Film Review: Pacific Rim

     Fun, loud and overall just a good time is what can be said for Writer and Director Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim; in what is a great way to reintroduce modern audiences to the world of giant mechas and giant monsters all the while making viewers feel like a kid playing with their childhood  toys.

   In the near distant future, Humanity has been fighting in a long war against giant monsters, or Kaijus as they are called in the film, that have emerged from a portal in the Pacific Ocean. To combat these strange beings, Humanity and every nation has put aside their differences and created the Jaeger Program, essentially giant mechas. Each Jaeger is around three-hundred feet tall and is controlled by two pilots whose minds are neurally linked, sharing eachothers memories, in order to maintain and share the mental strain that originally overwhelmed single pilots. Initially the program is successful, turning the tide of the war into Humanity's favor until the Kaijus have begun to adapt to fighting, with the mechas becoming less effective, slowly being destroyed one by one and eventually having the entire program terminated. The main character, Raleigh Becket, is a former Jaeger pilot who is still traumatized by the death of his brother and co-pilot, is called out of retirement by Commander Stacker Pentecost to pilot his old mecha, Gipsy Danger, now one of the four remaining Jaegers, in an attempt to have one last stand to end the war.

   Written and directed by legendary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim is essentially a love letter to the lore of massive creatures and machines battling it out on our planet as well as teaching viewers that it is possible to put aside all petty differences in order to unite against a common threat for the sake of our existence. It's loud and over the top but still manages not to take itself too seriously with just the right amount of humor and fun thrown amongst the chaos on screen. Any person who has played with robotic and monstrous toys in their childhood can easily have themselves a good time during this film .

   The two main characters Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori, portrayed by Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, are both played respectively well but its the characters themselves; their somewhat uninteresting back stories and forced awkward romance is what is unfortunately hindering them from being memorable characters. Idris Elba who plays the role of Stacker Pentecost, is exceptionally awesome and badass as the Commander of the Jaeger Program, appearing calm and well spoken during harsh times but can be fearful and broken from what he has been through. Ron Perlman who is a frequent collaborator with del Toro, plays a smaller, more humorous role as Hannibal Chau; a black market dealer who specializes in dealing Kaiju organs.

   Pacific Rim is what Godzilla should have been as well as showing the recent Transformers films how to properly do a giant robot film without trying to be too full of itself. Those looking for something deeper should look elsewhere, obviously, but for those who just want a good, loud, fun time at the cinema should look no further.