Pacific Rim Review

Storyline

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes - a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) - who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse. Written by Del Torro

Review

I was drawn to this film with a bit of apprehension, based on the trailers and the thought of sitting through one more predictable Hollywood summer sci-fi blockbuster. It was Guillermo del Toro's previous work that got me over the threshold (Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth). What I got was a feast for the eyes and ears that draws from inspiration from virtually every popular international genre, from Hong Kong martial arts movies to Gothic horror and Japanese Anime and then adds the unique sensibilities of a director with a unique vision who knows how to bring it across in a BIG way. He knows how to stretch our credibility beyond the limits and make it work using a great cast of character actors adding to the strong chemistry between his three leads, Hunnam, Elba and Rinko Kikuchi (in a very strong performance).

Remember all those Japanese monster pictures where huge beasts come out of the sea and smash up Tokyo? Remember "Cloverfield?" (this movie explains that one) Roll all of these up with today's effects and Guillermo del Toro's weird design sensibility and then tell yourself, "Let's take this one TOTALLY over the top" and you've got "Pacific Rim." As an action flick, from the first shot it never stops or even slows down. The scenes with the little girl in Hong Kong (i think) are particularly chilling and uniquely part of del Toro's signature - (he understands children and terror). This film makes "The Avengers" look sedate.

Besides being an extremely entertaining, good old fashioned monster flick, "Pacific Rim" is a tribute to the strength of international cinema, involving artists and production teams from every part of the globe. I imagine this will be a HUGE international hit.