Pacific Rim Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Human-piloted robots must battle giant monsters invading Earth from a dimensional rift at the bottom of the Pacific ocean.

Review: I had intended to review this film back when it first hit theaters, but I was too caught up in my fandom of the material and wanted to wait for a second viewing for a more objective opinion; this same thing happened to me with "Man of Steel" which I'll get around to someday. Well, I'm happy to say this movie is just as badass as the day I first saw it! It's like seeing a live-action anime, that geeks like me have been dreaming about for years, at long last come into reality; now if only we could get that rumored "Robotech" ("Macross" for the purists) movie that's been in production hell for a decade. Some critics think "Pacific Rim" is a ripoff, but they fail to realize this is the ultimate homage to mecha-themed anime, especially the likes of "Neon Genesis Evangelion," and giant monster movies such as the "Godzilla" franchise. Sure, the plot isn't anything to write home about, but it's pure monster smashing fun from start to finish and you can't go wrong there!

So the story isn't really that complicated as there is a dimensional portal at the bottom of the Pacific ocean that allows giant monsters known as Kaiju to enter our world and wreak havoc. Since conventional weaponry did little damage to them, caused massive amounts of damage in the ensuing skirmish, and had the unintended side effect of spilling the Kaiju's toxic blood, the world's governments combined their resources to create giant robots, called Jaegers, to fight the Kaiju head to head. The Jaegers have a neural interface to the controls, but since this process is draining on a single person, the Jaegers employ two pilots sharing the controls. The main character, Raleigh, is sort of a washed up pilot after his brother's death, but he has the unique experience of being one of the few people to pilot a Jaeger solo. This leads to him coming out of retirement to pilot his old mech once more with the aid of his love interest, Mako, played by the awkwardly sexy Rinko Kikuchi. Since there are only a handful of Jaeger left, humanity faces its last ditch effort to defeat the Kaiju. The vast majority of the film is the CGI battle royale of the human-piloted Jaegers trying to stop the final Kaiju before Earth becomes completely overrun by the creatures. Eventually we learn that the Kaiju are biological weapons used by an alien race bent on conquering the world in the most unconventional manner ever. By the end, well, I think you can probably guess how a special effects driven summer blockbuster is going to end, right? Everyone dies. The end. Just kidding! Of course the heroes beat the Kaiju, Raleigh blows up the aliens, gets the girl, and cue "Star Wars"-esque celebration! Oh yeah baby!

You'd be surprised by how many aspects make a ridiculous plot like this work somehow. Obviously the effects are gorgeous--this was never going to work if things didn't look believable. The action gets your adrenaline pumping, remains constant, and you never notice that this film is over two hours long; you will most certainly not be disappointed in this regard. The looks of the Kaiju and Jaegers are impressive with some interesting and stylized designs; I really love the main Jaeger, Gypsy Danger, but I wish that Crimson Typhoon received more screen time before going down. Even though the plot and characters can come off as over the top, most of the actors bring utter conviction to their roles making things feel all the more awesome. I need to give special consideration for Ms. Kikuchi and Idris Elba, who plays the Marshal; these two really brought their characters to life and had an unusual relationship dynamic that should be explored more often whereby he was like her father figure/mentor. Even the background and secondary characters are fun and personable like the doctors that study the Kaiju; there are often times you want more backstory as is the case with the Chinese brothers or Herc. The only downside is that I wish there was a better lead even though I know Charlie Hunnam can act much better than this. Finally, there are so many nods, winks, and deliberate fan service strewn about this film in reference to other movies, anime, and franchises you could rack your brain trying to make all the connections; the general audience will not pick up on a lot, but dorks like me appreciate these details.

There are definitely flaws like the fact that the aliens supposedly invaded during the dinosaur eras and yet are still up to the same plan hundreds of millions of years later thanks to bull shit global warming? Yeah okay. Shouldn't they have advanced a bit between then and now, died off, or forgot about Earth? If you go into this film expecting anything more than a CGI spectacle, you will probably be sorely disappointed, but if you know that this is the equivalent of a live-action anime, then you should expect to have a good time. You've got cool characters, great visuals and art designs, a typical hero saves the day/gets the girl plot, kickass monsters and mechs, and relentless action to keep you engaged. Far from perfect, but if anything about this film is enticing you as far as action or wanting to see robots fight giant monsters, just watch this movie already! Hell, even if you thought this movie looked stupid, I bet you will be pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable this film is.

Notable Moment: The opening moments when we first see how the Kaiju came to our world and how the humans reacted by building the Jaegers. I wish more time had been spent on this material and the early stages of fighting the Kaiju.

Final Rating: 7/10