Pacific Rim review

This movie is far, far better than its marketing might lead one to think.  For those who are even remotely interested in the “giant robots versus Godzilla-style monsters” dynamic, it does not disappoint.  Guillermo Del Toro, the director of Pan’s Labyrnth and the Hellboy films certainly knows his monsters after all.  However, this is not some perpetual Transformers-like slugfest; this movie is actually fun.

From posters or trailers, you might have guessed that the film’s central conceit is the construction of colossal robots to counteract a monster invasion.  The film is actually set at the tail-end of this story, with a once mighty robot defense force crippled after years of setbacks and budget cuts. Rather than fade away, the leader of this force (Idris Elba) decides to marshal his remaining assets in a last-ditch solution to the escalating creature threat.  He recruits a retired and weary veteran (Charlie Hunnam) to pilot a reassembled mech, and reluctantly pairs him with a talented rookie (Rinko Kikuchi).  He also indulges the flights-of-fancy of a pair of scientists (Charlie Day and Burn Gorman).  All of these characters resemble Hollywood tropes in the beginning, but they quickly distinguish by striking off in new directions.  As does the film itself. 

This movie constantly surprises.  The character interactions are unpredictable and refreshing, the plot manages a number of interesting tangents without becoming convoluted, and the large set-piece battles are set in the foreground of a thousand small touches that keep the narrative personal.  The overall effect is riveting.

Elba and Kikuchi deserve special mention for their performances.  Elba avoids the usual clichés that commanding officers get saddled with in action films.  He brings tenderness and depth of feeling to the role while maintaining a commanding presence.  Similarly, while Kikuchi shows great emotion and sympathy, her competence and strength are never in doubt.  Her relationships with the two main male characters in the film come to be primarily defined, astonishingly, by respect rather than affection.

I expect some people will come away from this movie confused by all the time the movie spent not indulging in destruction porn or senseless action.  As it turns out, the scale of this movie is not just a gimmick, it’s a metaphor for the boundless ingenuity and resilience mankind is capable of when pushed to the edge. 

All that being said, the final battle scene is just plain cool.