5) del Toro Is One Of Very Few Auteurs Who Can Bring His Vision To Blockbusters
You probably can’t list all that many contemporary ‘name’ auteurs who happen to also work the blockbuster scene. Christopher Nolan is one, of course, while J.J. Abrams is arguably another (you also have the older generation types like Spielberg and Ridley Scott, though both now drift in and out of big projects and smaller-scale productions).
For the most part, though, true auteurs don’t deal in big budget popcorn cinema; it’s largely indistinct types like Colin Trevorrow, Jon Favreau or Alan Taylor handling your blockbuster movies nowadays.
Thankfully, we also have Guillermo del Toro calling the shots on big screen, big budget entertainment, the Mexican helmer being one of the few blockbuster filmmakers out there who manages to put his gleefully gothic stamp on everything he does.
It’s why Pacific Rim was such a cause for celebration when it was released two years ago, and why the current hiatus of Pacific Rim 2 has hardcore fans up in arms. With a del Toro blockbuster, audiences know what they’re getting – a mixture of great style and high entertainment, albeit done in a personal way.