Pacific Rim
Greetings, Pacific Rim is a 2013 film that was directed by Guillermo del Toro, fusing together the two genres of Kaiju and Mecha into one movie. The most prominent cast members of Pacific Rim include Charlie Hunnam as the main protagonist, with supporting roles from actors such as Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Ron Pearlman and Burn Gorman. Ellen McLain takes on a role similar to her infamous character GLaDOS from the Portal series by voicing the AI system of a Jaeger called Gipsy Danger, a humanoid mecha designed to kill the Kaijus. A sequel had been announced earlier in 2014 and is set for release in 2017.
The plot is mostly set in the 2020s and begins in 2013 when Earth is attacked for the first time by an aggressive creature named a Kaiju that emerged from the Pacific Ocean. Existing military vehicles and weapons prove to be useless against the monster, leading to the creation of the Jaeger program. Jaegers are large combat robots that can only be operated by two people who are able to drift together, a term which means the two pilots must mentally link their minds together to control the mecha. The program is successful in the beginning of the invasion until the Kaiju attacks become more frequent and more powerful as the creatures adapt to humanity’s counter-attacks. It is revealed that the Kaiju come from another dimension and are able to enter earth through a portal hidden in the Pacific Ocean floor.
In the year 2020, the protagonist and his brother, Raleigh and Yancy Becket are sent on a mission to stop a Kaiju. Yancy is killed in action while still in drift with his brother, Raleigh manages to survive the fight but ultimately leaves the program due to his failure to protect his brother. Becket becomes involved in another form of defence, the construction of giant coastal walls that are designed to keep the Kaijus out of major settlements. Due to a change in strategy, the Jaeger program lead by Stacker Pentecost is about to be closed down until one of the coastal walls fails as a Kaiju breaks it down. With humanity facing the possibility of extinction Pentecost suggests a suicidal mission as a last resort in which the remaining Jaegers fight their way to the portal and destroy it by detonating a nuclear bomb inside of it.
Overall, it is an enjoyable movie that is visually pleasing with plenty of fight scenes between the Jaegers and the Kaiju. The actors and actresses deliver a strong performance, with the characters of Pentecost, Dr Herman Gottlieb and Hannibal Chau being among the most memorable. While the film does have some intriguing characters and ideas such as the concept of the drift, I still wouldn’t call it a must see film but it is one of the better ones I have seen lately and would encourage you to watch it. I’m not sure what the planned sequel would be like due to the events of the first Pacific Rim but I am looking forward to what it will add to the story.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Special effects=9/10
Overall=8/10
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