Pacific Rim 2013. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day. Rated PG-13. Running Time 132 minutes. Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
For those of you in my general age range (I'm 42), you may remember the first time you watched Toho's Godzilla stomp on screen, or RKO's (or Paramount's) King Kong. That sense of amazement and wonder that accompanied this giant rampaging force of nature on screen. Well, get ready to be transported back to childhood, as Pacific Rim perfectly captures that sense of wonder and awe that makes the giant monster films great.
Plotline is this: In a future world, giant undersea aliens (known as kaiju) rise up from a fissure in the ocean floor and begin to attack major cities worldwide along the Pacific basin. After huge expenditures in munitions to take down the first kaijus, mankind responds by building giant robots, called jaegers; to combat the rising threat. These robots are piloted by two people joined by a neural link allowing each person to control one side (or hemisphere) of the robot. While defending Alaska in the kaiju war, the jaeger known as Gipsy Danger falls during battle. It's pilots Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff) and Raleigh (Hunnam) Becket are joined when Yancy is yanked from the machine and killed, leaving his brother to not only have felt the death, but on a long journey back to the jaeger corps.
Direction, cinematography and writing are nothing short of excellent. Director del Toro makes the jaegers and the kaiju look realistic and lively, as opposed to the usually overly fluid movements provided by CGI. Actors handle the roles admirably and keep things interesting. With the exception of the obvious ending, I dont have any nitpicks of the film. Probably del Toro's best work to date.
Pacific Rim is a stellar film, with smart characterizations and writing, great visual effects and performances. So far, the best movie of the year for me.
A+
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