SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

THE DESIGN SCHOOL

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

NAME: Kiraly Anthony Adrian Renaud

STUDENT ID NO: 0320322

FILMS SELECTED: Transformers and Pacific Rim

WORD COUNT: 888 words

ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY

LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION DATE: APRIL 8th , 2015

Pre writing

Movies are a great way of passing time instead of reading books for those who are on the clock. There are different types of genres that give the movie viewer a substantial range into what type of movie it is. There are many movies that share the same qualities such as Transformers and Pacific Rim but also contain many differences. I shall explain these differences. Coincidentally both of these motion pictures are of the science fiction genre. Transformers is about a race of robot aliens who are divide into two factions. These are the auto bots which are the ones fighting to protect humanity and the decepticons who are willing to destroy planet “Earth” for personal gain whereas Pacific Rim we discover humanity is also under the threat of tower sized monstrous sea creatures. In the ensuing battle man has invented gigantic mechs to combat the threat presented before them. In transformers a young man named Sam Witwicky from modest beginnings is thrust unknowingly into a world of danger and uncertainty. He understands that the life he once knew will never be the same again and accepts his fate and helps defend the world from rampaging decepticons. On the other hand we have Rayleigh Becker played by Charlie Hunman who is a cocky and stubborn pilot of a nuclear powered ‘jaager’ which means hunter in German alongside his older brother. After witnessing the tragic death of his sibling he decides to live as a loner. He disguises himself in an attempt to blend in with his surroundings. In the end his life as a hermit is short lived as he is called to arms one last time to fend off the monsters.

Transformers versus Pacific Rim

Nowadays novels and comics are being made into motion pictures. This is an alternative to reading great classics such as “the great Gatsby” whereby the content of the books are spread for about an hour and a half to two hours long in the movies. Although it’s content can be altered to make the movie look more interesting or some of its content left out so it does not drag out because not everyone wants to sit in front of a television watching a three hour long movie. Movies are defined by their genres. And the one which I find more interesting is science-fiction or sci-fi for short. Therefore the two movies which I contrasted fall under this category. They are Transformers and Pacific Rim. These movies have revolutionized the viewer’s experience towards epic CGI based movies. The genre, the insanely adept production, the setting of the storylines, the development of the protagonist throughout the film are some of the points worth mentioning.

Science-fiction or sci-fi is the best genre for individuals who have futuristic minds. It is a genre of fiction in which the elements of science and technology of the future are given. This genre dwells in a realm or other dimension different from our own where situations are created from present day and the known past that are not the same. As we see from the movies mentioned earlier where mainly aliens emerge into a plane of existence.

The production of both movies exceeded expectations and were huge successes in their own ways. The Transformers movie budget was estimated at one hundred and ninety five million dollars, a year to film and eight months to make the CGI portions with a record of five hundred and thirty cars destroyed. On the contrary Pacific Rim racked up an estimated one hundred and ninety million dollars for its budget, one year and three months of filming excluding the CGI and the sum total of 900 vehicles destroyed. Sacrifices were made to make these movies shine but with a budget in the one to two hundred range it was well worth it.

Also scenes had to portray the story in sequence and balance. Transformers is set in present day America. Two factions of alien robots have come to planet “Earth” seeking a powerful device that gives life to technology, the “all spark”. After being thawed out of a block of ice, “Megatron” leader of the decepticons, the antagonist desires nothing more than to eradicate

the humans who stands up against him and eventually all of mankind. But he is opposed by an old enemy “Optimus Prime”, leader of the auto-bots and the human Sam Witwicky, the protagonist. Their mission is to stop Megatron or else the entire universe will be in peril. On the hand Pacific Rim shows the world being invaded by 25 foot monsters that appeared through a rift in space and time in the Pacific Ocean. To oppose this threat two man teams piloting massive robots called “jaagers” which is German for hunter. Unfortunately the monsters are growing in size and are overpowering the hunters. But the human spirit is a formidable force and they come up with a plan to save humanity.

Finally the evolution of the characters throughout the movies was amazing. As the battle for the all spark ensues Sam Witwicky a young adolescent man from an eccentric family who is fairly intelligent as shown from his witty comebacks must balance his social life, family life and saving the world. This would be enough to drive any sane person crazy. He is unknowingly thrust into a world of constant danger and uncertainty but in the end comes out stronger and more of a goof but in a good way. Then there is Rayleigh Becker played by Charlie Hunman. His character portrays a stubborn, cocky pilot of a nuclear powered “jaager” called “GYPSY DANGER” alongside his brother. After the demise of his older brother at the fangs of the monsters his character seeks solitude and peace of mind. The death of his brother still weighing in his heart. But this is short lived after a new threat presents itself. Now seemingly more mature, humble and taking less unnecessary risks he ends up sacrificing everything and becomes the hero his late brother believed him to be.

To conclude science fiction movies are a great source of entertainment and for those looking for some sort of escape from their everyday routine especially people interested in technology but not to be confused with fantasy. But always in moderation as too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. That being said for those who are fan boys I would recommend watching these two movies because any movie with a budget that goes above and beyond has to be a worthwhile, the story was really well told and all scenes played out in harmony and the characters themselves were really a treat to see how they developed as human beings and individuals.

References

-www.readwritethink,. (2015). Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson927/SciFiDefinition.pdf

- Bay, M., Orci, R., Kurtzman, A., LaBeouf, S., Fox, M., & Duhamel, J. (2015). Transformers (2007). IMDb. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/

- Rim, P., Toro, G., Beacham, T., Toro, G., Elba, I., Hunnam, C., & Kikuchi, R. (2015). Pacific Rim (2013). IMDb. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663662/?ref_=rvi_tt