(Movie Review) Pacific Rim (2013)

My childhood fantasy comes true as monsters and robots face off in Pacific Rim

Even though I know that they don’t stand up well, or maybe even because of it, I have always loved Godzilla movies. An oversized monster than inevitably shows up to a city and decides to make a day out of stomping all over the buildings and people…you know, good old fashioned fun. Obviously I had numerous Godzilla toys (or the Dollar Store equivalent) and the only other toys that I had that where the same size were my Transformer toys. So Godzilla and Optimus Prime would fight on a daily basis while the cast of He-Man looked on in horror. Not only did seeing this movie make me think of those carefree days, it also reminded me that writer/director Guillermo del Toro owes me some royalties, as I am obviously the inspiration for this film.

Storyline: After a lifetime of being told that one day we be invaded by visitors from beyond the stars we find that it is under the sea that we should have been watching. As a rift is torn between our world and another, giant monsters called Kaiju rise from the depths of the ocean and destroy major cities all over the world. After years of fighting them with standard weapons, the world leaders come together to build massive robots called Jaegers. These robots, piloted by two people that are neurologically linked together, are the last line of defense against the Kaiju. But when the Kaiju begin coming more and more frequently, and each time they are larger and larger, the last chance of saving mankind is to try to seal the rift once and for all. 

Don’t let the weird names and the fact that monsters and robots are fighting throw you off. This movie is fun. WAY more fun than I thought it would be. At one point I saw my wife sitting in her seat with her mouth slightly opened in awe of the spectacle that was taking place on the screen. Does that mean that this is an Oscar worthy film…not at all. In fact, the movie has a few performances that are just downright bad (I’m looking at you Charlie Hunnam). But where the acting of the lead fails, and when the script seems a little bit too focused on giving Charlie’s character, Becket, too many “cool” lines, the only thing you can do is momentarily cringe and then move on to the next beautifully shot scene. Because the visual effects and the overall epicness of it trumps the underperformance of any single actor. 

Worth the admission? Does Crimson Typhoon have three arms? Of course! This movie is fun. It is also one of the most visually impressive movies that you are going to see this year. It is so massive, and the world that del Torro creates is one that makes for a very entertaining and exciting 2 hours. Be sure to check it out!