I usually don't watch action films. They just aren't my sort of thing. However, my daughter insisted that I watch "Pacific Rim" and I was feeling absolutely horrible when I watched the film, as I had just gone through some painful surgery that morning. So, to take my mind off my aches, I gave it a try. And, thankfully, it turned out to be exactly the sort of tonic I needed--entertaining and crazy fun. While I didn't see it in the theater (the best way to see this type of movie), I did see it on a very large screen at home and watching it on a small screen is practically a waste of time. For once, I loved that a film has eye- popping visuals, explosions and action--and it manages to deliver an entertaining experience without leaving you feeling dumb for having enjoyed it--a problem too often associated with movie of this style. Well worth your time.
1,346 Reviews
The drift is strong with this one
Darkside-Reviewer22 July 2020
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.
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.
You Have To Be In The Mood!
damianphelps28 February 2021
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 :)
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 :)
Cliché'd, but entertaining
alr12627 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
While watching this movie, I was reminded of a couple of films and TV shows from my youth, first was any of the original Godzilla films, the second, a TV show Ultra Man. The FX were way better here, but, it just made me think of them. I found the film entertaining, no Oscar winner, but, it was good. Some parts kept you on the edge of your seat, of course, rooting for the good guys.
I also had to think that mankind would have or could have thought of a better defense/offense weapon than giant robots. To bring a fight into the city would have cost trillions of dollars, perhaps Quadrillions of dollars. Okay, I'm reading way to much into it. Watch the movie, you will enjoy it.
I also had to think that mankind would have or could have thought of a better defense/offense weapon than giant robots. To bring a fight into the city would have cost trillions of dollars, perhaps Quadrillions of dollars. Okay, I'm reading way to much into it. Watch the movie, you will enjoy it.
Fun popcorn flick from a reliable director
Leofwine_draca29 July 2014
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.
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.
It's certainly not clever, but it is fun.
drummer30310 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
To all the reviewers who gave this movie low ratings, I can only say this; What did you expect to see? Did you watch this expecting to see something deep and meaningful? The trailers and posters make it perfectly clear what kind of movie this is going to be. Heavy CGI, regular Hollywood 'save the planet' storyline re-run. Young eye candy super hot actors. You know the score. If you want to see something clever, this is not it and it was never going to be.
Question is, does it do the job it sets out to do? I think it does rather well, yeah OK, it's cheesy as hell and you know how it's going to end before it starts, ( the world will be saved right? ) considering it's being told in retrospect the clue to the inevitable ending is there in the first 10 seconds of the movie.
I liked the mind meld idea of the 2 pilots, and I thought they covered most bases explaining the technology behind the enormous robots (Jaegers) pretty well. It does have a few technical plot holes here and there, but the film does have a 'let's just get on with it' kind of feel. The alien creatures (Kaiju) are great and the robot v monster battles are superb. Towards the end the pace picks right up and the story starts to fall apart a bit, but by that point who cares? In general Pacific Rim is a fast paced, slick looking piece of techno-action that most Sci-Fi fans will enjoy. It's big, loud, dumb and very pretty, largely due to Guillermo Del Toro being at the helm.
It's Sunday afternoon on the sofa material I think. I know these kind of films are 'designed' for the big screen, but honestly I prefer them at home most of the time. Unless of course, you like feeling as though you are sitting the middle of a continuous explosion for and hour and half.
Question is, does it do the job it sets out to do? I think it does rather well, yeah OK, it's cheesy as hell and you know how it's going to end before it starts, ( the world will be saved right? ) considering it's being told in retrospect the clue to the inevitable ending is there in the first 10 seconds of the movie.
I liked the mind meld idea of the 2 pilots, and I thought they covered most bases explaining the technology behind the enormous robots (Jaegers) pretty well. It does have a few technical plot holes here and there, but the film does have a 'let's just get on with it' kind of feel. The alien creatures (Kaiju) are great and the robot v monster battles are superb. Towards the end the pace picks right up and the story starts to fall apart a bit, but by that point who cares? In general Pacific Rim is a fast paced, slick looking piece of techno-action that most Sci-Fi fans will enjoy. It's big, loud, dumb and very pretty, largely due to Guillermo Del Toro being at the helm.
It's Sunday afternoon on the sofa material I think. I know these kind of films are 'designed' for the big screen, but honestly I prefer them at home most of the time. Unless of course, you like feeling as though you are sitting the middle of a continuous explosion for and hour and half.
Epic in every proportion
thekarmicnomad24 November 2013
This film starts of with a monologue that explains in twenty seconds how big monsters start appearing from the sea and destroying everything. The only defence against them is to kick their heads in with massive robots. Cool! Starting so quickly out the blocks I expected this to be a fast paced action movie.
It really isn't. About every film element ever used, runs its course before the inevitable big battle. You get a fall from grace, a rivalry, a training period, a love story, forgiveness, reconciliation, etc. etc.
The battle sequences are epic, the monsters and robots are amazing, Kids especially will love them, and the action goes on and on.
The dialogue is cheesier and hammier than a 60 foot pizza monsters, and coupled with the extended scope of this film can make watching it gruelling if you are not instantly gripped.
This will keep any kids gripped for hours (nearly three of them) but if sci-fi isn't your thing get comfy and bring a pillow.
It really isn't. About every film element ever used, runs its course before the inevitable big battle. You get a fall from grace, a rivalry, a training period, a love story, forgiveness, reconciliation, etc. etc.
The battle sequences are epic, the monsters and robots are amazing, Kids especially will love them, and the action goes on and on.
The dialogue is cheesier and hammier than a 60 foot pizza monsters, and coupled with the extended scope of this film can make watching it gruelling if you are not instantly gripped.
This will keep any kids gripped for hours (nearly three of them) but if sci-fi isn't your thing get comfy and bring a pillow.
Robots, Monsters, and a lot of heart and soul and creative design
Quinoa19848 November 2014
It was a curious thing being on line for certain Hollywood programmers in summer 2013, mediocre stuff like 2 Guns or White House Down that neither impressed nor offended too much, and then the split in hearing some other folks talking about Pacific Rim and how awful it looked.
Perhaps I came to it with a small chip on the shoulder – this is THE Guillermo mother-flipping del Toro, after all, a man who has created dark, supremely designed imaginations with Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies, and here he is getting to take on stuff he loves in a completely B-movie landscape: gnarly monsters, giant robots, comic-book stakes, and action with some substance. And Pacific Rim, for what it set out to accomplish as a sensational blockbuster, reached its aims for what I wanted. When taken in total, it may not have much more or less action than a Man of Steel, but it is much smarter, or just more creative and skilled and knowing of its audience, in layering out its action set pieces, and even in the broad strokes it takes as, basically, a B-level Saturday matinée flick. Del Toro cares about these characters, or at least tries to, deep down, and can show some of that like with the Asian pilot Mako Maori.
Is any of this deep? I'm still not sure. Does it need to be an artistic meditation on the cancelling of the apocalypse? Maybe another watch or two of five - because there will always be a part of me that can keep a hold on to an inner 13 year old - will bring that into focus. And aside from the monsters-and-robot work, which contains such good sights to behold, weight and depth to the designs, and the know-how to pace the action and to let us see it – in 2D, anyway, I didn't bother with 3D so I can't speak to that experience – there's some just good fun dialog (Charlie Day! Ron Perlman!!) and a sense that, 'Yes, this is a Godzilla experience, but we can still make it EXCITING'. So much of what I wanted this summer and only got in smaller doses (look at the end of the article for a bit on that) was in full-bloom in this production, which had a 190 million budget and the money looked like it was up on the screen, and not just in the CG but in the big sets and technology, and a story told by a Big Kid that would only hope the rest of the audience can genuinely feel like Big Kids if they aren't young already.
In other words, the director accomplished what Michael Bay has, over and over again, failed to do: inspire wonder, and put some basic thought into the process itself, in story and craft, and without a large dollop of cynicism.
Perhaps I came to it with a small chip on the shoulder – this is THE Guillermo mother-flipping del Toro, after all, a man who has created dark, supremely designed imaginations with Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies, and here he is getting to take on stuff he loves in a completely B-movie landscape: gnarly monsters, giant robots, comic-book stakes, and action with some substance. And Pacific Rim, for what it set out to accomplish as a sensational blockbuster, reached its aims for what I wanted. When taken in total, it may not have much more or less action than a Man of Steel, but it is much smarter, or just more creative and skilled and knowing of its audience, in layering out its action set pieces, and even in the broad strokes it takes as, basically, a B-level Saturday matinée flick. Del Toro cares about these characters, or at least tries to, deep down, and can show some of that like with the Asian pilot Mako Maori.
Is any of this deep? I'm still not sure. Does it need to be an artistic meditation on the cancelling of the apocalypse? Maybe another watch or two of five - because there will always be a part of me that can keep a hold on to an inner 13 year old - will bring that into focus. And aside from the monsters-and-robot work, which contains such good sights to behold, weight and depth to the designs, and the know-how to pace the action and to let us see it – in 2D, anyway, I didn't bother with 3D so I can't speak to that experience – there's some just good fun dialog (Charlie Day! Ron Perlman!!) and a sense that, 'Yes, this is a Godzilla experience, but we can still make it EXCITING'. So much of what I wanted this summer and only got in smaller doses (look at the end of the article for a bit on that) was in full-bloom in this production, which had a 190 million budget and the money looked like it was up on the screen, and not just in the CG but in the big sets and technology, and a story told by a Big Kid that would only hope the rest of the audience can genuinely feel like Big Kids if they aren't young already.
In other words, the director accomplished what Michael Bay has, over and over again, failed to do: inspire wonder, and put some basic thought into the process itself, in story and craft, and without a large dollop of cynicism.
My all time favourite
kapurkimaya30 April 2020
A Kaiju flick to end all Kaiju flicks
JPfanatic9323 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Guillermo Del Toro's epic homage to the Japanese 'Kaiĵu' movies, produced on a bigger budget than all such giant monster movies of the last fifty years combined. Del Toro obviously has a great love and respect for the genre, resulting in a very catchy action flick, undoubtedly the best American counterpart to its Japanese predecessors. One might almost say Hollywood has redeemed itself for the 1998 version of Godzilla, but such a statement had better be held back for another year, until the next American reboot of Godzilla hits theatres in 2014. In the meantime, Pacific Rim works well as an appetizer to the big G's resurrection. An extra-dimensional rift opens on the bottom of the Pacific and huge beasts come pouring out, wreaking havoc on mankind as they lay waste to cities and obliterate our armed forces. Humanity quickly sets aside its internal differences and joins forces in creating big robots to fight the creatures on their own terms. Piloted by a pair of human Avatars, these so-called 'Jaëgers' effectively combat the beasts, but the life of a Jaëger pilot as Del Toro reveals is filled with personal loss. When the monsters emerge ever more rapidly from the Breach, as it is named, Jaëger command develops an intricate and dangerous plan to halt the Kaiĵu threat once and for all. Del Toro briefly explores the history of the first Kaiĵu assaults and the development of their robotic antagonists and afterwards spends more time getting us invested in the human characters than is usual for this type of film. It does make the movie feel like its dragging its feet for a while, until he unleashes the action the audience craves with a vengeance, resulting in over an hour of nigh endless monster bashing. Unfortunately he cannot help but inserting a few characters that are supposed to deliver some much needed comic relief to make sure we don't take it all too seriously, but sadly these characters – stereotypical geeky scientists as ever we've seen them – are so mind-boggingly annoying (Charlie Day particularly) they make you wish for a Kaiĵu to step on them to end their endless whining. Del Toro's talents are better suited in delving deeper into a world where Kaiĵus are not only a threat to world peace but also big business: toy companies produce action figures of them, creepy cults worship them and in Hong Kong, a 'Bone Town' is established, a black market for Kaiĵu products for shady purposes, similar to the disgusting existing South-East Asian trade in animal parts. Run by Ron Perlman (always a joy when paired with Del Toro), some of the funniest, wittiest and anatomically most unsettling scenes take place here. Though the dealings and the history of the Jaëgers are fleshed out to the fullest, their enormous alien adversaries, ever the most important ingredient in a Kaiĵu film, do remain somewhat underexposed by comparison. Unfortunately their motivations – they're really foot soldiers out to cause as much damage to mankind as possible, in order to pave the way for an invasion from their (smaller) intelligent overlords – remind us of the recent Shyamalan flop After Earth, a movie we'd rather forget entirely. Usually, Kaiĵu are more antiheroes than full-out villains, but Del Toro opts to keep them a simple threat to be wiped out instead of imbuing them with a more sympathetic character like their forebears Gojira, Gorgo and Rodan, who were always the victim of human (nuclear) folly, transforming them into avenging gods to remind us of our place in the world. The movie is dedicated to Ray Harryhausen and Ishiro Honda, two people who only too well understood the need to layer their creatures and make them charm you so you feel more for them, but in this instance, Del Toro decided not to go with such wisdom. As a result, Pacific Rim at best is a highly likable action flick, but not necessarily an apt lesson for western audiences into the true nature of the Kaiĵu genre. Then again, there's only so much you can do with the notion of giant robots bashing giant monsters. Let's say Guillermo gets as much out of that premise as we could hope for.
Enjoyable monster movie that doesn't pretend to be anything else
bob the moo3 November 2013
Part of the reason I have started completely sitting out the summer blockbuster season is that I just got fed up going to crowded noisy cinemas to be disappointed by films that promised much but deliver just basic effects and little else. With Pacific Rim though, it is hard to feel this way because it is a film that has never pretended to be anything other than a Japanese inspired monster movie where big robots hit big aliens in a way that pretty much never makes much sense when you think about it. The plot is explained very quickly at the start of the film and we then jump into the future where the war we just learned about is reaching a peak. From here we have some doubt, some lessons to learn, barriers to overcome but really what we have are big special effects punching each other. And it works.
It is easy to wring one's hands and say that blockbusters are the death of film, but all things have a place as long as they are done well and this is at least an honest and fun film. I say honest because it has no pretension to it – it is plain and simple a monster movie with a very big budget behind it. The effects are good, with good monster design and generally a sense of fun and energy to the deliver. Of course it is just effects hitting other effects but it works for what it is and at least does this well – unlike other films that would aspire to more but yet can't even do this with any skill. The action sequences are large and fun throughout and the soapy drama doesn't get in the way at all. The film is loaded with references which I mostly got – the voice of GLaDOS being my favorite one.
The cast are not particularly famous but it doesn't matter since the effects are the stars here. That said I thought they did a good job, in particular I enjoyed seeing Elba, Day, Collins, Kikuchi and others in their various roles. Del Toro continues his love of all things geeky with this film and in terms of direction it looks good, with plenty going on but never not being clear and engaging.
It isn't a brilliant film by any means but it is a straightforward one that is honest with the viewer. Robots punching monsters – that is all that is promised and on that it very much delivers. If this sounds like your thing then this will hit the spot no problem.
It is easy to wring one's hands and say that blockbusters are the death of film, but all things have a place as long as they are done well and this is at least an honest and fun film. I say honest because it has no pretension to it – it is plain and simple a monster movie with a very big budget behind it. The effects are good, with good monster design and generally a sense of fun and energy to the deliver. Of course it is just effects hitting other effects but it works for what it is and at least does this well – unlike other films that would aspire to more but yet can't even do this with any skill. The action sequences are large and fun throughout and the soapy drama doesn't get in the way at all. The film is loaded with references which I mostly got – the voice of GLaDOS being my favorite one.
The cast are not particularly famous but it doesn't matter since the effects are the stars here. That said I thought they did a good job, in particular I enjoyed seeing Elba, Day, Collins, Kikuchi and others in their various roles. Del Toro continues his love of all things geeky with this film and in terms of direction it looks good, with plenty going on but never not being clear and engaging.
It isn't a brilliant film by any means but it is a straightforward one that is honest with the viewer. Robots punching monsters – that is all that is promised and on that it very much delivers. If this sounds like your thing then this will hit the spot no problem.
Every bit as jaw-droppingly awesome as this clash of the titan robots versus monsters promises to be, but clunky in every other aspect that's not about spectacle
moviexclusive10 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
As far as summer blockbusters go, 'Pacific Rim' has probably the most unabashedly uncomplicated premise - giant robots versus giant monsters. How much you enjoy Guillermo del Toro's robot-monster smackdown ultimately depends on whether you expect the movie to be any more than that. If you did, then you're probably going to walk away disappointed at how simplistic this apocalyptic spectacle will turn out to be; but if you're satisfied simply with watching huge-ass monsters and robots go up against each other, then you will enjoy every bit of this epic (and yes we do mean it literally).
Indeed, the draw of del Toro's monster of a movie has always been to witness the monumental series of battles between massive lizard-like monsters (referred to in the movie by the Japanese word 'Kaiju' as a tribute to the science fiction films from the country which featured such giant beasts, e.g. Godzilla) and 25-story high robots (known as Jaegers, or 'hunters' in German) operated by humans. And in this regard, let us assure you that nothing in your expectation will prepare you for what del Toro has managed to accomplish on screen - not even comparing it to a 'Godzilla' meets 'Transformers' movie does it any justice.
Let's start with the basics. First and foremost, the action is shot cleanly, meaning none of them shaky-cams nor extreme close-ups that diminish the scale on which it is unfolding. It is also coherent - thanks to some impressive work from del Toro regular Guillermo Navarro as cinematographer and John Gilroy and Peter Amundson as editors - rather than just a mashup of scenes that don't flow well into one another. We'll add one more before we start gushing - it is also beautifully choreographed, with just the right mix of medium and wide shots to place you right into the heart of the action.
If that description above seems too clinical, then how about this - these setpieces are superb; in fact, they are worthy of every superlative that you can think of. Working on a gargantuan scale, del Toro executes the action with magnificence, whether the fleeting shots of the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning or the more detailed sequences in the middle and at the end - in particular, a simply jaw-dropping one begins at sea just off the waters of Hong Kong and then continues seamlessly inland where both the port and the very city centre gets decimated by two Jaegers battling two Category 4 Kaijus.
It isn't just about how colossal it gets; it is also the sheer mesmerising quality of the images, starting from the amazing level of detail of the Jaegers and the Kaijus. Even though it seems to be raining a little too conveniently every time one of these battles happens out at sea, there's no denying just how real and majestic each of them feels. On the other hand, the cityscapes are arresting in their neon hues, and the combination of the futuristic look with which del Toro paints these familiar cities with the bioluminescent appendages and venom of the Kaijus make for a particularly appealing visual palette.
Now that we've finished with the savoury bits, it is only fair that we get to the (ahem) less than wieldy parts, which is in actual fact just about everything else we have yet to talk about. At first, the science- fiction mythology sounds rather intriguing - instead of coming from the skies, the threat to our planet came from a rift deep within the Pacific Ocean, a portal through which the Kaijus emerged and necessitated an equally massive response in the form of the Jaegers. Ditto the functioning of the Jaegers, which given their size, have to be operated by two pilots who sync up their minds via the neural handshake, otherwise known as the "drift".
But del Toro and his fellow screenwriter Travis Beacham (who is also credited with this original story) uses these elements too mechanically. The rift is no more than an excuse for an underwater climax where the Jaegers aim to close the portal from which the Kaijus emerged, a resolution not quite different from that in 'The Avengers'. More significantly, the melding of minds isn't quite exploited for enough dramatic possibility, particularly given its significance in enabling our two lead pilots, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) to bond so seamlessly with each other.
Equally clunky is the characterisation, which has as much poignancy as a piece of metal. Raleigh's scarred Jaeger pilot, still reeling at first from the death of his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff), heals too quickly for us to make much of an emotional connection. Mori's own traumatic near-death experience as a child that continues to haunt her also rings hollow and is equally quickly forgotten. Idris Elba plays his Jaeger commander Stacker Pentecost in suitably macho fashion, but is largely one-note and engineered simply to deliver the rallying cries at suitable intervals - like the oft-heard "Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse" in the trailers.
No thanks to the plotting and character issues, the pacing of the movie sags considerably after a prolonged prologue establishing the necessary backstory of the robots-versus-monsters war and Raleigh's own past. It only picks up at the halfway mark when the deep-sea monsters finally clash again with their mechanical counterparts, which will either be stimulating enough (if you're an adolescent fanboy) to make you wet your pants or leave you numb. Our opinion? It is del Toro's most ambitious, most imaginative and probably most groundbreaking movie ever, but we wish there were more of the warmth and character that have defined some of his best work.
Indeed, the draw of del Toro's monster of a movie has always been to witness the monumental series of battles between massive lizard-like monsters (referred to in the movie by the Japanese word 'Kaiju' as a tribute to the science fiction films from the country which featured such giant beasts, e.g. Godzilla) and 25-story high robots (known as Jaegers, or 'hunters' in German) operated by humans. And in this regard, let us assure you that nothing in your expectation will prepare you for what del Toro has managed to accomplish on screen - not even comparing it to a 'Godzilla' meets 'Transformers' movie does it any justice.
Let's start with the basics. First and foremost, the action is shot cleanly, meaning none of them shaky-cams nor extreme close-ups that diminish the scale on which it is unfolding. It is also coherent - thanks to some impressive work from del Toro regular Guillermo Navarro as cinematographer and John Gilroy and Peter Amundson as editors - rather than just a mashup of scenes that don't flow well into one another. We'll add one more before we start gushing - it is also beautifully choreographed, with just the right mix of medium and wide shots to place you right into the heart of the action.
If that description above seems too clinical, then how about this - these setpieces are superb; in fact, they are worthy of every superlative that you can think of. Working on a gargantuan scale, del Toro executes the action with magnificence, whether the fleeting shots of the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning or the more detailed sequences in the middle and at the end - in particular, a simply jaw-dropping one begins at sea just off the waters of Hong Kong and then continues seamlessly inland where both the port and the very city centre gets decimated by two Jaegers battling two Category 4 Kaijus.
It isn't just about how colossal it gets; it is also the sheer mesmerising quality of the images, starting from the amazing level of detail of the Jaegers and the Kaijus. Even though it seems to be raining a little too conveniently every time one of these battles happens out at sea, there's no denying just how real and majestic each of them feels. On the other hand, the cityscapes are arresting in their neon hues, and the combination of the futuristic look with which del Toro paints these familiar cities with the bioluminescent appendages and venom of the Kaijus make for a particularly appealing visual palette.
Now that we've finished with the savoury bits, it is only fair that we get to the (ahem) less than wieldy parts, which is in actual fact just about everything else we have yet to talk about. At first, the science- fiction mythology sounds rather intriguing - instead of coming from the skies, the threat to our planet came from a rift deep within the Pacific Ocean, a portal through which the Kaijus emerged and necessitated an equally massive response in the form of the Jaegers. Ditto the functioning of the Jaegers, which given their size, have to be operated by two pilots who sync up their minds via the neural handshake, otherwise known as the "drift".
But del Toro and his fellow screenwriter Travis Beacham (who is also credited with this original story) uses these elements too mechanically. The rift is no more than an excuse for an underwater climax where the Jaegers aim to close the portal from which the Kaijus emerged, a resolution not quite different from that in 'The Avengers'. More significantly, the melding of minds isn't quite exploited for enough dramatic possibility, particularly given its significance in enabling our two lead pilots, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) to bond so seamlessly with each other.
Equally clunky is the characterisation, which has as much poignancy as a piece of metal. Raleigh's scarred Jaeger pilot, still reeling at first from the death of his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff), heals too quickly for us to make much of an emotional connection. Mori's own traumatic near-death experience as a child that continues to haunt her also rings hollow and is equally quickly forgotten. Idris Elba plays his Jaeger commander Stacker Pentecost in suitably macho fashion, but is largely one-note and engineered simply to deliver the rallying cries at suitable intervals - like the oft-heard "Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse" in the trailers.
No thanks to the plotting and character issues, the pacing of the movie sags considerably after a prolonged prologue establishing the necessary backstory of the robots-versus-monsters war and Raleigh's own past. It only picks up at the halfway mark when the deep-sea monsters finally clash again with their mechanical counterparts, which will either be stimulating enough (if you're an adolescent fanboy) to make you wet your pants or leave you numb. Our opinion? It is del Toro's most ambitious, most imaginative and probably most groundbreaking movie ever, but we wish there were more of the warmth and character that have defined some of his best work.
If I had seen this as a child, I would have messed myself because of the excitement
Aaron137528 July 2013
There were certain things I enjoyed as a child. One was giant monster movies such as Godzilla and another were giant robots. So this movie would have been right up my alley. It still is something I wanted to see as it is also very anime like in the way it plays out. It has an anime inspired look and also add the Guillermo Del Toro factor and you end up with one very cool action movie featuring giant mechanized robots fighting huge monsters that were even given the name they have in Japan, Kaiju. Granted, it was not perfect as the look of the film was spectacular and the action grand, the story just was a bit to by the numbers and the acting at time serviceable and at other times a bit like they were not being directed to do nothing more than to open and close their mouths. Still, Del Toro is more of a visual director in my view as I enjoy the first two Blade films equally, liking the first one's story better, but liking the overall style and look of the second better (Del Toro's).
The story has the earth under assault. Some sort of rift has appeared in the Pacific Ocean and huge beasts are coming through causing havoc. At first, it is believed to be an isolated incident, but it turns out that these things keep coming. The earth reacts by building huge robots called Jaegers to combat this monsters. The Jaegers turn the tide momentarily, but the monsters that come through keep getting bigger and adapt their fighting style. A man who used to partner with his brother, piloting a Jaeger called the Gypsy Danger is working on a wall that is being erected to stop the Kaiju as the Jaegers and their pilots are being killed at an ever increasing rate. This man lost his brother and now is asked to team up and pilot the Gypsy Danger for one more mission to close the rift and stop the Kaiju from entering our world.
Like I said, the film has great visuals and that is the star of the piece. So much so that I still give the film a nine despite the many flaws with the story. The robots look good and the monster pretty cool too as one of the monsters near the end even sprouts wings and resembles the Gamera nemesis Gyaos. However, I wish they did a bit more to make the monsters look a bit more distinct as the robots look all different, but the monsters tended to resemble one another. Still, there are some great fights and as I said with a Del Toro film it is usually the visuals that are the highlight and they do not disappoint here.
So a fun movie to watch, at one point the pilot of the Gypsy Danger activates a rocket on the arm to make the robot punch harder and I was thinking "Rocket Punch!" from an anime I had seen as a kid. If they could have added a bit more humor to the film it would have been a near perfect film for me. The ending was a bit to predictable too. Overall, the experience was satisfying and I am a bit sad to see this film not doing better at the box office here as I would love to see a sequel mainly due to curiosity in how it would play out. So a very nice film, to bad it did not come out when I was younger.
The story has the earth under assault. Some sort of rift has appeared in the Pacific Ocean and huge beasts are coming through causing havoc. At first, it is believed to be an isolated incident, but it turns out that these things keep coming. The earth reacts by building huge robots called Jaegers to combat this monsters. The Jaegers turn the tide momentarily, but the monsters that come through keep getting bigger and adapt their fighting style. A man who used to partner with his brother, piloting a Jaeger called the Gypsy Danger is working on a wall that is being erected to stop the Kaiju as the Jaegers and their pilots are being killed at an ever increasing rate. This man lost his brother and now is asked to team up and pilot the Gypsy Danger for one more mission to close the rift and stop the Kaiju from entering our world.
Like I said, the film has great visuals and that is the star of the piece. So much so that I still give the film a nine despite the many flaws with the story. The robots look good and the monster pretty cool too as one of the monsters near the end even sprouts wings and resembles the Gamera nemesis Gyaos. However, I wish they did a bit more to make the monsters look a bit more distinct as the robots look all different, but the monsters tended to resemble one another. Still, there are some great fights and as I said with a Del Toro film it is usually the visuals that are the highlight and they do not disappoint here.
So a fun movie to watch, at one point the pilot of the Gypsy Danger activates a rocket on the arm to make the robot punch harder and I was thinking "Rocket Punch!" from an anime I had seen as a kid. If they could have added a bit more humor to the film it would have been a near perfect film for me. The ending was a bit to predictable too. Overall, the experience was satisfying and I am a bit sad to see this film not doing better at the box office here as I would love to see a sequel mainly due to curiosity in how it would play out. So a very nice film, to bad it did not come out when I was younger.
"Pacific Rim" looks great but lacks everything else a movie needs to be good
ersinkdotcom17 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"Pacific Rim" is going to be a hit with fanboys all over the planet. It's the type of movie that they feel obligated to love because of what it's about and who made it. In this case we have a movie about alien dinosaurs (Kaijus) fighting giant robots (Jaegers) directed by Guillermo del Toro (filmmaker who most Comi-Con attendees think can do no wrong). Sounds like it should work on every level doesn't it? Yeah, well it doesn't!
Alien monsters named Kaijus come up through a rift in the Pacific Ocean (Get it, "PACIFIC Rim"). Giant robots steered by military officers are used to battle these ferocious extraterrestrials. Our military must join forces with the world's most annoying scientists to find a way to seal off the portal between our world and the dimension they come from.
Let's start out my review on a positive note. The CGI in "Pacific Rim" looks great. The aliens and robots blend very well with all their surroundings.
And that's the only thing I can come up with positive about "Pacific Rim." As a whole, the movie is absolutely unbearable to sit through. It escapes me how sequences of robots and aliens fighting each other could be so uninspiring that I literally dozed off at points.
The design of the Kaijus are completely unoriginal and nothing we haven't seen before in a dozen other sci-fi movies. The Jaegers are basically souped-up giant robots that resemble what we've seen in "Power Rangers" dressed in "Halo" armor. Booooring.
Now we move into character development. The entire middle of the movie is one big, long, drawn-out attempt at developing characters we will feel emotionally tied to. I completely understand the writer's motivation for doing this.
The problem is that every character in "Pacific Rim" is so annoying you actually want them to die or exit the screen as quickly as possible. Add to this the fact that not a single one of the actors seem to give a crap about their stereotypical role in the film and you have a serious problem. In a nutshell, the acting is absolutely horrid.
"Pacific Rim" is a tired conglomeration of clichés we've already seen in way better movies in the past. There are so many recycled ideas mashed up in it that you could almost put them down on a call sheet as bullet points. Character who lost his brother in a past battle and retired? Check. He's being called back into duty by his old military leader? Check. Military leader gets a chance to be the hero and sacrifice himself in one last battle? Check. Military leader gets to give long rousing inspirational speech just like the one the President gives in "Independence Day?" Check. They're all here for your predictable enjoyment.
Let's just call "Pacific Rim" what it really is. It's Guillermo del Toro's failed attempt at making what he wished was his essential "Ultraman vs. Godzilla" homage. As I was running out of words to use in place of "unoriginal," I came across several synonyms that describe this movie to a tee: dull, unoriginal, corny, heavy-handed, humdrum, ordinary, phoned in, stale, uncreative, unexciting, unimaginative, unimpressive, uninspiring, uninteresting, and uninventive.
I'm giving parents a warning in closing. There's no way any child under the age of 12 will sit through "Pacific Rim." Absolutely nothing exciting happens for 45 minutes in the middle, at which time they will get uncontrollably antsy and beg you to leave. This won't bother you because you'll be ready to run out of the theater screaming by then anyway.
Alien monsters named Kaijus come up through a rift in the Pacific Ocean (Get it, "PACIFIC Rim"). Giant robots steered by military officers are used to battle these ferocious extraterrestrials. Our military must join forces with the world's most annoying scientists to find a way to seal off the portal between our world and the dimension they come from.
Let's start out my review on a positive note. The CGI in "Pacific Rim" looks great. The aliens and robots blend very well with all their surroundings.
And that's the only thing I can come up with positive about "Pacific Rim." As a whole, the movie is absolutely unbearable to sit through. It escapes me how sequences of robots and aliens fighting each other could be so uninspiring that I literally dozed off at points.
The design of the Kaijus are completely unoriginal and nothing we haven't seen before in a dozen other sci-fi movies. The Jaegers are basically souped-up giant robots that resemble what we've seen in "Power Rangers" dressed in "Halo" armor. Booooring.
Now we move into character development. The entire middle of the movie is one big, long, drawn-out attempt at developing characters we will feel emotionally tied to. I completely understand the writer's motivation for doing this.
The problem is that every character in "Pacific Rim" is so annoying you actually want them to die or exit the screen as quickly as possible. Add to this the fact that not a single one of the actors seem to give a crap about their stereotypical role in the film and you have a serious problem. In a nutshell, the acting is absolutely horrid.
"Pacific Rim" is a tired conglomeration of clichés we've already seen in way better movies in the past. There are so many recycled ideas mashed up in it that you could almost put them down on a call sheet as bullet points. Character who lost his brother in a past battle and retired? Check. He's being called back into duty by his old military leader? Check. Military leader gets a chance to be the hero and sacrifice himself in one last battle? Check. Military leader gets to give long rousing inspirational speech just like the one the President gives in "Independence Day?" Check. They're all here for your predictable enjoyment.
Let's just call "Pacific Rim" what it really is. It's Guillermo del Toro's failed attempt at making what he wished was his essential "Ultraman vs. Godzilla" homage. As I was running out of words to use in place of "unoriginal," I came across several synonyms that describe this movie to a tee: dull, unoriginal, corny, heavy-handed, humdrum, ordinary, phoned in, stale, uncreative, unexciting, unimaginative, unimpressive, uninspiring, uninteresting, and uninventive.
I'm giving parents a warning in closing. There's no way any child under the age of 12 will sit through "Pacific Rim." Absolutely nothing exciting happens for 45 minutes in the middle, at which time they will get uncontrollably antsy and beg you to leave. This won't bother you because you'll be ready to run out of the theater screaming by then anyway.
He ain't heavy, he's my Jaeger
tieman6417 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Everything is equal. We have no borders between robots and people. In the foreign stories, robots are always the enemies. In Japan, they're our friends." - Osamu Kozaki
Japan's obsession with robots stretches back to the 1950s, when robot mangas like "Astro Boy" and "Tetsujin-28" became popular. Inspired by the US fire-bombings of Japan, and influenced by everything from Frankenstein, to 17th century karakuri puppets, to Sengoku-era samurai armour, to WW2-era hardware, to the Shinto belief that "everything has a soul", these robots would spawn countless animated television series, most notably "Giant Robo", "Voltron", "Gundam Suit", "Robotech", "Evangelion" and "Mazinga Z", the latter of which was very popular in Mexico during the 1980s.
Mexico during the 1980s also happened to be where a young Guillermo del Toro lived. He devoured these robot cartoons, a childhood feast which would inspire his own Giant Robot Feature, "Pacific Rim".
Released in 2013, "Pacific Rim" stars Charlie Hunnan as Raleigh Becket, a hotshot Jaeger pilot. Giant nuclear powered robots, Jaeger's are humanity's last line of defence against the Kaijus, colossal beasts who attack Earth via portals deep within the Pacific Ocean. As the neural load of Jaeger's is too dangerous for a lone pilot to handle, each Jaeger is piloted by two psychically linked pilots, a concept dubbed "drifting".
Tonally, "Pacific Rim" is unlike most modern blockbusters. Directed by every boy's inner child, Guillermo's film knows its a ridiculous cartoon but nevertheless adopts a sincere, straight-faced stance. Elsewhere the film's carnage is undercut by "Rim's" warmhearted subplots, in which feuding pilots learn to work together, put differences aside and "drift in the same direction". That this direction amounts to collaborative warfare is something Guillermo, an outspoken pacifist, can't avoid, but he nevertheless strips his film of all the war-porn tropes which usually bog down similar films.
"Pacific Rim" was a box-office dud in the United States, a country which likes its anime re-packaged a certain way ("The Matrix", "Edge of Tomorrow", "Inception", "Black Swan" etc). Guillermo del Toro mostly doesn't abide by these cosmetic conventions, his film light but never flippant, unpretentious, devoid of unnecessary subplots/dialogue masquerading as "depth", and free of all the usual totems of Americana. Perhaps because of this, the film was a massive hit in Japan and China.
Aesthetically, "Rim's" also a bit unique. Guillermo's Godzilla-battles take place amidst giant waves, his behemoths covered in sea-spray, knee-deep in roiling rain-spattered oceans, their chassis lit by kaleidoscopic purples, blues and pinks. The film's creature designs and fisticuffs are also better than average for this genre, complete with elbow rockets, plasma cannons and gigantic brass knuckles. The film co-stars Idris Elba. Its butt-kicking electro-metal score, by Ramin Djawadi, signals Guillermo's premise with capital letters: HERE THERE BE GIANT ROBOTS PUNCHING GIANT ALIENS IN THE FACE.
8/10 – See "The Host" (2006).
Japan's obsession with robots stretches back to the 1950s, when robot mangas like "Astro Boy" and "Tetsujin-28" became popular. Inspired by the US fire-bombings of Japan, and influenced by everything from Frankenstein, to 17th century karakuri puppets, to Sengoku-era samurai armour, to WW2-era hardware, to the Shinto belief that "everything has a soul", these robots would spawn countless animated television series, most notably "Giant Robo", "Voltron", "Gundam Suit", "Robotech", "Evangelion" and "Mazinga Z", the latter of which was very popular in Mexico during the 1980s.
Mexico during the 1980s also happened to be where a young Guillermo del Toro lived. He devoured these robot cartoons, a childhood feast which would inspire his own Giant Robot Feature, "Pacific Rim".
Released in 2013, "Pacific Rim" stars Charlie Hunnan as Raleigh Becket, a hotshot Jaeger pilot. Giant nuclear powered robots, Jaeger's are humanity's last line of defence against the Kaijus, colossal beasts who attack Earth via portals deep within the Pacific Ocean. As the neural load of Jaeger's is too dangerous for a lone pilot to handle, each Jaeger is piloted by two psychically linked pilots, a concept dubbed "drifting".
Tonally, "Pacific Rim" is unlike most modern blockbusters. Directed by every boy's inner child, Guillermo's film knows its a ridiculous cartoon but nevertheless adopts a sincere, straight-faced stance. Elsewhere the film's carnage is undercut by "Rim's" warmhearted subplots, in which feuding pilots learn to work together, put differences aside and "drift in the same direction". That this direction amounts to collaborative warfare is something Guillermo, an outspoken pacifist, can't avoid, but he nevertheless strips his film of all the war-porn tropes which usually bog down similar films.
"Pacific Rim" was a box-office dud in the United States, a country which likes its anime re-packaged a certain way ("The Matrix", "Edge of Tomorrow", "Inception", "Black Swan" etc). Guillermo del Toro mostly doesn't abide by these cosmetic conventions, his film light but never flippant, unpretentious, devoid of unnecessary subplots/dialogue masquerading as "depth", and free of all the usual totems of Americana. Perhaps because of this, the film was a massive hit in Japan and China.
Aesthetically, "Rim's" also a bit unique. Guillermo's Godzilla-battles take place amidst giant waves, his behemoths covered in sea-spray, knee-deep in roiling rain-spattered oceans, their chassis lit by kaleidoscopic purples, blues and pinks. The film's creature designs and fisticuffs are also better than average for this genre, complete with elbow rockets, plasma cannons and gigantic brass knuckles. The film co-stars Idris Elba. Its butt-kicking electro-metal score, by Ramin Djawadi, signals Guillermo's premise with capital letters: HERE THERE BE GIANT ROBOTS PUNCHING GIANT ALIENS IN THE FACE.
8/10 – See "The Host" (2006).
Imagine big...but BIGGER! Eye pleaser!
michaelRokeefe8 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Trying not to get too technical, which some reviewers have the right know-how to do that sort of thing...but I was just taken in by the grandeur; F/X to the max. Gigantic monsters and equally big machines to fight them; not just big, but BIG! Enough of that. The amazing Guillermo del Toro directs, helps write and produce this science fiction spectacle. Sometime in the 2020's, the Earth is attacked at various locations by enormous monsters, that have found a super dimensional portal at the bottom of the ocean. The monsters seem to have the same genetics, but no two seem to look alike. And each has its unique method of fighting...each method leaving massive destruction. World wide international scientists and computer wizards/geeks pool knowledge. Gigantic humanoid transformer-like fighters, dubbed Jaegers, are created to fight the attacking monsters called Kaijus. Years come and go; the Kaijus keep coming while the united world forces run through numerous versions of Jaegers, that require two pilots and joined mind-control via a neutral bridge to operate. Cutting to a climax if you will; a brooding, washed-up Jaeger pilot, Raleigh Beckett(Charlie Hunnam)and a rookie, female pilot, Mako(Rinko Kikuchi), are a last hope to take a re-fitted, original Jaeger to the Pacific Rim location of the multi-dimensional, siphon like portal and destroy it to save all humanity. Simple,huh? Fantastic enough to hold your attention for over two hours. Kikuchi has the awesome talent and good looks to short circuit a pacemaker. Others in the cast: Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Diego Klattenhoff and Ron Perlman. You just don't take in PACIFIC RIM...it sucks YOU in!
Bonkers B Movie Blockbuster
Theo Robertson29 March 2015
I wonder how the pitch meeting for this film went . No let me guess ...
"I've a great idea . Earth gets invaded by giant lizards and people controlling giant robots . A bit like Godzilla meets Transformers but instead of getting our ass sued for plagiarism we call the lizards Kaijus and the robots Jaegers . Please sign your cheques to ..."
"Don't bother wasting our time sonny . Next please"
"Six horny teenagers are driving along and their car breaks down in a dark forest and ..."
This isn't what actually happened and the unimaginative studio executives green lit the film which is indeed GODZILLA vs TRANSFORMERS . If you've seen the trailers and clips you'll know what you're getting Summer blockbuster spectacle and possibly like me you gave it a very wide berth . Wait a minute though , perhaps Mexican Guillermo Del Toro is conscious of this and has done something that at first hand seems impossible - he's made a Summer FX driven spectacular blockbuster that is genuinely fun
With the opening three minutes that could have been a movie in its own he tells the audience everything they need to know including a well thought out reason as to why humanity needs to build giant human powered robots but it's with the human elements he hits the bulls eye . Again being non American he's probably well aware that international audiences get a bit fed up watching hunky square jawed brave Americans saving mankind so he's brought a multinational twist to the story . The head of the military is black? Fair enough but why's he talking with a London accent worthy of Dick Van Dyke himself ? Who cares and we have American actors playing British characters complete with weird accents and no one in this film is capable of doing an Australian accent and it sums up the rest of the characters and the film itself where everything is camp , colourful and there's a constant wink to the audience that's constantly saying " Look this is absolute B movie nonsense but come on you're enjoying every single silly minute of this aren't you ?"
I know I enjoyed every single silly minute of this B movie nonsense . Put Del Toro in charge of Hollywood blockbusters now
"I've a great idea . Earth gets invaded by giant lizards and people controlling giant robots . A bit like Godzilla meets Transformers but instead of getting our ass sued for plagiarism we call the lizards Kaijus and the robots Jaegers . Please sign your cheques to ..."
"Don't bother wasting our time sonny . Next please"
"Six horny teenagers are driving along and their car breaks down in a dark forest and ..."
This isn't what actually happened and the unimaginative studio executives green lit the film which is indeed GODZILLA vs TRANSFORMERS . If you've seen the trailers and clips you'll know what you're getting Summer blockbuster spectacle and possibly like me you gave it a very wide berth . Wait a minute though , perhaps Mexican Guillermo Del Toro is conscious of this and has done something that at first hand seems impossible - he's made a Summer FX driven spectacular blockbuster that is genuinely fun
With the opening three minutes that could have been a movie in its own he tells the audience everything they need to know including a well thought out reason as to why humanity needs to build giant human powered robots but it's with the human elements he hits the bulls eye . Again being non American he's probably well aware that international audiences get a bit fed up watching hunky square jawed brave Americans saving mankind so he's brought a multinational twist to the story . The head of the military is black? Fair enough but why's he talking with a London accent worthy of Dick Van Dyke himself ? Who cares and we have American actors playing British characters complete with weird accents and no one in this film is capable of doing an Australian accent and it sums up the rest of the characters and the film itself where everything is camp , colourful and there's a constant wink to the audience that's constantly saying " Look this is absolute B movie nonsense but come on you're enjoying every single silly minute of this aren't you ?"
I know I enjoyed every single silly minute of this B movie nonsense . Put Del Toro in charge of Hollywood blockbusters now
A Very Pleasant Surprise
feritciva8 August 2013
Let's be honest, lately we've seen so much ridiculously horrible alien invaders movies that even Independence Day is like a golden classic now. Battle L.A., Battleship, last Transformers movie (was it the 9th? 11th? I forgot!), District 9 (yes, it was horrible too) etc..
So when I've heard about Pacific Rim I thought "oh no, not another one" and ignored it. Then, I saw the ratings and some reviews here on IMDb. OK another confession now, IMDb also let me down lately because people were voting like they've never seen a good movie or good script. Go look at Dark Knight Rising's IMDb rating, for God's sake! (my right eye began to twitch involuntary when I thought of Dark Knight Rising again.. aaarrrgghh)
But then one day destiny did the job for me, here I was having nothing to do with spare time and an imax cinema with Pacific Rim. I looked at other movies, Wolverine - check, I've already been to, good movie. Red 2, check - it was great fun. World War Z, unfortunately check, waste of time. Pacific Rim? OK, why not? After 2,5 hours the lights were on again and I was sitting with a big grin on my face apologizing from everyone who worked for this movie.
This is really amazing folks. This is old skool fun! This is really better than last 5 years' alien invasion movies all together! This just popped out from 80's with 2010's technology. Do not miss it! And try to catch it on imax 3D! You'll never regret it!
So when I've heard about Pacific Rim I thought "oh no, not another one" and ignored it. Then, I saw the ratings and some reviews here on IMDb. OK another confession now, IMDb also let me down lately because people were voting like they've never seen a good movie or good script. Go look at Dark Knight Rising's IMDb rating, for God's sake! (my right eye began to twitch involuntary when I thought of Dark Knight Rising again.. aaarrrgghh)
But then one day destiny did the job for me, here I was having nothing to do with spare time and an imax cinema with Pacific Rim. I looked at other movies, Wolverine - check, I've already been to, good movie. Red 2, check - it was great fun. World War Z, unfortunately check, waste of time. Pacific Rim? OK, why not? After 2,5 hours the lights were on again and I was sitting with a big grin on my face apologizing from everyone who worked for this movie.
This is really amazing folks. This is old skool fun! This is really better than last 5 years' alien invasion movies all together! This just popped out from 80's with 2010's technology. Do not miss it! And try to catch it on imax 3D! You'll never regret it!
Larger Than Life
billygoat107111 July 2013
Pacific Rim takes inspiration from the elements of any material that involves giant creatures and robots. It shows a simple concept about piloted robots, Jaegers, fighting against sea aliens, Kaijus. This idea alone would already make a fantastic blockbuster. The surprise we get is it features more than just endless explosions. There are plenty of innovations to root for which it can almost be a new popular classic. The only less intriguing parts however are the clichés that are too known in many big sci-fi action movies. Despite of that, it kept the promise of being gigantically awesome. It's not completely groundbreaking, but it's still quite an experience.
Aside from the large scale battles, the film amazingly creates an innovating futuristic alternate universe. It tells the origins of the Kaijus and how the Jaegers work, shows what society and the media have become, and throw some satires of the genre. The exploration of the vision is so absorbing, it feels like you went to it as a trip. But what somewhat halts this from being larger than life is when it takes the generic elements of any typical blockbuster, like the hero's motivations, the main robot is somehow an underdog in one scene, there's an arrogant team member, sacrifices, and so on. It's hard to not notice them since they are the central points of the story. The intriguing stuff about the Jaegers and Kaijus still took over the experience. At least it embraces its own fantasy tastes without being "dark" and emo like today's blockbuster trend.
Charlie Hunnam's performance is fitting to a graphic novel based movie, which is kind of appropriate as his role. In the battle scenes, he gives genuine human emotions as he punches and fall. Idris Elba remarkably brings heart to the picture while being awesome at the same time. Rinko Kikuchi makes her character more than just a partner of Raleigh. Charlie Day and Burn Gorman delightfully serves more energy to the story, while Ron Perlman appears in a short screen time but satisfying enough.
Now the real highlight of the picture, the visuals are overall shiny and snazzy. The designs of the creatures and robots are palpably marvelous. As the special effects move these heavy giants, the action did something better than just blowing up stuff. Although explosions and loud noises are not actually flaws(It's about giant robots, c'mon!), but a real good set piece needs a decent and genuine fortitude. In the midst of the noises, you will always get the sense of danger to the Jaegers, mostly because there are human pilots beneath the ravaging machines. It effectively made those sequences electrifying and the monsters terrifying than you would expect.
Pacific Rim will have its own fans. It feels like a self-indulged blockbuster that people will end up loving. Besides, this film is said to be Guillermo del Toro's dream come true coming from his childhood. And seeing all that, there's plenty of things to explore and to be intrigued. If only the plot can break some points from the mainstream storytelling, it would have been less predictable and much extraordinary. But physically, it is extraordinary. It's both big and eye candy which is the snazziest merit you will see. Also in the action scenes where it's more into the thrills than the fireworks, because it's all about iron fists hitting on monsters' face. Again, the story may be familiar, but the setting and the action keeps everything looks fresh and amazing.
Aside from the large scale battles, the film amazingly creates an innovating futuristic alternate universe. It tells the origins of the Kaijus and how the Jaegers work, shows what society and the media have become, and throw some satires of the genre. The exploration of the vision is so absorbing, it feels like you went to it as a trip. But what somewhat halts this from being larger than life is when it takes the generic elements of any typical blockbuster, like the hero's motivations, the main robot is somehow an underdog in one scene, there's an arrogant team member, sacrifices, and so on. It's hard to not notice them since they are the central points of the story. The intriguing stuff about the Jaegers and Kaijus still took over the experience. At least it embraces its own fantasy tastes without being "dark" and emo like today's blockbuster trend.
Charlie Hunnam's performance is fitting to a graphic novel based movie, which is kind of appropriate as his role. In the battle scenes, he gives genuine human emotions as he punches and fall. Idris Elba remarkably brings heart to the picture while being awesome at the same time. Rinko Kikuchi makes her character more than just a partner of Raleigh. Charlie Day and Burn Gorman delightfully serves more energy to the story, while Ron Perlman appears in a short screen time but satisfying enough.
Now the real highlight of the picture, the visuals are overall shiny and snazzy. The designs of the creatures and robots are palpably marvelous. As the special effects move these heavy giants, the action did something better than just blowing up stuff. Although explosions and loud noises are not actually flaws(It's about giant robots, c'mon!), but a real good set piece needs a decent and genuine fortitude. In the midst of the noises, you will always get the sense of danger to the Jaegers, mostly because there are human pilots beneath the ravaging machines. It effectively made those sequences electrifying and the monsters terrifying than you would expect.
Pacific Rim will have its own fans. It feels like a self-indulged blockbuster that people will end up loving. Besides, this film is said to be Guillermo del Toro's dream come true coming from his childhood. And seeing all that, there's plenty of things to explore and to be intrigued. If only the plot can break some points from the mainstream storytelling, it would have been less predictable and much extraordinary. But physically, it is extraordinary. It's both big and eye candy which is the snazziest merit you will see. Also in the action scenes where it's more into the thrills than the fireworks, because it's all about iron fists hitting on monsters' face. Again, the story may be familiar, but the setting and the action keeps everything looks fresh and amazing.
OH NO! THERE GOES TOKYO!
nogodnomasters29 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The film opens with a narration. It explains that a portal has opened connecting us to another universe in the Pacific Rim. Through this hole emerges destructive creatures from 60's Japanese films, updated of course. In a missed plot point, conventional means of fighting them seem to be useless, so we construct 100-150 foot tall robots called Jaegers to combat them. Missiles fired from Jaegers are effective, but...okay I tried not to think too hard about it.
The Jaegesr are controlled by 2 people, dressed in "Star Wars" storm trooper gear, that are in a mind meld that would make Spock green with envy. They are called pilots because Jaeger masters might be a copyright infringement.
The film combines elements of "Independence Day," "Starship Troopes," "Transformers" and "Ironman" and sets them into a stolen Japanese plot. Of course the rule is if you steal a plot from Japan you have to hire someone from Japan to be in the film, hence we have Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori. She will eventually team up with John Rico, eh ah Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam because Casper Van Dien is too old) to fight against the monsters coming at an increasing rate. There is a subplot that includes Ron Perlman and Charlie Day.
There are two schools of thought. One is to use the Jaegers to kill the creatures, the other is to build a war to keep out the illegal aliens. When the wall fails to keep out the illegal aliens, the Jaegers can defend the world thanks to "stand your ground" principles. Pardon my attempt at political humor.
The supporting characters were better written than the main ones.
This is an over dramatic, action packed popcorn film. The language is designed to appeal to a teen/young adult audience. Looks good on the big screen.
Parental Guide: 1 F-bomb. No sex or nudity.
The Jaegesr are controlled by 2 people, dressed in "Star Wars" storm trooper gear, that are in a mind meld that would make Spock green with envy. They are called pilots because Jaeger masters might be a copyright infringement.
The film combines elements of "Independence Day," "Starship Troopes," "Transformers" and "Ironman" and sets them into a stolen Japanese plot. Of course the rule is if you steal a plot from Japan you have to hire someone from Japan to be in the film, hence we have Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori. She will eventually team up with John Rico, eh ah Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam because Casper Van Dien is too old) to fight against the monsters coming at an increasing rate. There is a subplot that includes Ron Perlman and Charlie Day.
There are two schools of thought. One is to use the Jaegers to kill the creatures, the other is to build a war to keep out the illegal aliens. When the wall fails to keep out the illegal aliens, the Jaegers can defend the world thanks to "stand your ground" principles. Pardon my attempt at political humor.
The supporting characters were better written than the main ones.
This is an over dramatic, action packed popcorn film. The language is designed to appeal to a teen/young adult audience. Looks good on the big screen.
Parental Guide: 1 F-bomb. No sex or nudity.
Monsters vs. Mechanical Monsters
aaronjbong11 July 2013
"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.
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.
A Darn Good Time at the Movies
BlairMcLovin11 July 2013
Within the opening 15 or so minutes Charlie Hunnam's voice-over establishes the reality of a future where monsters (the Kaiju) repeatedly invade earth, to stem this humans have created giant robots (Jaegers) to combat them in increasingly badass iterations. This opening does a great job in conveying the scope of a film which is big, not just regular big, but like, Jason Biggs in 1999 bigg. entering the cinema from a world where these events rarely occur is initially a lot to throw at the audience, but it's handled so effectively and without tongue in cheek that it quickly becomes a world I had a blast experiencing. Maybe it was the incredible effects shots of robot related destruction used as a throwaway shots, but what I think really sold the opening sequence and the film as a whole is the enthusiasm Del Toro clearly has for the story he's telling.
The cast is essentially a rogues gallery of TV's better dramas playing variations on roles they've nailed in the past (see: Elba, Hunnam and Klattenhoff) and some inspired casting of It's Always Sunny's Charlie Day who, as should be expected provides some effective comedic relief. Added onto this the score comes courtesy of Ramin Djawadi who's masterful use of themes on Game of Thrones is carried over to this film for some great emotional cues and many a rad motif courtesy of Tom Morello on guitar.
It's appropriate Del Toro has a Frankenstein adaptation lined up as a follow up project as Pacific Rim can at times can feel stitched together from all the sources of inspiration the film has. This comes from many areas such as Japanese manga, the personalities of the actors from previous films and the imagery of robots destroying buildings which transformers ran into the ground. But Del Toro succeeds time and time again at allowing these disparate elements to fit together believably by way of some very confident filmmaking. I could easily take issue with the oft hammy dialogue and macho relationships but where the film succeeds in other areas and revels in creativity trumps the dissatisfaction one could take from these scenes. I also found Hunnams character a tad lacking in charisma and internal conflict but whatever, it's not the end of the world. Oh wait, yes it is hahahaha
The films successes go beyond its imagery and continued invention within battle scenes as the script is very economical when it comes to pacing. The films battle scenes are so engaging and exciting due to clearly established stakes present which left me devoid of the "action fatigue" transformers loves to throw my way. And although the Kaiju battles seem to never be in short supply, the film essentially follows the rule of three when it comes to battle sequences and left me oh so satisfied.
In conclusion, I give it points for being one of the funner summer blockbusters in recent memory, for being an original property and for its sheer tenacity to exist which all amount to what is just a darn good time at the movies.
The cast is essentially a rogues gallery of TV's better dramas playing variations on roles they've nailed in the past (see: Elba, Hunnam and Klattenhoff) and some inspired casting of It's Always Sunny's Charlie Day who, as should be expected provides some effective comedic relief. Added onto this the score comes courtesy of Ramin Djawadi who's masterful use of themes on Game of Thrones is carried over to this film for some great emotional cues and many a rad motif courtesy of Tom Morello on guitar.
It's appropriate Del Toro has a Frankenstein adaptation lined up as a follow up project as Pacific Rim can at times can feel stitched together from all the sources of inspiration the film has. This comes from many areas such as Japanese manga, the personalities of the actors from previous films and the imagery of robots destroying buildings which transformers ran into the ground. But Del Toro succeeds time and time again at allowing these disparate elements to fit together believably by way of some very confident filmmaking. I could easily take issue with the oft hammy dialogue and macho relationships but where the film succeeds in other areas and revels in creativity trumps the dissatisfaction one could take from these scenes. I also found Hunnams character a tad lacking in charisma and internal conflict but whatever, it's not the end of the world. Oh wait, yes it is hahahaha
The films successes go beyond its imagery and continued invention within battle scenes as the script is very economical when it comes to pacing. The films battle scenes are so engaging and exciting due to clearly established stakes present which left me devoid of the "action fatigue" transformers loves to throw my way. And although the Kaiju battles seem to never be in short supply, the film essentially follows the rule of three when it comes to battle sequences and left me oh so satisfied.
In conclusion, I give it points for being one of the funner summer blockbusters in recent memory, for being an original property and for its sheer tenacity to exist which all amount to what is just a darn good time at the movies.
The monster movie genre is alive and well.
PWNYCNY24 July 2013
This is a good movie. The question is: why? The movie is loaded up with special effects, has a lot of cheesy acting, tells a ridiculous story, and in some ways is a rip off of monster movies from the past. Based on that, this movie should qualify as a bomb. Yet it is not a bomb; this movie is good because it is unpretentious. It is what it is and is so without apology. Indeed, this movie glorifies the monster movie genre; it takes it to a higher, more sublime, level. Here the director lets out all the stops and lets the debris settle where it may. The movie conveys a positive message. It is about teamwork and about how humans are able to unite to solve problems. The monsters themselves are not especially surprising. Similar types can be found in many other monster movies. But what is different is how they are treated by the humans and how the humans respond to them. Unlike other monster movies which show humans in mass panic mode, this movie portrays humans as being stalwart and in control. You know they will beat the monsters; it's just a question of how. The monsters are another problem to be solved and the humans do a great job of solving it. This movie is worth watching.
What Transformers Should Have Been
DareDevilKid25 July 2013
Rating: 4/5 stars Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Not since "Jurassic Park" have I had the utmost pleasure of witnessing such a great monster sci-fi mash-up. Like "Jurassic Park", "Them", "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", and other classics of the genre, "Pacific Rim" too intersperses the plot and back-story succinctly well as the action unfolds. The characters and their journey are given adequate footage as the monsters v/s robots action. More importantly, as the action unfolds, every single shot, each and every sequence is beautifully captured like a ballet reaching its crescendo.
Unlike most gigantic FX laden pseudo sci-fi blockbusters like the "Transformers" franchise and "Iron Man 3", this films pays immense detail to certain laws of physics and plain simple logic. The action unfolds in a grand spectacle and straps you in for a roller-coaster ride. But it also pays respect to your senses and enables you to minutely follow each aspect of how the fight scenes are choreographed. Wish all gargantuan CGI driven films were like this.
The film stays true to classic monster movies and also to its anime roots. Fans of both, anime and monster movies will be able to detect many subtle references to past classics and popular culture. In the end, "Pacific Rim" is summer blockbuster entertainment at its best and you'll be craving for a second viewing once the experience soaks in.
Not since "Jurassic Park" have I had the utmost pleasure of witnessing such a great monster sci-fi mash-up. Like "Jurassic Park", "Them", "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", and other classics of the genre, "Pacific Rim" too intersperses the plot and back-story succinctly well as the action unfolds. The characters and their journey are given adequate footage as the monsters v/s robots action. More importantly, as the action unfolds, every single shot, each and every sequence is beautifully captured like a ballet reaching its crescendo.
Unlike most gigantic FX laden pseudo sci-fi blockbusters like the "Transformers" franchise and "Iron Man 3", this films pays immense detail to certain laws of physics and plain simple logic. The action unfolds in a grand spectacle and straps you in for a roller-coaster ride. But it also pays respect to your senses and enables you to minutely follow each aspect of how the fight scenes are choreographed. Wish all gargantuan CGI driven films were like this.
The film stays true to classic monster movies and also to its anime roots. Fans of both, anime and monster movies will be able to detect many subtle references to past classics and popular culture. In the end, "Pacific Rim" is summer blockbuster entertainment at its best and you'll be craving for a second viewing once the experience soaks in.
Fun Robots fighting Monsters
SnoopyStyle27 December 2013
A trans-world rip at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean has allowed monsters, named Kaiju, to come into our world. After tremendous losses, the world got together to build massive robots called Jaegers. However, the monsters keep coming, faster and bigger. Now the Jaegers are stretched to the limit with resources being diverted to building a wall.
Director Guillermo del Toro is having a lot of boyhood fun with robots battling monsters. It doesn't get more childhood fun than this. The designs are beautiful and original with both the robots and monsters. There is nothing more youth affirming than playing with these toys. The characters are solid with interesting actors like Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba. Coming into this, I feared the story would be too silly or convoluted. The story makes perfect sense and the action cannot be beat.
Director Guillermo del Toro is having a lot of boyhood fun with robots battling monsters. It doesn't get more childhood fun than this. The designs are beautiful and original with both the robots and monsters. There is nothing more youth affirming than playing with these toys. The characters are solid with interesting actors like Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba. Coming into this, I feared the story would be too silly or convoluted. The story makes perfect sense and the action cannot be beat.
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