Cronos has one of the most interesting and creative takes on vampires, but overall it too leaves me kinda wanting more. I think it def shows that it was Del Toros first film.
Crimson Peak - found it pretty damn "meh", and again, charlie hunnam, ugh