I’ve tried to start this review about 15 times, and I can’t find any decent way to start it, so I’ll come straight out with it. Pacific Rim is AWESOME. The story is straight forward. Set in the not so distant future, a portal of sorts has opened up under the Pacific and gigantic Kaiju (giant monster – Japanese translation) crawl out of it from time to time and destroy city after city. To combat said monsters, the human race decided to build some monsters of their own, out of metal. Jaegers are gigantic robots, piloted by humans and quite quickly the pilots, who are linked together by their brains figure out how to really kick kaiju ass.
The sizes of the Kaiju are measured like tornadoes and hurricanes, with category 1 being quite small and category 5 being absolutely gigantic. As time goes by and the Jaegers get the upper hand on the Kaiju, the planet starts going back to some sense of normality. That is until bigger and badder Kaijus turn up and the Jaegers find they’ve got their extremely large robotic hands full. Can the Jaeger crews overcome their monstrous adversaries and close the pacific breach for good? And there you have it, Thats the story. Its straight forward to follow and won’t exactly melt your mind. What it will do is have you continuously scooping your jaw up off the ground. Pacific Rim looks absolutely flabbergastingly phenomenal.
John Knoll and his crew at Industrial Light & Magic have delivered some of their most impressive work in their illustrious history. The sheer sense of scale on display is unbelievable. Cities topple as giant monsters and Jaegers tear each other apart in set pieces that are as beautiful as they are insanely breath taking. As is the norm in most movies, set pieces usually go on for a few minutes, well in Pacific Rim, expect 15-20 minute set pieces. The battle in Hong Kong alone has some of the most amazing visual effects you will have ever seen. The Kaiju themselves are incredibly bad ass and each has an individual look and personality. They are a sight to behold but its the Jaegers that steal the show. For dumb old robots, they have an amazing sense of personality and each one has a beautiful style and look to them. You’ll quickly be picking your favourite.
Away from giant robots and monsters, a decent cast add to the enjoyment. Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Charlie Day put in some pretty impressive performances. But its Ron Perlman who is absolutely brilliant and incredibly over the top and hilarious. Obviously, none of them are going to be getting any awards for what they do, but they command superb screen presence and are immensely likeable. Helped by the chemistry between them and the occasional one liner that will bring a smile or two. Theres even a nod to Han Solo in there too!
Its relatively hard to find fault with Pacific Rim, but on occasion it drags its feet a little bit and you do feel like you’re waiting around a bit for the next giant set piece. That said, the set pieces will have audiences spoiled, so people can’t be blamed for lusting after the next one. Another small gripe is the finale is a little bit predictable, especially the reason for the attacks from the Kaiju. Granted, its only a small gripe but noticeable none the less.In fairness though, and as one would expect from Guillermo Del Toro, the cast of characters are far from an after thought and the development of the cast is well handled and goes a long way to adding some decent substance to a movie that many would expect to be lacking.
At 131 minutes, there is serious bang for your buck in Pacific Rim. This is not only the movie of the summer but its the greatest action blockbuster of the last 5 years. Simply put, Pacific Rim is one of the greatest experiences you will ever have in a cinema. Jawdroppingly phenomenal!!
