Review of Pacific Rim (2013) by Mitchell B — 01 Oct 2014

Pacific Rim is a great popcorn flick and a blast at the movies. Watching this film gave me feelings of nostalgia of sorts. This movie was like a mecha anime and a Godzilla film meshed together, and it is awesome. Since I am a fan of both anime and Godzilla I was really looking forward to this film, and it did not disappoint. If you are looking for a complex and deep film this is not for you. If you are looking for a great time at the movies definitely give this a look. I like that this is something original rather than a sequel, remake, or an adaption of something like Hollywood likes to do these days. I really hope that this film does well so that studios will be compelled to take more risks again.

The story is quite simple and strait forward. A portal to another dimension appears and the bottom of the Pacific Ocean which is called the Bridge. Giant monsters rise up through the portal and start wreaking havoc in our world. In response we build giant robots called Jaegers to fight them. The movie gives us a brief synopsis and drops us in the middle of the war so we can get right to the action, which I think is a good move. The story is simple, but sometimes simple is the way to go. This is one of those times.

The characters are fine. You are not going to this film for complex characters, but the characters are enjoyable for the most part and get the job done. The main character, Becket (Charlie Hunnam) is a bit bland but I liked him. I like that he has been a pilot before and knows the ropes and is not a rookie. Usually in these types of films the main character is a rookie that needs to learn the ropes and becomes strong at the end. However, Becket is highly skilled, is a great pilot, and is not cocky or overly obnoxious, which I highly appreciate.

They did the rookie thing with the other main character, Mako (Rinko Kikuchi). She is a rookie in that she has never piloted a real jaeger before. However, she has been affiliated with the organization for a long time and learns how to pilot a jaeger very quickly. She is also very skilled in regular combat as well. Plus, like Becket, she is not overly cocky. Usually the female characters like her are extremely cocky where it is annoying. She kind of is at the beginning but not too much. She also has an interesting backstory as well. I ended up really liking her too.

Then there is Stacker Pentecost played by Idris Elba. He is my favorite character in the movie. First of all Idris Elba is an amazing actor. In every movie I have seen him in he gives a great performance. This is probably my favorite performance of his which is saying a lot. He has a very commanding voice. He also has a great presence to him. The speech he gives at the end of the film is epic.

The side characters are hit or miss for me. The two scientists in the film I did not care for. I thought they were too over-the-top even for a film like this. I like the appearance by Ron Perlman, though I wish that had more to do. The Max Martini's character Herc I did not like at all. He was a giant ass in the beginning and it was really irritating. They tried to make him more likable later but it did not work for me.

The best aspect of the film by leaps and bounds is the action. The action was phenomenal. The effects were outstanding. I cannot comment on the 3D aspect since I did not see it in 3D. The action really sucks you in and gives your adrenaline pumping. The action scenes are on par with the ones in Man of Steel in my opinion.

Overall, Pacific Rim is a great summer movie and should definitely be seen. This film is not for everyone. This film mostly aims at guys. However, some girls will probably enjoy it too. If you want a fun action movie definitely check it out. I really hope that this film does well.