2013: The Year in Film: "Pacific Rim" Review

Guillermo Del Toro is one of the oddest, most distinctive, and most undeniably talented filmmakers working today. If you've seen Pan's Labyrinth or either of the Hellboy films, you know that the man can create creepy, otherworldly creatures like no one else working in film today and also direct a hell of an action scene. He's also rather notorious in Hollywood for biting off more than he can chew - it's not at all unusual for Del Toro to have his name attached to 4 or more projects at once, with everyone under the full-blown knowledge that there's no way that 3 of those 4 are actually happening. He was attached to the Hobbit for a long period of time and actually began pre-production prior to leaving due to delays associated with other projects, for one particularly glaring example. At any rate, we've been hearing whispers of his long-gestating passion project "Pacific Rim" for a long time. We knew it featured giant monsters vs. giant robots, but beyond that, Pacific Rim remained a mystery until footage started leaking out last year. And well, it looked silly. A lot of that is due to the concept itself, but putting together a boldly, proudly ridiculous premise based on an entirely new mythology is a bold move in today's Hollywood climate where every summer franchise is based on existing, adapted material. The reviews started hinting that this one may be more than meets the eye, and Del Toro at this point should have our trust, so how is it?

It's the near future and giant inter-dimensional monsters called Kaiju have been rising from deep beneath the Pacific ocean, wrecking havoc on coastal areas and cities. In response to the increasing stream of attacks, mankind came together to fight the threat by pooling resources and building gigantic robots called Jaegars, hundreds of feet tall, that are controlled via neural-link by two pilots.  As the war begins to turn southward for humanity, a small group bands together to try to stop the attacks.

The Good: To say that this flick was a pleasant surprise might just be the understatement of the century, as there isn't much that this flick doesn't do well. The plot is presented in probably the least silly way this material could possibly be presented, and there are legitimate stakes on battles that easily could have become destruction porn in the hands of someone like Zack Snyder or Michael Bay. This is material that's rationally explained and presented in a plausible way, something many action flicks have been want to do in the last decade. Entirely due to Del Toro's involvement, the monsters and robots are all distinct, with different attributes and designs that turn them almost into characters themselves. We are really given the impression that this is a worldwide effort, and that's something that's often lost in apocalypse movies. The cast, while not Oscar-worthy by any means, is solid, and plays well-drawn characters who have cohesive motivations and arcs. Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Hunnam are the highlights, although surprisingly Charlie Day (of Always Sunny fame) does not seem out of place. It's interesting to note just how rare wholly original big event pictures really are. Over the last 5 years or so we've had Avatar, Inception and now Pacific Rim... and that's about it. And we often lose something in the translation.. there's certainly something to say for developing a mythology and world all your own for the big screen and going in fresh, it makes for a fun time. Worth noting is that this flick, despite ostensibly featuring the most destructive set-up of all recent action flicks, actually features significantly less destruction than say, Man of Steel. We never cross the line into disaster porn, and that would have been EXTREMELY easy to do. I can't praise the CGI and the action sequences enough. They are crisp and intense without being too long or ever giving the impression of being gratuitous. THIS is how you direct an action scene, guys. Something this flick does well that's often an underrated part of a great movie is a strong score. It's never distracting, but adds to the entire aesthetic and really fleshes out the flick.


The Bad: my primary complaint is that all the battles take place either underwater or in the rain at night. I understand that this makes CGI cheaper and makes it look better, but sometimes it can be a LITTLE hard to follow what's going on. Besides, who doesn't want to see a 50 story robot fight a 250,000 ton monster in broad daylight? Come on. In addition, some of the supporting characters tend to slide over into stock characters and caricatures, but with a relatively short running length (just over 2 hours), there isn't a lot of fat here.

In all, this is a damn good time at the movies. The plot is straightforward and not overly convoluted with backstory or jargon, there are some great primary characters, an enjoyable and unique mythology, and terrific action sequences that leave you wanting more. I personally promise you won't regret watching Pacific Rim, this is the best action movie of 2013 so far. You're up, Elysium.

8.5/10.