Pacific Rim was dubbed
as Transformers vs Godzilla(s), and in a way it is. But don’t think of this in
a bad way, it delivers exactly what it promises, a hugely entertaining piece of
blockbuster entertainment. This is in no doubt due to Guillermo Del Toro, who
brings his unique visual style and love for monsters, of all kinds, to this
film.
The plot for the film is straight forward, giants monsters,
known as Kaiju emerge from a wormhole known as ‘the breach’ in the Pacific
ocean and in response humanity creates Jaegers, giant robots to fight them. We
join the battle as the plans for a final assault on the breach are being put
together. Our main character and hero is Raleigh , played by Charlie Hunnam,
who is brought back to pilot one of the last Jaegers, but first has to find a
partner to drift with.
Drifting, is a crucial part of both the Jaegers and the plot
as a whole. In order to pilot these gigantic machines, two pilots are required
to handle the massive strain. So that two people can act as one, they have to
share memories, opening up their minds to each other, so that they can work
together. The film touches on this throughout the story, especially during a memorable
flashback sequence, featuring one of Raleigh’s co-pilot potentials, Mako Mori
(played by Rinko Kikuchi). Where we see the effects it has on her, and the
affect it has on the other pilot. If there is a sequel, this is one of the
parts of the films world that I would hope they delve deeper into.
The films action scenes are its strongest aspect, and I
think it is fair to say that this is what most people expected to be the
biggest draw, and they certainly don’t disappoint. The opening fight we see is
one of the most tense action sequences I have seen this year. The danger that
the Kaiju exude is blatantly obvious, they are terrifying, near unstoppable
beasts which take a monumental effort to put down. The highlight of the film is
it’s mid point battle where we see all of the remaining Jaegers in battle
against a host of Kaiju, the sequence is quite long, but Del Toro handles it
well. Where he cuts between the machines and beasts, the pilots and the
civilians on the ground.
This is a Del Toro film, but in varying degrees throughout
the film. The Kaiju are undoubtedly from his brain and one of his famous
notebooks, along with the sections with Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) and his
team in their elegant laboratory. The large battles and the more military parts
of the film feel less like him, which consequently makes them a little less
engaging and original as these other parts. But no matter what part of the film
you watch, it all looks absolutely stunning (the viewing I saw was in 2d).
The major criticism of the film is its dialogue and is the
only real complaint you could level at the film. It is basic, maybe in a
stripped down way that was planned, but it never really works. The ideas and
principals come across, but none of it really sticks. In all honesty, I think
all it would have taken is to have one more pass on the script, to just dial it
back a bit and give the actors something better to work with.Overall, this is a film that is what it is and is unashamedly proud of it, instead of shying away from its concept and idea, but it storms full force towards it and its grand spectacle.
