Story
In the not so distant future, a strange hole opens up in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. What comes through this hole are gigantic monster aliens that put Godzilla to shame. After their first initial appearances, the world governments decide to band together to build humongous Gundam-style mechs called Jaegers . These mechs (that require two people to mind-meld in order to pilot them) are the world’s only hope against the giant aliens (known as Kaijus). However there is a slight problem to the Earth’s resistance. With each attack, the Kaijus get bigger and more aggressive. Can humanity rely on their war-machines to save the planet or will the Kaijus prove too powerful for the human race to withstand?
Review
I will not lie. I was rather concerned when I saw the first few trailers for Pacific Rim. It isn’t uncommon for a blockbuster action film to showcase the best parts in its trailer but there are those moments where what they show are the only good scenes in the entire movie. I was worried that Pacific Rim would give us a small teaser fight followed by a ton of useless characters, humor, and dialogue, followed by a finale fight that is primarily showcased during the trailer.
Thankfully, this was not the case. The movie is able to balance action and storytelling rather well. We get just enough of the bone-crunching monster-vs-machine action before moving onward with the character development.
The movie is visually beautiful. There is a fantastic blend between bluescreen backgrounds and live sets. What stands out the most, expectedly, are the Jaegers and the Kaijus. The Kaijus are a strange mixture between earth-like animals and alien-like beasts. They literally look like they have stepped straight out of an anime. The same goes with the Jaegers. What I really like about the Jaegers is the fact that each one of them is customized around their country of origin. The Russian’s Jaeger, for example, is based around the Russian T-series tank whereas the American Jaeger is based around New York architecture and John Wayne’s walking style.
Speaking of the Jaegers, the action scenes involving them were great. Each Jaeger had its own speed, agility, and fighting styles; as did the Kaijus that they were facing off against. They both moved with a slow yet powerful speed that really conveyed just how big and heavy these beasts are.
Sadly it is rather difficult to enjoy the level of detail due to the fact that a majority of the battles take place during night and usually during a rain storm. While this may make the action more dynamic, it really makes it difficult to understand what exactly you are looking at. There were several times throughout the movie where I lost track of which Kaiju was which. These moments weren’t so distracting that they ruined the action, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing at least one or two fights take place during the day time (there is one but it is very brief).
Thankfully, this was not the case. The movie is able to balance action and storytelling rather well. We get just enough of the bone-crunching monster-vs-machine action before moving onward with the character development.
The movie is visually beautiful. There is a fantastic blend between bluescreen backgrounds and live sets. What stands out the most, expectedly, are the Jaegers and the Kaijus. The Kaijus are a strange mixture between earth-like animals and alien-like beasts. They literally look like they have stepped straight out of an anime. The same goes with the Jaegers. What I really like about the Jaegers is the fact that each one of them is customized around their country of origin. The Russian’s Jaeger, for example, is based around the Russian T-series tank whereas the American Jaeger is based around New York architecture and John Wayne’s walking style.
Speaking of the Jaegers, the action scenes involving them were great. Each Jaeger had its own speed, agility, and fighting styles; as did the Kaijus that they were facing off against. They both moved with a slow yet powerful speed that really conveyed just how big and heavy these beasts are.
Sadly it is rather difficult to enjoy the level of detail due to the fact that a majority of the battles take place during night and usually during a rain storm. While this may make the action more dynamic, it really makes it difficult to understand what exactly you are looking at. There were several times throughout the movie where I lost track of which Kaiju was which. These moments weren’t so distracting that they ruined the action, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing at least one or two fights take place during the day time (there is one but it is very brief).
In terms of story, Pacific Rim is nothing that you haven’t seen before. It follows a basic plot and it isn’t that hard to guess what will happen next. I won’t say this is a bad thing, however, because of the fact that the story is still presented onto the audience in a very entertaining manner. You really want to learn more about the characters, see them overcome their inner demons, and face off against these aliens.
There are two characters that stand out above the rest and it was obvious that they were inserted into the movie to give some form of comic relief. Thankfully they were not one trick ponies as they prove to become an important part to the war effort. I would go into further detail, but I feel it would be better if you were introduced to them yourself rather than learning about them from me and then expecting them to show up. Surprises are always fun, right?
Overall, I enjoyed Pacific Rim. It brought back memories of movies like Cloverfield, Godzilla, and Power Rangers. The action is top notch and the monster designs are spectacular. While the movie does kick in some clichés along the road, these are not so distracted as to cause you to lose interest in the film. A true anime brought to life, I highly recommend this movie if you like monsters, explosions, and giant mechs.
There are two characters that stand out above the rest and it was obvious that they were inserted into the movie to give some form of comic relief. Thankfully they were not one trick ponies as they prove to become an important part to the war effort. I would go into further detail, but I feel it would be better if you were introduced to them yourself rather than learning about them from me and then expecting them to show up. Surprises are always fun, right?
Overall, I enjoyed Pacific Rim. It brought back memories of movies like Cloverfield, Godzilla, and Power Rangers. The action is top notch and the monster designs are spectacular. While the movie does kick in some clichés along the road, these are not so distracted as to cause you to lose interest in the film. A true anime brought to life, I highly recommend this movie if you like monsters, explosions, and giant mechs.