Release Date: July 12th, 2013
Director: Guillermo del Toro
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Film Pulse Score: 7/10
In a summer full of big budget disappointments, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim is a breath of fresh air. Sure, it follows all the big budget popcorn movie tropes, but the incredible visuals and just plain awesomeness of it all makes up for it in spades. This is the big, loud, stylish action flick Transformers wishes it could be.
The film begins with a quick explanation of what’s happening in this world, via voiceover from Charlie Hunnam who plays Raleigh Becket, Jaeger pilot and the film’s lead. A Jaeger is a giant robot used to fight the Kaiju, a species of mysterious monsters that came to Earth through a portal in the Pacific Ocean.
While there is certainly an attempt at creating a mythology here, the main draw to Pacific Rim is its action and visuals. Guillermo del Toro has always had a knack for creating interesting and unique worlds, having previously done such films as Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hell Boy series, and this is no exception. Although the Kaiju themselves are varied in design, they aren’t really the standout here. It’s the design of the Jaegers and how they operate that proves to be the most interesting.
Every time a Jaeger is on the screen, there’s an overwhelming sense of scale that makes you believe these machines are real, or at least could be sometime in the future. The interior shots were just as impressive, with every control component having detail and complexity. With scratches and worn paint, it was clear that these machines were meant to look like they’ve been through the ringer.
The action sequences were huge and very fun as well. Unfortunately, they all take place either at night or at the bottom of the ocean, so it’s tough to see everything in detail, however they were all still very satisfying. Seeing a Jaeger use a huge cargo ship as a baseball bat, or eviscerate a Kaiju with a giant sword is some of the most fun you’ll have in the theater this summer.
There were a few plot holes and logic problems that occurred, but any of these issues are quickly forgotten once the action ramps up. One of the most problematic elements for me was the concept of “drifting,” which is how the two pilots work together to synchronize the controls of the Jaeger. The system essentially combines the left brain hemisphere of one pilot with the right hemisphere of another, and the two share their memories, thoughts, and fears. This concept was actually more difficult to swallow for me than the construction of the Jaegers themselves.
Like many big summer action-fests, Pacific Rim injects a decent amount of comedy into the script, which works for the most part. Charlie Day and Burn Gorman play scientists working to understand the Kaiju more and develop a way to close the portal for good. This sub-plot provided some nice comic relief to an otherwise grim humorless story, and it also helped break up the action and deepen the mythology.
Pacific Rim is a film that excels in what it sets out to do. It’s a love letter to the classic Japanese monster movie that’s geared toward ravenous nerds like myself. It’s style over substance, but sometimes that isn’t always a bad thing. When a movie can be this fun, it’s tough to knock it on things like plot and script. No one who goes to see this film should be concerned with those things either, just sit back and enjoy the ridiculous amount of robot vs. monster mayhem you’re about to witness.
