Movie Review: Pacific Rim

It's been a while since I stepped into the cinema. I don't know if it is just me, but these days, almost all Hollywood movies feel the same. When my friend showed me the trailer of Pacific Rim, it appeared to be a rip off of Transformers movies. At the time, I thought it looked stupid, nothing more than a quick cash grab. Initially, I didn't even want to spend time to see it, let alone making a trip to the cinema.

Then the movie came out, and I read many positive reviews about it. I also found out, the director of Pacific Rim is Guillermo del Toro (the director of Pans Labyrinth, The Hobbit, Hellboy etc..), I am somewhat a fan of this guy. Therefore, as the weekend arrived, I thought perhaps, I should give this movie a try. After all, all those positive reviews should mean something.. right?

So I made a trip to the cinema, and guess what? I had fun watching this movie. Most importantly, it was a refreshing experience to see a movie like this appearing among epitomes of Hollywood blockbusters. Today, I will review Guillermo del Toro's new movie, Pacific Rim.

Synopsis:

A giant portal opened up at the bottom of the pacific ocean. Giant alien monsters (big as a building) come through the portal, assaulting cities on earth. These monsters, are called "Kaiju" (Japanese word for monsters). To combat this threat, governments around the world set aside their differences, put together all resources and technologies, and build 250 feet tall, giant robots called "Jaegers" to combat the monsters. These Jaegers are controlled by human pilots, whose brains are linked to the machine. The Jaeger robots require at least 2 pilots, to share the mental loads required to pilot these highly sophisicated machines.

Initially, the Jaeger program managed to halt the threats of monsters. However, as years go by, the frequency of monster attacks became more frequent, and those monsters were getting more powerful as well. Governments around the world decided to cancel the Jaeger program, and instead, build a coastal wall to protect humanity from the monster attacks. In the meantime, personnel on the Jaeger program around the world, were told to consolidate and bring all Jaegers to Hong Kong. However, the commander of the Jaeger forces, Stacker Pentecost, devised a strategic plan to end the war by using nuclear weapon to destroy the portal.

And this is where the story begins, pilots of Jaegers from around the world, gathering at the base in Hong Kong, preparing for the final mission to end the Kaiju problem, once and for all...

What I think about the movie:

Pacific Rim is a blend of Transformers + Iron Man + Godzilla + Cloverfield. However, make no mistakes, Pacific Rim is very original in terms of its designs for robots and monsters. My childhood is filled with memories of Japanese cartoons about robots and mechs, such as Gundam. So as I was watching Pacific Rim, those memories were rekindled. And here is where Pacific Rim succeeds. This movie managed to make you feel like you are seeing something original, even if you are a fan of Japanese cartoons.

The CGI is breath taking, action scenes explosive and exciting. There are plenty of fighting scenes between robots and monsters, lots of them, and it is a good thing. I saw this movie in 3D, and both robots and monsters look gorgeous, imaginative and awesome on the big screen. Visual effects and designs in Pacific Rim is topnotch, definitely the strength of this movie.

The story of Pacific Rim however, is somewhat predictable. The story is definitely not going to win any awards for best screenplay. But there are a few things I really like about the story of Pacific Rim;

1) It has very good moral messages. The story celebrates and inspires the spirit of self sacrifice and trust. Good moral message is a rarity in Hollywood sci-fi and action movies these days, and turns out Pacific Rim is one of these rarities.

2) Although there are a lot of action scenes in Pacific Rim, but once again, unlike modern day Hollywood movies, Pacific Rim does not have many scenes blood or depictions of human death. Instead, human lives are portrayed as valuable, something to be respected and treasured, where every death is meant to be a tragic loss.

3) Unlike many Hollywood superhero movies, Pacific Rim does not objectify women by using sex appeals. Remember Megan Fox in Michael Bay's Transformers 2? You won't see that in Pacific Rim. The female protagonist in Pacific Rim is memorable and likable because of her characterization, not because of sex appeals. It is very refreshing to see a female character being portrayed as real human and not just a sex object in a Hollywood superhero movie! 2 thumbs up for this one!

These elements make the story of Pacific Rim very likable despite some story moments being predictable.

At the end of the day, I am glad I saw Pacific Rim despite my initial prejudice against it. It is a good movie, and a memorable cinematic experience. I had lots of fun watching this film. When judged by the breath taking visuals, sense of originality, and a story filled with positive moral messages, the predictable storyline becomes forgivable.

I give Pacific Rim, a solid 8 out of 10.