By Brett Blake PACIFIC RIM is exactly the movie you think it is, for good or bad. It’s gigantic robots fighting gigantic monsters, and that’s either a concept you’re interested in seeing brought to the screen, or it isn’t. If you’re one of those people whose eyes involuntarily roll upwards at such things, nothing I can say will change your mind, nor will I change the minds of those in the “ROBOTS! MONSTERS! FIGHTING! COOL!” camp. There’s probably very little middle ground with a film like this (it’s a love it/hate it kind of situation, I think), but while I definitely ended up on the side of enjoying the film a great deal, it’s nowhere near as groundbreaking or exceptional as some of its most ardent defenders in the critical community have made it out to be. The premise is simple enough. A rift between dimensions has opened up on the ocean floor in the Pacific ocean; through this portal comes a seemingly endless parade of giant monsters (called Kaiju) that wreak havoc along the world’s coastal cities. To defend mankind, the countries of the world build huge mechanized fighting vehicles (called Jaegers), which are piloted by two humans whose minds are connected in order to better operate the massive fighting machine. This is all the sort of stuff we’ve seen before, but what keeps the movie from being just another nondescript action flick where giant behemoths smash into each other for two hours is the human element, personified by the very capable cast. Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi are called upon to carry the heaviest emotional load, and their evolving friendship feels well-earned, not just something slipped into the narrative as an afterthought. Idris Elba, portraying the commander in charge of the Jaeger program, pretty much owns every one of his scenes, and it’s a role he can add to the growing list of cinematic badasses he’s portrayed over the last few years. The supporting performances from the likes of Charlie Day (who looks like some kind of J.J. Abrams/Rick Moranis love child) and Rob Perlman add some comedic color to the story, as well. None of this is high drama, of course, but there’s a real concern with the human beings in this story that is refreshing in the age of slick, soulless entertainments. Any number of critiques could be leveled at the movie, but “soulless” is definitely not one of them. Visually, the movie is mighty impressive, with the numerous monsters having cool, distinctive designs, and their fights with the Jaegers make for some very fun action sequences, nearly all of which are punctuated by neat little “gracenote” moments that make them pretty memorable. The visual effects, though somewhat stylized, do a terrific job of selling the enormous scale of the creatures, and the sound design - one of the best of the year - is inventive and effective; every punch landed by the Jaegers booms through the theater, every roar of the Kaiju threatens to shatter the eardrums (but in a good way!). From a purely technical standpoint, PACIFIC RIM is a top-notch piece of summer cinema. The biggest issue with the movie is its third act, which is kicked off by a massive battle sequence set in Hong Kong. It’s a spectacular setpiece, one involving several different Jaegers and Kaiju, and it is a masterfully constructed, neon-and-rain-bathed series of monstrous fisticuffs. It’s the highlight of the film, but unfortunately there’s still a half hour to go; the actual proper climax of the film is surprisingly underwhelming, and another variation on the old trope of “We need to smuggle this bomb/device into the mothership/command center of our enemy” that we’ve seen many times before. It’s a nitpick, but coming off the crazy high of the Hong Kong fight, the movie just can’t quite reach that level of excitement again, and this anticlimactic feeling keeps the movie from being truly great. That said, I do give the filmmakers a lot of credit for not leaving things too open-ended at the climax; while a sequel could certainly follow (though that’s doubtful due to the movie’s box office take so far, but that’s another discussion), this film’s narrative is wrapped-up nicely, which allows the movie to seem like a complete and satisfying story (my misgivings about the actual climax itself aside). What is perhaps most striking about the movie is the way in which you can so obviously see its director in every frame. Director Guillermo del Toro’s formidable design fingerprints are all over this film, from the color palette to the production design. There’s a level of detail to everything that is kind of staggering; you can really tell that this “world” has been fully thought-out and realized down to the very smallest elements - the costumes of the background extras, the signage, the cockpits of the Jaegers… all feel completely plausible and of-a-piece. I expect the coffee table “Art of…” book (which has become a cross promotional staple of big blockbusters) would be filled with this stuff, and probably make for a fascinating way to pass a few hours. Beyond just the look, the movie bears del Toro’s signature in another significant way - it is utterly sincere about what it’s doing. PACIFIC RIM is completely lacking in cynicism, and it is made with palpable and genuine affection for its subject matter. On paper, giant robots and monsters are hard to take seriously, but del Toro does it, and without the film ever seeming like some grim slog. There’s an energy and excitement to the proceedings that makes the movie a lot of fun.
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