3.5 out of 5 stars
While the plot is outlandish and unremarkable, Pacific Rim provides solid entertainment for both sci-fi fans and mainstream audiences alike. The action-packed summer blockbuster, which features giant robots combating extraterrestrial monsters in the midst of an apocalypse, manages to deliver unique drama, despite a cliché storyline.
If almost any other filmmaker made this movie, it probably would’ve flopped. Yet Guillermo del Toro, critically acclaimed writer and director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, is able to take a pretty ridiculous concept and turn it into something interesting. Through precise detail he devotes to each shot and elaborately designed images he produces, del Toro creates a very anime-like feel, which pays tremendous tribute to Japanese cinema
Although the film relies heavily upon action to convey its thematic material, it is nonetheless paced very well, particularly for a summer blockbuster. Unlike the Transformers movies or this year’s Man of Steel, Pacific Rim contains action sequences that are not rushed or headache-inducing. Instead, del Toro is wise to allow audiences to absorb the images on screen, giving the film a very graphic novel feel.
Fans of anime classics such as Akira and Spirited Away will appreciate del Toro’s tribute to the genre in this film. Although it is live action, Pacific Rim relies heavily upon animation through continuous CGI effects.
The film opens with a voice-over narration from protagonist Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) that chronicles humanity’s war with a race of sea monsters known as the Kaiju. In order to fight these demonic creatures, humans develop specially designed robotic suits that they operate. This process involves linking a person’s mind to the suit itself as a means of manipulating it.
Following his brother’s death, Becket leaves the program for a number of years until resistance-leader Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) re-recruits him. Paired with trainee and love interest Mako Mori (Rinko Kukuchi), this former pilot must stop at nothing to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in order to save what’s left of the world
Elba and Ron Perlman deliver the best performances of Pacific Rim. Perlman portrays a black market dealer named Hannibal Chau who sells Kaiju body parts for a profit. Yet even then, Perlman is only there to pay homage to del Toro (having worked with him on Hellboy), and gets a fairly limited amount of screen time.
Hunnam gives a fairly unremarkable performance by playing a standard male hero. The rest of the cast acts well, but acting isn’t the stand-out feature in this film.
The script by del Toro and Travis Beacham, the man who co-wrote the pathetic Clash of the Titans from 2010, is nothing to marvel at. Guided by conventional plotlines and mixed with some pretty corny dialogue, it wouldn’t have been sufficient on its own without del Toro’s imagination to make it believable. Through the director’s innate cinematic ingenuity, the script’s flaws are overridden by the film’s visual appeal. As mentioned earlier, there’s never a dull shot, which makes for a visually enticing experience.
Del Toro once again demonstrates his obsession with bizarre fantasy and otherworldly stories. While this film is nowhere near as good as his previous works and would normally fall under the “rent it” category, its spectacular visuals make it worth seeing in theaters.
