Review of Pacific Rim (2013) by Spencer H — 08 Jan 2016

Guillermo del Toro's thrilling, captivating giant monsters vs. giant robots epic, which is a pure summer blockbuster of the best kind, filled with suspense, drama, wit, and plenty of awesome visual effects eye-candy.

The straightforward story concerns an all-out assault on the earth of the near future by a race of gigantic alien reptile-like monsters called Kaiju, which is the Japanese word for giant beast. They emerge at increasingly frequent intervals from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean through a portal that connects to another dimension.

Millions of people have been killed and their coastline cities totally destroyed by these relentless titanic behemoths. Making the governments of the world join forces and together they create the Jaegar program, a new powerful weapon system.

Jaegar is the German word for hunter, they are towering 25-story-high robots warriors, which are piloted by two humans who synchronize their brain patters to operate these giant mechanized weapons. The Jaegar robots are humanity's last hope to stop the rampaging Kaijus from taking over our world.

What really makes this motion picture work so well, aside from Guillermo del Toro's meticulous direction, is the exceptional cast that bring the characters to vivid life, beginning with the handsome Charlie Hunnam, who delivers a superb, charismatic performance as Raleigh Becket, a former ace Jaegar pilot, Rinko Kikuchi in a superb turn as Mako, the untested pilot and new partner to Releigh, Idris Elba who delivers a truly commanding, noteworthy performance as Marshal Pentecost, the leader of the Jaegar robot force, then there is the hilarious scene-stealing team of Charlie Day & Burn Gorman, as a pair of brilliant, nerdy scientists trying to figure a way to stop these giant monsters, they are a total joy.

Special kudos must go to Ron Perlman for his impressive, amusing performance as an Hong Kong underworld boss named Hannibal Chow. The battle sequences between the gigantic Jaegar robots and the monstrous Kaiju creatures are truly memorable and exciting, as are the stunning visual effects, the impressive cinematography by Guillermo Navarro, and the exquisite original musical score by Ramin Djawad.

One of the best and most enjoyable genre films in years. Bravo Mr. del Toro! Highly Recommended.