And here we have a review of the latest film by famed director Guillermo Del Toro, Pacific Rim.
The setting of this film is the near future, and a rift has opened at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, through which emerges giant monsters, which become known as "kaiju". As these creatures begin to attack cities on the Pacific coastline, the nations of the world band together to form weapons to fight back. They create giant robots, named "jaegers", which are piloted by humans and soon become successful against the invading kaiju. However, one such pilot, Raleigh, played by Charlie Hunnam, suffers a personal tragedy while piloting his own jaegar and retires from the fight as a result.
Years later and the war with the kaijus continues, with many world leaders believing they are no longer needed, instead opting to create massive walls to protect the cities instead. Raleigh is pulled out of his retirement by his former commanding officer, played by Idris Elba, who convinces him to take up the fight once again. Raleigh soon gains a new co-pilot, Mako, played by Rinko Kikuchi, and they and other jaeger pilots band together for one last mission: a direct assault on the kaiju portal itself.
From a story perspective, the basic structure of this film is one that I have seen many times in the past. Earth is under attack and the world's people must unite in order to fend off the attackers. But in terms of big blockbuster films, I've never quite seen it done like this before. The feel of this movie is less like a war movie and more like a saturday morning cartoon involving superheroes here to save the day. But that's no mark against it. It gives the movie a fresh flavour and makes it stand out in stark contrast to many other blockbusters I've seen in my time.
For whatever reason, somewhere along the line, big summer movies went from being things I sued to enjoy, to things I didn't .They started including themes and elements that made it harder and harder for me to really like them. It felt as though there was some misguided quest for them to gain greater respect by seeming more gritty, more realistic and more mean-spirited than they had been before. And that made it very difficult, bordering on impossible for me to get invested in them.
This movie on the other hand, looks at films like those and pretty much tells them to "get over it". It not only know how to be a good movie, but also revels in it. It's not ashamed of it's subject matter or it's story and it utterly delivers the epic scope of a summer action movie without all the unwanted baggage that's come to taint so many in the genre. It actually reached a point where you could tell, just from watching, that everyone involved in it's production had a great love for what they were doing, from the director, to the sound people and the visual artists.
And while I'm on the subject of the visuals, this film is absolutely gorgeous. The computer graphics in this movie are utterly stunning, so much so that I had to keep reminding myself that these were not real robots and monsters. But while you're there, watching it, it's very easy to believe that they are. Every time these things fight on screen, you're utterly convinced that this is real metal being twisted, and real monster bones being cracked. And as for the 3D, it's perhaps the most impressive I've seen since Avatar. Yes, you heard me, James Cameron's poster child for the return of 3D has just been usurped by Del Toro, it's THAT good.
Going back to what I said before about how this film has a unique flavour to it, that's also carried over in it's look. The designs of the kaiju and jaegers seems less like something from a Hollywood action flick, and more akin to something you'd normally see on the cover of an anime DVD. It's clear to me that Del Toro and his crew have a great deal of respect for the visual style of eastern animation and stories, and for one like me who also finds himself a fan of those things every now and again, I cannot say how much this film appeals to me just on a visual level. The jaegers and the kaijus are all very creatively designed and bring that unique visual look that Del Tor has become famous for in his movies.
As for the acting, while it's hardly the best I've seen, even in a popcorn film like this, the cast here manage to engage me with their performances a great deal. The main male and female leads do a great job of showing their connection to each other and their respective arcs, even though they, like many others in this movie, are essentially playing cliché roles that have been done to death in other movies. But for me, the biggest stand-out in terms of acting has got to be Idris Elba as the military leader, Stacker Pentecost. Again, like many of the characters, he's a cliché role, the gruff military leader whose seen more than his share of war. But Elba plays it with a great deal of dignity. When you se this guy on screen, you really think he's a veteran, that he's as experienced with fighting these monsters as anyone can possibly be. He probably won't win any Oscars for his performance, but to me, he deserves one.
The rest of the cast all do their jobs well, even though some, like the two scientists, played by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, can get a little over-the-top in their acting sometimes. And while I'm talking about the rest of the cast, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the international element of this story. Owing to it's setting of the Pacific, the films draws as great deal of influence from many nations, most notably the region of South-East Asia. This, again, is a breath of fresh air to me because we, for once, don't have a blockbuster action movie centred around the United States. Now before anyone get angry at me for saying that, let me clarify by saying that I have nothing against the US or the people who live there. But after so many years of having that country and it's people be the be-all-end-all of movies like this, it really is refreshing to have a big action film where so many other nations get a look-in.
In all honesty, I am hard-pressed to find a negative thing to say about this movie. I've said before in this review that it indulges itself in many clichés, like character types and story structure. But as I've mentioned in many past reviews, I'm willing to accept all that if a story is able to use such clichés in a new way, or present it in a way that seems engaging and entertaining/ This movie is most definitely the latter, and goes out of it's way to make itself just a plain old fun time at the cinema. And in this modern age of gritty action films and blockbusters that try to take themselves seriously, that is a very welcome change of pace.
In fact, in order to give you a proper description of just how I felt during this movie, I'm going to have to ask you all to use your imaginations as I tell you a little story. It's 1995, and you're seven years old. You're being bombarded left, right and centre by Japanese or Japan-influenced shows featuring fights for humanity with giant robots and monsters. Suddenly, you're hyped. You're obsessed over these things and can't get enough. You watch as much as you can and even end up drawing fan-pictures of them. And deep down, your greatest wish is that, one day, they'll make a movie of these awesome things.
Fast-forward almost twenty years and, to your utter amazement, the movie you wished to see all those years is now right before your eyes. Someone has actually gone into your childhood, plucked out those old drawings you made, and created a film out of them just for you, right down to the epic image of a giant monster being beaten over the head by a robot armed with a cruise liner. That's what it was like to watch this movie. Though in truth the film used what looked like an oil tanker rather than the cruise line from my pictures, but at this level of enjoyment, even I am beyond that kind of nitpicking.
I literally have nothing else to say beyond that. It's fun, entertaining, and was just a great time at the cinema. Watch it if you can.
The setting of this film is the near future, and a rift has opened at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, through which emerges giant monsters, which become known as "kaiju". As these creatures begin to attack cities on the Pacific coastline, the nations of the world band together to form weapons to fight back. They create giant robots, named "jaegers", which are piloted by humans and soon become successful against the invading kaiju. However, one such pilot, Raleigh, played by Charlie Hunnam, suffers a personal tragedy while piloting his own jaegar and retires from the fight as a result.
Years later and the war with the kaijus continues, with many world leaders believing they are no longer needed, instead opting to create massive walls to protect the cities instead. Raleigh is pulled out of his retirement by his former commanding officer, played by Idris Elba, who convinces him to take up the fight once again. Raleigh soon gains a new co-pilot, Mako, played by Rinko Kikuchi, and they and other jaeger pilots band together for one last mission: a direct assault on the kaiju portal itself.
From a story perspective, the basic structure of this film is one that I have seen many times in the past. Earth is under attack and the world's people must unite in order to fend off the attackers. But in terms of big blockbuster films, I've never quite seen it done like this before. The feel of this movie is less like a war movie and more like a saturday morning cartoon involving superheroes here to save the day. But that's no mark against it. It gives the movie a fresh flavour and makes it stand out in stark contrast to many other blockbusters I've seen in my time.
For whatever reason, somewhere along the line, big summer movies went from being things I sued to enjoy, to things I didn't .They started including themes and elements that made it harder and harder for me to really like them. It felt as though there was some misguided quest for them to gain greater respect by seeming more gritty, more realistic and more mean-spirited than they had been before. And that made it very difficult, bordering on impossible for me to get invested in them.
This movie on the other hand, looks at films like those and pretty much tells them to "get over it". It not only know how to be a good movie, but also revels in it. It's not ashamed of it's subject matter or it's story and it utterly delivers the epic scope of a summer action movie without all the unwanted baggage that's come to taint so many in the genre. It actually reached a point where you could tell, just from watching, that everyone involved in it's production had a great love for what they were doing, from the director, to the sound people and the visual artists.
And while I'm on the subject of the visuals, this film is absolutely gorgeous. The computer graphics in this movie are utterly stunning, so much so that I had to keep reminding myself that these were not real robots and monsters. But while you're there, watching it, it's very easy to believe that they are. Every time these things fight on screen, you're utterly convinced that this is real metal being twisted, and real monster bones being cracked. And as for the 3D, it's perhaps the most impressive I've seen since Avatar. Yes, you heard me, James Cameron's poster child for the return of 3D has just been usurped by Del Toro, it's THAT good.
Going back to what I said before about how this film has a unique flavour to it, that's also carried over in it's look. The designs of the kaiju and jaegers seems less like something from a Hollywood action flick, and more akin to something you'd normally see on the cover of an anime DVD. It's clear to me that Del Toro and his crew have a great deal of respect for the visual style of eastern animation and stories, and for one like me who also finds himself a fan of those things every now and again, I cannot say how much this film appeals to me just on a visual level. The jaegers and the kaijus are all very creatively designed and bring that unique visual look that Del Tor has become famous for in his movies.
As for the acting, while it's hardly the best I've seen, even in a popcorn film like this, the cast here manage to engage me with their performances a great deal. The main male and female leads do a great job of showing their connection to each other and their respective arcs, even though they, like many others in this movie, are essentially playing cliché roles that have been done to death in other movies. But for me, the biggest stand-out in terms of acting has got to be Idris Elba as the military leader, Stacker Pentecost. Again, like many of the characters, he's a cliché role, the gruff military leader whose seen more than his share of war. But Elba plays it with a great deal of dignity. When you se this guy on screen, you really think he's a veteran, that he's as experienced with fighting these monsters as anyone can possibly be. He probably won't win any Oscars for his performance, but to me, he deserves one.
The rest of the cast all do their jobs well, even though some, like the two scientists, played by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, can get a little over-the-top in their acting sometimes. And while I'm talking about the rest of the cast, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the international element of this story. Owing to it's setting of the Pacific, the films draws as great deal of influence from many nations, most notably the region of South-East Asia. This, again, is a breath of fresh air to me because we, for once, don't have a blockbuster action movie centred around the United States. Now before anyone get angry at me for saying that, let me clarify by saying that I have nothing against the US or the people who live there. But after so many years of having that country and it's people be the be-all-end-all of movies like this, it really is refreshing to have a big action film where so many other nations get a look-in.
In all honesty, I am hard-pressed to find a negative thing to say about this movie. I've said before in this review that it indulges itself in many clichés, like character types and story structure. But as I've mentioned in many past reviews, I'm willing to accept all that if a story is able to use such clichés in a new way, or present it in a way that seems engaging and entertaining/ This movie is most definitely the latter, and goes out of it's way to make itself just a plain old fun time at the cinema. And in this modern age of gritty action films and blockbusters that try to take themselves seriously, that is a very welcome change of pace.
In fact, in order to give you a proper description of just how I felt during this movie, I'm going to have to ask you all to use your imaginations as I tell you a little story. It's 1995, and you're seven years old. You're being bombarded left, right and centre by Japanese or Japan-influenced shows featuring fights for humanity with giant robots and monsters. Suddenly, you're hyped. You're obsessed over these things and can't get enough. You watch as much as you can and even end up drawing fan-pictures of them. And deep down, your greatest wish is that, one day, they'll make a movie of these awesome things.
Fast-forward almost twenty years and, to your utter amazement, the movie you wished to see all those years is now right before your eyes. Someone has actually gone into your childhood, plucked out those old drawings you made, and created a film out of them just for you, right down to the epic image of a giant monster being beaten over the head by a robot armed with a cruise liner. That's what it was like to watch this movie. Though in truth the film used what looked like an oil tanker rather than the cruise line from my pictures, but at this level of enjoyment, even I am beyond that kind of nitpicking.
I literally have nothing else to say beyond that. It's fun, entertaining, and was just a great time at the cinema. Watch it if you can.