Pacific Rim

Unlike some, I had no problem with the high concept of the piece: Transformers vs Godzilla. It had a lot of potential. And when the movie concentrates on what we are all here to see (giant creatures and robots beating on each others with oil tankers and smashing through skyscrapers) it is very successful. But when things get quiet... less so. Too much time spent on "Top Gun" like fighter pilot shenanigans. Not enough nuance in the characterizations. An ultra linear plot with few attempts to confound expectations. The acting isn't bad - and isn't required to be great in this sort of film - but it is nothing special either. Sort of universally "meh". Good for a Blu Ray rental.

Sometimes when I sit down and watch a movie I just want to be swept away and be dazzled with both sight and sound. The movies don't have to be dramatically perfect just capable of blowing all my sensors.

Battleship and Pacific Rim are 2 of those movies.

Pacific Rim takes a cool concept for a story, Monsters vs Machines and entwines a human element (the pilots) to result in a really fun extravaganza. The movie is not deep but has enough story to piece together the fighting sequences.

Sit down, hit the lights, pump the volume, disengage brain and have a blast :)

PACIFIC RIM is Guillermo del Toro's tribute to the kaiju and Japanese sci-fi movies of his youth; you know, the ones involving giant monsters trashing cities and huge robots sent out to protect mankind. I had an inkling he wanted to make this movie after the giant plant creature in HELLBOY 2; well, now he has.

And this is a lot of fun, a decent popcorn flick for a change and a film that's well made enough to erase memories of the disappointing TRANSFORMERS movies. It's a great Hollywood tribute to Japanese cinema, filled with all of the wonderful effects and super-sized action that you'd hope for. Del Toro is one of those directors who hasn't made a bad film yet; you can always rely on him for entertainment.

Sure, the stuff with the human characters isn't as interesting as the giant stuff. But at least we get plenty of British actors in the cast (Burn Gorman, Idris Elba, Rob Kazinsky, Charlie Hunnam) which keeps it fresh and interesting. The CGI effects are excellent, as you'd expect, and while the storyline is very predictable, that's not the point. The point is to deliver huge bouts of destructive action, and that's what del Toro does. And it's a lot of fun.

"Pacific Rim" is a highly explosive, exhilarating, exuberant, energetic, and exciting hell of a ride. When I saw the trailers, I knew the action sequences would be massive in scale, but the film just blew me away because the scale was just incredibly enormous. Every action sequence in this film was just mind-blowing.

Unlike "Transformers", this movie has a real sensible plot. Giant monsters (known as Kaijus) are the extraterrestrial beings that are currently ravaging Earth. However, they don't come from above the atmosphere, instead they come from beneath us. A portal in the bottom of the ocean serves as the method of transport these Kaijus use to reach us. These Kaijus are arriving one by one, and as they do, they increase in size. They're so massive in size (I reckon they're bigger than Godzilla) and the amount of destruction they cause is just indescribable.

But the humans don't stand around doing nothing. They build their own monsters, gigantic robots known as Jaegars, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked by a neural bridge. This allows them to synchronize their movements. However, despite these mighty Jaegers, the seemingly bright future for the humans turn dim as they begin to lose the war against the Kaijus. All of this was clearly covered in the prologue, quickly but properly.

Now that seems like a basic plot, but I can tell you that there's actually more than that and the story is deeper than it looks from the outside. "Pacific Rim" provides sensible explanations for the phenomenons that occurred in the film. Now I'm not a genius or a scientist, but the explanation is logical.

The characters. Our protagonist is Raleigh Becket. He's had a bad time after his partner and older brother Yancy died in a battle against a Kaiju before. But he's recruited by Marshal Stacker Pentecost to pilot one of the four remaining Jaegers. His new partner is Mako Mori, a Japanese girl who wants to be a pilot to avenge the death of her family. Becket's and Mori's Jaeger is the American-made Gypsy Heart.

The cast behind the characters were great too. Charlie Hunnam was terrific as Raleigh. Idris Elba gave a commanding performance as Stacker. Rinko Kikuchi rocked as Mako Mori. The chemistry between Hunnam and Kikuchi was excellent too. But I have to give special credit to Ron Perlman (who previously played in del Toro's "Hellboy" films) as the black marketeer Hannibal Chau who makes a living by dealing with Kaiju organs. He has style and charisma. I also loved Burn Gorman and Charlie Day as Dr. Hermann Gottlieb and Dr. Newton Geizler, respectively. Their chemistry was absolutely perfect and these two were just amazing.

The visual effects were undoubtedly incredible. Everything was mind-blowing and the gigantic scale of the action sequences allows you to be fully immersed into the scene. And the sets were extremely magnificent and glorious. I did not feel any sense of boredom when I was watching this film. Even the drama scenes were enjoyable too. The scenes where explanations were uncovered were exciting too and the music is a prominent part of this.

Guillermo del Toro also did a great job in his directing because I gradually became supportive of the Jaegers and every time they fought, I rooted for them to win. I became immersed into the movie. Every time a Jaeger was in trouble, I was rooting for them to get back up and fight back again. I wanted them to smash the Kaijus to pieces.

"Pacific Rim" is just simply awesome. Now, it may not be for everyone, but if you love action, giant monsters, and giant robots, you'll definitely love this. Or if you're just trying to have some fun, watch this. It's got both brains and brawn.

Rating: 9/10

Final Verdict: "Pacific Rim" is an amazing and explosive ride that is plenty of fun to watch, accompanied with dazzling visuals and a coherent plot.

Pacific Rim really surprised me when it was first released in 2013. My initial thought was that this was just gunna end up being another movie about Colossal sized monsters similar to Cloverfield or Godzilla only with a Hollywood big budget and while it shares some similarities to Godzilla it does stand out on it's own with it's unique monsters and awsome robots plus with the movie being directed by Guillermo del Toro it has a unique style to it that only Guillermo del Toro can bring to a movie.

Pacific Rims story isn't a particularly complicated one but it's certainly got some interesting ideas. When the world is invaded by Colossal sized creatures known as Kaijus mankind bands together creating a defence against the Kaiju in the form of Colossal sized battle robots known as Jaegers each unique in style and armed to the teeth which are each piloted by two pilots who control the robot via neural interfaces the only problem is both pilots must be drift compatible meaning they have to be to link minds and create a stable neural link to be able to control the Jaeger during this both pilots share each other's memorys, feelings and thoughts. The Kaiju begin appearing faster than Jaegers can be assembled so with time running out before there are more Kaijus than Jaegers to fight them the last few remaining pilots prepare for a final assault on the portal the Kaijus are coming from.

The movie is like a mix between Godzilla and Power Rangers only a lot more adult and with much better effects. The Jaeger robots look amazing especially when fighting against the Kaiju monsters. There's plenty of cool action scenes which show the Kaiju monsters being shot, blown up, punched by robot rocket fists and even decapitations.

The characters are likable and interesting my favourite characters personally are the two mad scientists who dissect and study the Kaijus while they are meant to be the kind of comic relief of the movie they are very funny and likable both arguing over scientific theories and trying to prove each over wrong.

I highly recommend watching this movie if your a fan of movies that feature Colossal sized monsters crashing through city's while fighting with Colosal sized robots with swords, guns and rocket fists. This isn't a movie intended for kids in case your wondering this movie is definitely for a more mature audience even though the synopsis for the movie sounds like it was made for kids who watch Transformers cartoons.