As a child of the late 80s and early 90s it was hard to miss out on the greatness of Voltron, the Power Rangers and even VR Troopers (do they count?), so becoming obsessed with giant fighting robots came relatively easy to me. There was obviously some crossover during those shows as many of the heroes would fight giant monsters and so one thing lead to another and soon I was watching the Godzilla marathons multiple times a year for years on end. That being said, you can only imagine the level of excitement that poured through my body as I frolicked to the theater in anticipation of screening Guillermo del Toro’s giant monsters vs. giant robots film, Pacific Rim.
In Pacific Rim, alien monsters, known as kaiju, have found a way into the human world via a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Originally thought of as an isolated incident, more kaiju kept coming through, causing destruction on a massive scale forcing most people on coastal cities to evacuate inland. Due to the escalating kaiju problem, the world came together with each nation building their own 250 foot Jaegers (German for Hunter) to help defend the coasts from these beasts.
To operate these machines, two pilots are needed because the neural connection needed to operate one is too powerful for one human. To connect the pilots together a process called drifting is used in which their brains become one, memories are shared, and soon they’re able to act instinctively with each other, acting as the left and right hemisphere of this robot. The key is that they must be compatible otherwise the Jaeger won’t work and leaves it open for any attack. This is the main weakness of the Jaegers and also where the human element of the film comes in.
At first these massive mech warriors were winning, but soon the caliber and size of each kaiju was increasing with each one learning for past kaiju failures. In the beginning we are introduced to Raleigh Beckett (Charlie Hunnam), the co-pilot of Gypsy Danger but after an incident that leaves Danger in ruins, Raleigh leaves the service to work in construction. Years go by and the number and magnitude of each kaiju attack increases and soon the world doesn’t think they’re an effective means of protecting society. Eventually, Marshall Pentecost (Idris Elba), the leader of the Jaeger resistance, tracks Raleigh down and invites him back and soon he is teamed up with a young and bright individual named Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi-who was my favorite character). With the help of a duo of nerds, Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Gottlieb (Burn Gorman), who are trying to figure out how the kaiju operate with aid from a Kaiju illegal parts dealer (Ron Perlman) , and assistance from other Jaeger teams, the mission is to find a way to destroy the bridge that connects the kaiju world to the earth.
I had only watched one trailer for this film and that was back at the 2012 NYCC and since then my only exposure to the film has been through stills and various poster art. As a result when I stepped into that theater my notion of what the scope would be like was way off. The opening scene of the film introduces us to some of our main characters but it’s the battle between Gypsy Danger and a kaiju that give us a sense of scope and how massive these mech warriors and monsters really are. It becomes even truer when you see Danger fall next to two humans using a metal detector on a beach. Everything about this movie is mammoth but del Toro also makes sure to show off the minuscule, giving us some human perspective as well.
Inspired by anime and various Kaiju and monster movies of the 
past, each Jaeger has its own personality and style just like the Kaiju, it’s that level of detail that I love about the film. One Jaeger called Cherno Alpha looks exactly like something you’d see out of Russia, heavy, old, plain looking and something you wouldn’t mess with, exactly like the country itself. Gypsy Danger, the main one our heroes pilot, is very American, it reminds you of a cowboy ready to rock. As for the Kaiju, there’s one that looks like a giant version of Dilophosaurus, the dinosaur that spits the poison in Jurassic park, while another looks like a giant gorilla reminiscent of King Kong, and let me say the fight with that one is unreal.
The battles in Pacific Rim are nothing short of breathtaking; they’re the type of battles that remind us why we go to the movies and why we need original properties like this to give us a wonderful surprise. Everything about them and the world we reside in is so intricately done that at times it doesn’t’ even seem like CGI. There is one scene in particular that I’m calling the Hong Kong battle that will blow your f*cking mind. It’s a 20 minute kaiju/Jaeger battle that starts off at sea and rages on into the city. The monsters are massive and destroy anything in their path while the jaegers take their level of badassity up a notch, especially Gypsy Danger who decides to use a tanker as a baseball bat. I mean the level of awesomeness in this scene is enough to keep you happy for a month. There is one point during the fight in the ocean where my jaw literally dropped, unconsciously, and stayed that way for a minute, it was a really surreal moment for me and one that shows the true power that scene had over me.
The film is not without its flaws in character and story and I’m willing to admit that despite my complete and utter love for the film, its concept and, most importantly, it’s big ass fight sequences. Let’s start with the dialogue, man, some of it sounds like it’s coming from a G rated family film and the flat delivery from certain performers doesn’t help it at all. It’s an issue that plagues the film throughout but thankfully during the massive fights we get a break. I personally don’t feel Charlie Hunnam is a leading man and his performance felt like a worse Taylor Kitsch in John Carter, they just shouldn’t be the point men. Furthermore, since this is a new world there are areas that need to be explained but sometimes they go too far in explaining things, multiple times, so that the dumbest of the dumb can understand which wastes time for most people that understand it from the get go.
At its core though, Pacific Rim knows exactly what kind of film it is and Guillermo del Toro is well aware of that. This is an epic form of PG-13 escapism, one filled with silly ideas as much as it is filled with badass creations and for me, this idea of escapism is the most important part. It’s giant robots for 
giant monsters for God’s sake, do you really need more? It’s also a global all ages action adventure that shows the power of mankind when we’re able to come together as a team to solve problem. Yes, we expect Guillermo to deliver us good storytelling and while that doesn’t necessarily shine through the action and effects are enough to show you a fantastic time and have you cheering in your seats as if you were watching Rocky fight.
Is it the next Star Wars? I wouldn’t necessarily say so. Does it have the potential to go down that path? If it does well enough and improves some of its writing then it sure does. This is a world that I want to keep exploring. I plan on reading the prequel graphic novel and investing more time and money into this franchise then I care to admit but the fact of the matter is if you want a cinematic experience that makes you feel like a child watching Godzilla in black and white or in color for the first time, Pacific Rim is the movie that’ll take you to that place.
Rating: An impressive and epic adventure that is at its best when it’s going big. This is pure escapism and the best time you’ll have in a theater this summer (7.4/10)
Recent Comments