Moving beyond the thematics of Guillermo del Toro’s films, we come to the more obvious charms: the special effects. One of my greatest disappointments in recent years was the moment when del Toro left The Hobbit, leaving behind some designs and script choices, but no cohesive vision. What could he have done with orcs, goblins and elves, not to mention Smaug? We shall never know.
Del Toro’s films are universally spectacular in their special effects. Even his lesser entries as a producer contain sparks of creature brilliance. His films usually include a combination of make-up, puppetry, human performers – including the ever present Doug Jones, who played the Pale Man and the Faun in Pan’s Labyrinth, and Abe Sapien in the two Hellboy films – and CGI. Pacific Rim will be the first of del Toro’s films to be in 3D (post-converted) and certainly appears to be more CGI heavy even than the Hellboy films. But del Toro dedicates great time and energy to producing not just interesting characters but unique ones – creatures with personalities beneath the CGI and make-up, with physical characteristics we don’t see anywhere else. His films often remind me of the Jim Henson creatures in Labyrinth and the original Star Wars trilogy (back before George Lucas stuck in CGI Hutts) – strange and utterly unique in their own worlds.
In a time when CGI has become ubiquitous and spectacular things can be achieved via special effects, Guillermo del Toro has remained at the cutting edge. He rarely overuses technology, and always manages to make his characters come alive. These are not pixellated creatures made without a soul – they are the natural outcome of imagination.
