If you're like me, sometimes when you're at the movies you just want to shut your brain off, eat your popcorn and have a good time. Don't get me wrong, I value depth and intelligence in film very highly, but sometimes it's good to take a break from that and just be entertained. That is exactly what Pacific Rim delivers: a fun, immensely entertaining feast for the eyes that captures the essence of the summer blockbuster.
Plot
The story that this movie tells is fittingly simple. The movie comes in several decades after giant monsters called Kaiju began coming out of a rift in the pacific ocean. To combat the beasts, we created giant robotic suits called Jaegers. This strategy worked for many years, until when this movie begins. Kaiju attacks are becoming more frequent, and the monsters themselves are getting larger. Jaegers are being destroyed faster than they are being built. It is decided that in order to stop the Kaiju and save the human race, the rift must be closed, with the help of an ex-Jaeger pilot and a promising trainee. The plot of this movie succeeds where movies such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen failed. It doesn't attempt to be convoluted and complicated, so there isn't much to get confused about. The good guys need to close the portal that the bad guys are coming through. The end. That isn't to say that there aren't any subplots, but the main focus of the movie is kept simple and to the point, which fits this movie well. This could also be regarded as a fault with the movie, depending on what you come to the theater wanting to see, but in my mind this is a plus.
Acting/Writing
Like with the story, the acting in this movie is nothing spectacular or innovative. The only real standout performance is Idris Elba as Stacker Pentacost, an ex-Jaeger pilot with an endearingly gruff demeanour. Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi are definitely passable as the two main characters, while not really bringing anything all that interesting to the table. Charlie Day as Dr. Newton Gieszler brings some comic relief to the film, and Guillermo Del Toro's favorite Ron Perlman makes an appearance (much to my delight). Unfortunately, a lot of the characters sometimes come across as just being there as plot devices, and don't really serve much purpose other than their role in the story. The dialogue of the movie is not the best, and while it doesn't sink to the cringe-inducing lows of the Transformers series, there are a few moments of eye-rolling humor. Other than that, the dialogue isn't special but isn't bad either.
Visuals/Audio
This is where the movie really begins to shine. In every fight scene (and there are many), you can feel Del Toro's passion bleeding through. You can feel that he loved making this movie, and really allowed his inner kid to go nuts. That childish feeling is definitely infectious, and you end up feeling like you're a 10 year old kid again by the end. These fights are absolutely ENORMOUS, which is fitting considering the combatants are 30 stories tall each. Transformers' fight scenes were very confusing, and it was sometimes hard to tell what was what. However, the fights in this movie are slow enough that you can actually take in what is happening and squeal in boyish delight. The fights remind me in many ways of 2011's Real Steel, except on a much larger scale. Also, everything looks great. I can't remember a time in the movie when the visuals were not gorgeous and convincing. The design is also pitch perfect, both on the Jaegers and Kaiju. The many varieties of Kaiju keep the fights fresh and interesting; some of them fly, some of them swim, etc. There are lots of cool lighting effects as well, that make the combat even more cool to look at. Also, this is one of the very few movies that I would recommend seeing in 3D. The movie made great use of the effect, and it actually added to the immersion. I would also recommend seeing this movie in Imax, so you can get the full experience as far as sound goes. This is a movie that needs to be loud.
This movie made me happy when I was watching it. I wasn't thinking deep thoughts, I wasn't analysing the actors, and I wasn't picking apart the plot. I was just watching giant robots punching giant monsters in the face, and that aspect was so well done that it took away any other niggling problems with the movie I might have had. If you're willing to turn off your brain and become a kid again for 2 hours, watch this movie. You won't regret it. Score:8/10
Content
Obviously violence is a very prevalent thing in this movie, and the fights are almost pervasive. There isn't much violence involving people, but the Kaiju are dispatched in some pretty gruesome ways. Swearing is kept to a minimum, with only standard PG-13 language. There is no sexual content.
