“Today we are canceling the apocalypse!” —Stacker Pentecost
Today’s quick review: Pacific Rim. When an interdimensional rift opens at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, unleashing the enormous monsters known as Kaiju to ravage Earth’s cities, humanity responds by constructing Jaegers, towering mechanical suits of armor designed to fight the Kaiju hand-to-hand. Pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) joins a multinational team of Jaeger pilots led by Marshall Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba). Together with Pentecost’s adoptive daughter (Rinko Kikuchi), an Australian pilot and his ornery son (Max Martini and Robert Kazinsky), a pair of quirky Kaiju scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman), and a black market Kaiju parts dealer (Ron Perlman), Becket embarks on a desperate mission to take the fight to the Kaiju.
Pacific Rim is an action sci-fi movie from director Guillermo del Toro that crosses a deep love for the mech genre with fantastic special effects and capable storytelling. Pacific Rim promises and delivers exactly one thing: mechs fighting monsters. Everything else about the movie is designed to make this simple premise as effecting as possible. The result is an exhilarating, action-packed film that plays its premise to the fullest.
The fighting in Pacific Rim is immensely satisfying. Titanic mechs brawl with monstrous behemoths in the shallows of the Pacific and the streets of Hong Kong. Each of the Jaegers has its own unique character, from the indomitable Russian rust bucket Cherno Alpha to the swift, top-of-the-line Striker Eureka. For their part, the Kaiju are horrendous amalgams of sea creatures with the sheer destructive power of hurricanes. The two collide in a spectacular blaze of digital effects, lumbering punches, and property destruction.
The universe of Pacific Rim is remarkable as well, filled to the brim with small touches that bring it to life. From the fleets of helicopters that carry the Jaegers to their fights to the Category system of Kaiju classification, Pacific Rim is a film that wholeheartedly embraces the mech genre and all it has to offer. None of the characters are all that deep, but they fit the world perfectly and are interesting enough to drive the human side of the plot. The whole thing is backed by an electric guitar soundtrack that amplifies every scene from its swaggering first notes to the thunder of its final bass hit.
Watch Pacific Rim if you enjoy big, spectacular fights. Those who are the slightest bit interested in the premise will get a lot out of the movie, while those who are not will get almost nothing. Enjoyment requires a healthy inner child and the willingness to sacrifice substance for spectacle. But for a viewer who is on board, Pacific Rim is a fantastic movie that delivers fun in spades.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.5 for craftmanship, intensity, and sheer fun.