Pacific Rim

Giant robots fighting giant monsters from another dimension. Sounds like something from a terrible Japanese cartoon, right? Well in my modest opinion, this movie definitely did better than that…not that those are high expectations.

‘Pacific Rim’ spins an fantastical yarn, showing us that giant monsters, nicknamed ‘Kaiju’ invaded Earth, forcing mankind to unite against them to bring us the ‘Jagers’, giant man-made metal monstrosities with the soul purpose of killing Kaiju. The story centers around a single pilot (piloting a Jager it turns out, it a two person job) that has placed himself in somewhat of a self imposed exile, and is called upon to help mankind make its final stand against the growing threat of the Kaiju.

The look of this movie was, in a single word, dazzling. The graphic effects were incredibly well done, the robots looked fantastic and, being that you see different generations of robots, believable. Being a Guillermo del Toro movie, you expect some great monsters, and holy crap does he deliver. The Kaiju are a diverse and stunning collection of horrors from a mind that has to run rampant with the things that hide under the bed. I saw this in 3D, and there were a few sketchy moment in 3D, but all in all, the 3D was used as it should be, as a tool to enhance the depth of the field and not as the gimmick it was in the 70’s.

Acting was pretty decent in this movie. The show was definitely Idris Elba’s, demanding all of y=the attention of whatever scene he was in. Charlie Day was surprisingly good, even though he was used mostly as a comedic boxing glove whenever the story needed a good comedy punch. Another great performer in this movie was Rinko Kikuchi, this being her largest performance to date. Ron Pearlman of course makes an appearance, as he and del Toro are good friends.

The story in this film was decent, but I do have to admit I was hoping for a little more drama and story and a little less action. I liked what I saw, but there were some action sequences that are almost exhausting just watching because of the amount of force and devastation caused. Other than that small concern, wanting a little more exposition and detail in some areas, I really have nothing negative to say about the story.

Final Judgement:

This is what you want out of a summer action movie. There was a good story, amazing special effects, and even a little hint at romance mixed up in it. If you are looking for an action movie, buy tickets to this. If you are indifferent or prefer 3D, this is a 3D movie that won't kill your eyes, and this movie in IMAX is breath-taking. While it most likely won't win an award from the Academy, this is a movie that shouldn't disappoint.

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆