Pacific Rim

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.

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.

Entertainment is not just a story. It is not just drama or social commentary. It is not something that can be measured by terms like "latest and greatest" or "cutting edge". This movie is not Man of Steel or Star Trek into Darkness where there is a child-like obsession with being "taken seriously" by adding grotesque violence or depressing overtones. This is not Transformers 3 or the Hobbit where special effects and action scenes are a cluttered mess of ADD rave parties that try to up the excitement with jumpy editing. THIS IS A SINCERE MOVIE.

Sure it has lack luster actors, but they are mixed with some fine ones as well. Yes this has giant robots and that is the main reason to see the film, but they are not just jingling keys in front of us. These action scenes have atmosphere. The fights are exciting because of anticipation and build up. This movie (while very flawed) should be a model example of popcorn entertainment. I came in, saw some good fights, and got a happy ending without bullshit. This was the kind of fun I remember as a kid.

This is a movie (strangely enough like John Carter) that should just be enjoy. They may not have had the best plots or most original stories, but they had substance that can honestly be felt. Genuine love for what they are doing in the film and real effort in making us as the audience part of that fun. They can be dumb or dull, but it feels more like a circumstance of a rushed schedule or odd-ball casting. It feels like Hollywood at its best since they just want us to have a good time.

I not only hope for a sequel, I hope for loving imitators who don't aspire to pretentious greatness (Rise of the Guardians), don't have something to immaturely prove (Man of Steel), and actually have their own story to tell even if its derivative (Star Trek into Darkness is not only a Rip-off of Wrath of con, but it is practically a sequel that is DEPENDANT on it).

This is not the degradation of film, this is the much needed laxative in a world of fast edited adaptations, sequels, and reboots with emo endings.

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.

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.