Movie Review- Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim- When I first heard about the idea of giant robots fighting giant monsters, I was concerned. In the world of Transformers, Michael Bay, and Megashark vs Giant Octopus, how good could it really be? Then, I heard the name that would give me hope- Guillermo Del Toro. While there have been films of his (and films that he’s produced) that haven’t been my cup of tea, I can never say that they were poorly made. So, then, my hopes went up for this film.
Luckily, they did not come crashing down.
The human storyline is, let’s face it, basically Top Gun. Our hero suffers a crushing loss of someone about whom he cares deeply, he loses his faith in his world, and then is brought in to battle the bad guys one last time but now, must learn to trust again and work together with a team. The big difference is that in this film, the one he must trust is a female pilot, and they’re battling giant monsters, not Russians. But, otherwise, it’s not too different. Luckily, the actors make it work and they are not just the purely good-looking stereotypes found in most horror or action films.
By far the best part of this film is the fact that it creates its own world and history right out of the gate. The first 10 minutes are densely packed with information and could have been their own film, setting up sequels that may or may not come. Instead, that’s just the pre-opening sequence teaser.
But, Del Toro creates a world and tells a story, all at once, something that Hollywood rarely does anymore. Most times, they will try to set up a sequel for franchise possibilities. Luckily, that is not done here and I think the film is stronger for it.
Even though this film takes place on Earth, the civilization it creates is something out of Star Wars or Blade Runner. There is plenty of story to keep you interested and to connect the dots, but also, a lot of shading around the sides- events that are never directly discussed but mentioned in passing, a whole group that has started to idolize the monsters and worshipped them is mentioned but never discussed, and other characters backstories are skimmed over because they are not crucial to this specific plot. This seems like a perfect film for fanboys to latch onto and from which, create fan fiction. There are plenty of ‘Boba Fett’ type characters who are intriguing in their own right.
Not only that, but the action is amazingly fun to watch as well! Each new monster that appears is a new threat to our team and they must find a new way to defeat it. Each battle causes more distress and wear on the characters. Each battle ratchets the tension up exponentially and they warn of a massive event, which is obviously going to be the “Big Bad” at then end., and the final battle lives up to the hype. I am surprised that I did not break my wife’s hand because I was squeezing so tight in spots.
The action is well choreographed so that, even in the dark and in the water, you never lose sight of who is winning or losing and what is happening. The effects are stunning and I actually believed in the giant robots fighting the giant monsters.
The music is perfect and appropriate for this film. In just the few days since I have seen the film, I have had it playing whenever possible and have discovered that even while discussing grocery lists or reading spiritual books, it ups the ante. This is definitely a score soundtrack to buy!
The only tiny, miniscule issue that I had with this film is that it could have used a bit more humor. While there are humorous moments, it does lose sight of that one area of the story/characters. However, it is so much FUN, the humor isn’t missed too much.
Somehow, as I write this, moviegoers aren't going in droves to see this film and I have no idea why! Instead, Grown Ups 2 is making more money than pacific Rim. Really???? How is this happening?
As far as I am concerned, Del Toro has done it again and created the best original movie of the summer! Please go see it!

Film rating- 9
Movie rating- 9