Pacific Rim
I have to start by confessing that I was against this film from day zero and that I am a rather harsh movie critic even by my own standards. I generally have a hard time with big budget summer popcorn movies altogether. However, if you were able to drift into my mind last night as I watched Pacific Rim the experience may have been something like “oh-my-god-this-is-so-rediculously-awesome-I-can’t-believe-that-huge-robot-just-smashed-his-face-with-wait-are-those-wings-and- is-that-a-sword?!?”
Overall I was very impressed with the movie. In my mind this is basically Guillermo del Toro’s vision of a live-action westernized anime. The movie starts out taking itself very seriously, which could be hard for some to take when dealing with giant robots (Jaegers) fighting huge monsters (Kaiju). I would have enjoyed if that serious tone carried on through the rest of the film, but we are then introduced to some pretty eccentric characters along the way that in turn infuse more of an anime-style feel to the story. That could have been a deal breaker for me as I tend to gravitate away from over the top characters in a live action setting, but once I reminded myself of the subject matter and retrofitted the movie into the anime archetypes established in my head (Neon Genesis Evangelion) I was pulled back in.
I absolutely loved the visual effects. The Jaegers are enormous and like the Kaiju vary drastically in design from one to the next. I liked seeing all the gears and intricate parts of the Jaegers in motion just as much as watching the next monstrous creature emerging from deep in the Pacific. Had Jaws not been successful at keeping me out of the water as a kid, this movie would been more than happy to invoke that fear. The destruction caused by the visceral combat is all gloriously rendered. The locations are fantastic and everything down to the pilots suits exude a sleek sci-fi design. I want a Kaiju skeleton boat base just as much as the next black market dealer.
While Pacific Rim is not out to reinvent the wheel as far as story is concerned, it is in its own right a pretty fantastic take on humanity’s last stand against overwhelming odds. I was invested in the fight the whole time. I really enjoyed the entire cast, eccentricities and all, and particularly enjoyed Idris Elba’s performance as Stacker Pentecost. I thought Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) had great chemistry and made me really feel for their characters. The Jaegers themselves take on personalities of their own and add a certain charm to the chaos. I could really feel the weight of their movements and the impact of their punches. There were times when I would cheer and clap or just silently smirk along with the rest of the theater when Gipsy Danger would tread his way onto the screen. He was there to fight and I had…well pretty good seats anyway. His theme music has been stuck in my head all day!
There aren’t many spoilers to give away, but I still think you’ll find enough variety in the story and a few twists along the way to keep you invested. Make sure to stay for the credits!
Minus a few quirky moments and my initial reluctance to accept some characters, I give Pacific Rim 4 out of 5 Kaijus.
Thanks for reading,
Dan
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