Review - Pacific Rim (2013)

Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Charlie Day.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Is it Godzilla? No. Is it Transformers? No. Is it Power Rangers? No. Is it Gundam Wing? No. Pacific Rim is all of these films but in its own fun and exciting way. Guillermo del Toro directs one of the most exciting movies this summer and one of the most visually impressive action film you'll ever see.

The plot is pretty straight-forward. The film opens up with a brief history; Humanity has come under attack from large alien beasts called Kaijus, who emerged from an inter-dimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean - hence the title Pacific Rim. To combat these beasts, humans, led by Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) build gigantic robots called Jaegers. The Jaegers are controlled by two pilots inside of them whose brain functions are linked. Like your typical end-of-world blockbuster plot, and from the words of Idris Elba, the Jaegers must cancel the apocalypse!

After we get a good introduction of their history, the movie jumps right into the excitement. Director Guillermo Del Toro wasted no time. Idris Elba does a good job as the commander, Charlie Hunnam plays the lead Raleigh Becket and though his character isn't that memorable - he didn't take anything away from the movie. At least he had good chemistry with his partner Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). The two wacky scientists played by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman provided much of the film's comic relief and was key to plot developments but there were times when I felt they were a bit too much.

Pacific Rim could have easily been a disaster but it turned out pretty good. The movie is perfectly paced and I like the fact that Del Toro didn't try to suffocate the entire movie with action sequences. He took some time out to have us get to know the main characters - even through their Jaeger memories. He assembles a bunch of mostly unknown actors and amidst all the action, he was still able to have us care about each and we had fun with them along the way. The large scale action sequences however, is what makes Pacific Rim one of the best movies this summer. A movie entirely of giant monsters battling giant robots with constant destruction would probably come off as messy and cheesy - but not in this movie. The visuals are eye-popping and the CGI looked impressive on a large scale. I was amazed how you are able to see every detail of these gigantic battles; I could feel the intensity as well. I just love how Del Toro has the audience manoeuvring inside and outside of the Jaegers with the pilots, whilst battling the Kaijus. Whether it was in the daylight or in the night or in the rain, the visual effects in Pacific Rim looked stunning nonetheless.

Yes the movie has a cliched script and a cliched ending but Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim was jaw-dropping, fun and visually impressive. Sequel? Yes.


Rating: 8/10

PS - The 3D was great.