Eye Candy Goodness!!!! Guillermo del Toro’s Monster Robot
Epic Is A Visually Entertaining Spectacle!!!
Review By: Brandon Porter
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| Man and Machine Vs. Beast...Let The Battle Begin!!!! |
Story
For
many years, Humanity always believed extraterrestrial life came from outer
space. They had no idea however that it actually came from deep beneath the
surface of the earth via portal in the Pacific Ocean. Out of that portal came
massive destructive beast known as Kaijus
or giant monsters. They caused havoc across the globe. Destroying cities and
killing millions of innocent people. In response to these monsters, the world
created monsters of their own. Humanoid fighting robots called Jaegers. Piloted by two individuals via
neural link, the Jaegers seemed like a heaven sent defense from the destructive
enemy. Unfortunately, the long and tiring war has given the Kaiju time to
evolve and the mighty Jaegers are now being decimated and humanity now hangs in
the balance. Out of options and out of time, the world now leans on Stacker
Pentecost (Idris Elba), commanding officer of the jaeger program, Raleigh
Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a former jaeger pilot still recovering from losing his
brother in the line of duty, and young Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), a rookie
jeager pilot orphaned by a kaiju attack when she was little. Together with the other
members of the Jaeger program, they must face the monsters that threaten their
world and cancel the impending doom that looms on the horizon.
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| Raleigh and Mako Feel Each Other Out In A Bo staff Sparing Match |
Analysis
After
being announced at comic con a year ago, Pacific Rim drew much anticipation
heading into 2013. A movie by legendary director Guillermo Del Toro about
monsters and robots seemed almost to good to be true. As time for release
approached, moviegoers seemed interested on what del Toro had to offer in this
visual spectacle. The film did solid critically garnering a very commendable
72% fresh rating on rotten tomatoes and an 87% rating among moviegoers. Robbie
Collin of The Daily Telegraph awarded the film a perfect 5 out of five stars. He
praised del Toro for investing his own affection for the genre and sense of
artistry into the project in such a way that the viewer found themselves
immersed in the film rather than watching from afar. He also noted that the
director had catered to younger and older audiences alike and expressed
surprise that the film could rise above the sum of its parts. Angela
Watercutter of Wired also gave the film praise calling it the "most
awesome movie of the summer", a "fist-pumping, awe-inspiring
ride". She added that its focus on spectacle rather than characterization
"simply does not matter" in the summer blockbuster context. At the
box office, the film sadly fell short. It ended up with just the 3rd
position at the box office behind Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2 and Despicable Me
2. But on a positive note, the film did well overseas garnering $53,000,000
million as opposed to the $38,300,000 in made in North America. Pacific Rim
gave good performances critically despite financially struggling in the US. I
guess fart jokes and comedians are more popular fighting robots and monsters.
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| Hey, Batta, Batta, Batta...SWING!!!! |
Review
When I
found out about Pacific Rim at Comic Con a year ago, I became more and more
excited as I began reading into it. A sci-fi action robot monster movie?! Sign
me up!!!! I was lucky enough to catch the film in IMAX 3D and all I can say
is…I have rotted my eyes to the core with this smorgasbord of Eye Candy!!! Guillermo
Del Toro has delivered one of the summer’s biggest spectacles that is action
packed and beautifully made. His imagination and passion for the Kaiju genre is on full display in most
moments of the film. In terms of the actors, there are plenty of stand outs.
Idris Elba is at his best in his portrayal of Stacker Pentecost. He brought the
perfect blend of compassion, courage, and no nonsense attitude that made him a
great all around presence. Charlie Hunnam delivers big too as Becket. As a
soldier who experienced a traumatic episode, Hunnam was very likable and
brought a youthful and enthusiastic edge to the film that added to the fun. Rinko
Kikuchi’s performance as Mako Mori I believe is very satisfying. Out of all the
characters, you connect with her the most emotionally. You root for her and
want her to become a jaeger pilot despite the mental challenges she faces. Del
Toro and company did a good job creating a strong female lead that you connect
with and cheer for. One surprise for me is Charlie Day’s performance in the
film. He did a solid job and brought a light hearted comedic aoura that was
both refreshing and fun. In terms of action, the film didn’t disappoint. The
action sequences were irristatably entertaning and had plenty of thrilling
moments that were a joy to watch. Despite the great action, there are only a
small handful of them. Del Toro really makes us wait and anticipate each
sequence to the point where I was begging for the delicious eye candy. When I
finally got it though, it was more than satisfying. Overall, Pacific Rim
touched that 5 year old in me that spent his Saturday mornings watching those
Power Rangers megazord fights on TV. I couldn’t be happier with the film as it
exceeded my expectations a year ago when I was first introduced to it at the
san deigo convention.
Rating and Final
Thoughts
A
visually stunning and thrilling summer blockbuster!!! Guillermo Del Toro
creates a moving love letter to the giant monster movie genre and to all those
people who also grew up with these fantastic fictional beast.
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| Those who loved the epicness that was Pacific Rim Will Be Pleased To Know That Another Kaiju film arrives next year. This one in particular one you might be familiar with. |
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