Charlie Hunnam gently criticizes ‘Pacific Rim’, doesn’t like a lot of CGI

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Charlie Hunnam says, in the middle of his video interview with Entertainment Weekly, that he spent a while chatting with EW on behalf of their King Arthur-preview cover story last week. I have to think that Charlie talked a lot about many different things, and I kind of wonder if EW is going to parcel out quotes for weeks. Like, they could devote entire stories to one single quote from Charlie… especially if that quote was about sex, women, or how he feels about being objectified so thoroughly. We’ve already heard his thoughts on Guy Ritchie and Fifty Shades of Grey (because he’s still talking about FSOG!). And now we’re getting Charlie’s thoughts on the Pacific Rim sequel which I didn’t even know was happening (it begins filming in a few months).

Making a technical-heavy film like Pacific Rim: “When it becomes very technical, those technical aspects create a rigidity to the process. Then all of the sudden, you have to find where your little place to fit into that process is, as opposed to the whole thing being about you.”

Monsters & CGI should be secondary: “I think world creation and monster creation and all of that stuff is exciting as a secondary element of storytelling. When it becomes more important than storytelling, I get very nervous, and you sort of lose me a little bit. Although we tried very hard on Pacific Rim to marry those two elements, I do feel like ultimately it got weighed heavier on the side of spectacle than storytelling.”

The sequel: “I hope that we are able to remedy that a little bit going into the second. Not to say I wasn’t proud of the film. I really liked it, and I felt like it delivered exactly what it was supposed to. But I do feel like we could have maybe plumbed the depths of the character and the storytelling a little bit more.”

[From EW]

One of my biggest peeves is when a movie star criticizes their own films. But I have to say, I don’t think that’s what Charlie is doing. I mean, yes, technically he is offering some gentle criticism about what kind of films he prefers to make, but I feel like he’s too polite to come out and say “Yeah, Pacific Rim was a mess.” I’ve seriously tried to watch Pacific Rim on HBO a few times and it’s just SO BAD. So, I don’t hate the assessment Charlie is giving.

Here’s the video from EW. While he’s perfectly cute here, I think I like him better when he’s not speaking. Is that weird?

Photos courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

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47 Responses to “Charlie Hunnam gently criticizes ‘Pacific Rim’, doesn’t like a lot of CGI”

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  1. lila fowler says:

    But how does he feel about 50 Shades of Grey? I don’t think we’ve heard his thoughts.

    • Mia4S says:

      LOL! A+

      Maybe someone should ask him! 😉

    • kennedy says:

      I really wish he would just go all grumpy cat on them and tell them to stop asking him about it. He never brings it up but for whatever reason EW ALWAYS asks him about it. In every friggin’ interview. Dude did not walk away from Raging Bull or Citizen Kane. He spotted a craptastic career decision and backed out. Stop asking him about it!!!!

  2. Josefa says:

    Pacific Rim was fun and unpretentious. I don’t get the hate.

    • Frosty says:

      +! I really enjoyed Pacific Rim, fun popcorn movie.

    • doofus says:

      I didn’t hate it either, but I didn’t have to see it more than once…

      …and the BF has to watch it EVERY time it’s on. I say “THIS again?!” and his response (always) is “it’s monsters fighting robots…what’s not to like?”

      he’s such a GUY sometimes… 😉

    • amilue says:

      Pacific Rim was awesome! Such a fun popcorn movie. I loved the score, too. Any time I hear that main theme, it gets stuck in my head for days.

  3. Valerie M. says:

    It’s bad, a trainwreck, and above all: BORING AS HELL! I watched at the theater back in its release, and i couldn’t stop checking the hours and thinking: “damn, all these damn silly robots, kill them all, I wanna go home!”.

    Can’t believe the’re making a sequel, the first one was a flop.

  4. Becks says:

    Gimme more Charlie!!!
    😍

  5. kennedy says:

    To be fair, Charlie isn’t still talking about FSOG – he’s STILL being asked about it. For whatever reason, EW ALWAYS asks him about it and dude is just too nice and polite to tell them to STFU. I wish he would – it’s over and done with and I hate to think that people associate him with that BS. I like what he had to say about Pac Rim – it was way too effects driven and didn’t have much of a story. If it were any other writer/director than Del Toro, I would say that he is asking for too much but considering Del Toro is actually a great writer and can create a whimsical world with his storytelling, I expected much more and I’m glad Charlie did too.

    Also, this man is just too hot. He can speak, keep his mouth closed, smell like poo – and I would still hit it in every direction humanly possible.

    • meme says:

      I love him. He is perfect. Charlie is a GOD among men. And I would do absolutely anything he wanted me to do. *swoons*

      • jaye says:

        His accent! I die…

      • kennedy says:

        Get in line, girlfriend! As Jax, I loved him but I also HATED how he treated Tara sometimes. But I also loved just how deeply they loved each other and only each other – even though they hurt each other quite a bit. But as Charlie, he’s just flat out perfect. He has been pretty outspoken about the sexism and infidelity in the SOA world and how he was raised with a strong sense of treating women well and being very faithful. His girlfriend is one lucky chick.

        And don’t even get me started on that A+ a$$….

  6. MonicaQ says:

    I loved the movie, own all the figures, own the comic books, the blue ray, am even working on my own Gypsy Danger cosplay that’ll take a year. Yes I am 12. I make no apologies.

    • Masha says:

      I loved it too, and I thought it was better than a lot of action movies that have been put out recently.

  7. Kiddo says:

    Okay, I know this is weird, but it’s REALLY bothering me that the make-up crew created the same exact scar, with no deviations, on two separate locations on his arms. Are there scar templates?

    Aside, Pacific rim, sounds like a sex act, just sayin’.

    • Zapp Brannigan says:

      A sex act? Get your freak on Kiddo!

    • Lilacflowers says:

      It bothered me too

    • doofus says:

      yer a dirty birdie, Kiddo.

      can I come sit next to you?…

    • elle says:

      I know! I snerk every time I hear it.

      And imagine my inner 14-year-old boy when a game called “cornhole” starting becoming popular several years back. I first saw it in a magazine ad for a CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT. I thought, “They can advertise THAT?”

    • Algernon says:

      @ Kiddo

      Yes, actually, there are “scar templates.” Prosthetic makeup artists create what’s basically a jello mold that they can fill with whatever mix they’re using to create the fake tissue, and then they can “stamp out” a bunch of prosthetics because, especially in action sequences, actors usually sweat off the adhesive and have to reapply throughout the day. Also the stunt double(s) will need the exact same prosthetics, and will have the same reapplication situation, so the makeup artists usually produce sets of prosthetics they can just store and pull out as needed. As for it being the same exact scar in two places on Charlie, that’s either a touch of laziness (just create more of the same scar and use in various places), or his character was maybe struck by the same weapon multiple times.

  8. Mia4S says:

    Ironically he may get his wish! They’ve reportedly slashed the budget for the sequel.

  9. ell says:

    “i like him better when he’s not speaking” lmao, I believe that could be said of many men.

  10. bns says:

    Beautiful prince.

  11. Marty says:

    I still can’t over this photo shoot, like daaaaaamn.

  12. M.A.F. says:

    When I watched that clip the other day I got David Beckham vibes. So good looking until he opens his mouth, the pitch was high to me. But I don’t remember Hunnam’s voice being like that.

  13. yogapants says:

    Contrary to what most folks seem to feel, I found Pacific Rim to be a great blend of storytelling and thrills. The film devotes plenty of time to explore human relationships (between father and son; father figure and daughter; between young man and woman falling in love). The young woman in the film is awesome–smart, strong, and not the typical Hollywood blonde to boot. As soon as I saw it, I knew my son would love it too, which gave it another star in my book. It’s one of the few recent films that I purchased. Have now seen it about 5 times. Seriously.

  14. sarah says:

    Probably would’ve been better to criticize his own acting in that. He was truly awful, the absolute worst thing about that movie.

    • kennedy says:

      He was by no means great but every actor was horrible in that movie. If Idris Elba comes off looking less than good in the acting department, something is seriously up.

      Charlie is quite talented – I was very impressed at his range in the final season of SOA. He was tremendous in the last three episodes. And I quite liked him in Undeclared and his other film roles.

    • amilue says:

      He was ok in Pacific Rim, but I think I might be one of the only females following this blog who doesn’t think he’s all that. Blond facial hair kind of creeps me out.

      I’ll gladly take Rob Kazinsky, Idris, and Charlie Day instead, please and thank you!

  15. bleu_moon says:

    My 10 YO was having a sleepover with his buddies and they desperately wanted to watch “Pacific Rim,” but it’s PG-13. So I took one for the team and previewed it first. (Violence is mostly sci-fi/fantasy with no gore. One fight between 2 human characters and several curse words- but nothing my son hasn’t heard…from his mother. )

    So it is what it is- an homage to old Japanese monster movies like Godzilla. It’s not high art and honestly, I don’t think the movie’s main demographic gave a damn about character development. SPOILER: At the end the boys were yelling “Ew! Don’t kiss! Don’t kiss!” It’s an excuse to watch robots fight monsters. Definitely NOT something I would watch of my own accord, but it’s now my son’s favorite movie.

  16. Nicolette says:

    There’s way to much CGI in films now. Wish they would make films like they used to with less attention paid to effects and much more on the story. If you have a great story with really good actors you don’t need all the smoke and mirrors, you can just become engrossed in the film which is what movie going is supposed to be about.

  17. Bea says:

    Why is this budget Brad Pitt complaining all the time?! Dude you look like a chubby cheeked squirrel without your beard, maybe be grateful for a second.

  18. browniecakes says:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q15lX0jXQ9k
    Charlie imitates GDT’s accent for this funny recollection of working on Pacific Rim. I love this interview.

  19. x23jf says:

    I love Pacific Rim! What’s wrong with you? 🙂

    It’s a super great blend of epic music, really well done monster CGI, a male lead that subverts a lot of the strong/gruff/damaged male-hero type, and a woc lead who has a story arc independent from any man or romance. And Idris Elba. Like. It may be the perfect movie.

  20. Melly M says:

    I’m a little jealous of the people working on the “King Arthur” set.

  21. Tig says:

    Saw a theatrical trailer for Crimson Peak last night- he’s barely in it. Thought that was a bit odd, as he’s one of the “names”. But, good Golly, Jessica Chastain- who did her hair/costume? She looks exactly like Frau Bender (the Cloris Leechman character) from Young Frankenstein. The folks I was with cracked up on that one.

  22. kimbers says:

    I just wanted to scream

    I hate cgi!!!!! It doesnt look good half the time! It looks fake and cheesy

  23. Sara says:

    He was speaking??