I have never been this excited to see a film before. From the first time I saw an article on Del Toro and his upcoming projects, and having watched his films like Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy Movies, I was excited by the prospect of being able to finally watch this kind of movie about giant robots on the big screen. Because ever since I saw ROBOT JOX in the early 90's (which you should try to watch by the way, because the stop motion done on the robots were freakin' cool for its time), I knew deep down it was still not the right time for these type of movies to flourish given the level of special effects and technology available at the time. But ever since Iron Man become a huge box office success, and the quality of special effects (both practical and CGI), I was now convinced that we only needed a brave soul with enough imagination to make my childhood dreams a reality. Guillermo Del Toro stepped up to the plate and I was not dissappointed one bit.
This movie brings back good memories of my childhood when I became enchanted with Godzilla and Mecha Anime. Aside from watching out for the latest Godzilla flick, I would always remember the timeslots of robot shows like Mazinger Z, Voltes V, Diamos, UFO Grendaizer, Jeeg, Balatack and Mekanda robot. I would always imagine myself as one of these daring and herioc Mecha pilots battling evil monsters bent on destroying the world.
PACIFIC RIM was shot in 2D but Del Toro really took his time in converting this movie so that we can all watch it in IMAX 3D. Indeed, Del Toro goes on to say in an interview that "if you can watch this movie in IMAX 3D, then you really should watch it in IMAX 3D". And watch it in IMAX 3D I did! Much to my enjoyment, opening day coincided with my birthday. So thank you Mr. Del Toro for making this film! Because it was such a wonderful birthday gift!
From the first time I saw the very first trailer on YouTube, I was totally hooked on this film. I began watching out for every news tidbit I could about PACIFIC RIM on the Internet. My imagination was on hyperdrive! I was so glad they finally put up an official website and created a Facebook and Google+ account for the film so I knew where to get first hand information about the film. My craving for more info, images and sneak peeks was insatiable. I will happily admit to being a fanboy of the Mecha / Kaiju genre.
Ok, here we go!
In the world of PACIFIC RIM, the giant mechs are called "Jaeger" (a German term for "hunter", which just adds to the coolness factor). The giant monsters are called "Kaiju" (or Japanese for "strange beast"). The Jaegers are controlled by at least two human pilots. Del Toro goes on to explain in promotional video sneak-peeks that a single human pilot cannot control a Jaeger because of the sheer mental strain imposed on the brain of the pilot. In this film, pilots wear combat suits that not just let them survive battle with a Kaiju, but also acts as a conduit to the Jaeger itself. So that his/her body movements are imitated by the Jaeger. There is also a feedback mechanism that lets the pilot "feel" what is happening around the Jaeger. So imagine what you would feel if a Kaiju rips the arm off your Jaeger. Another cool concept is that pilots enter the "DRIFT" where they become one with each other (something like a Vulcan Mind Meld). So one pilot controls the right hemisphere of the Jaeger and the other controls the left.
The movie starts out with a short narrative by Raleigh (one of the pilots of the hero Jaeger "GIPSY DANGER"). He tells of the time when the first Kaiju emerged from the "RIFT" (a gateway between dimensions that opened up at the bottom of the Pacific). Since that time, more and more Kaiju began to appear and spread havoc across the countries near the Pacific Rim. People didn't want to resort to nukes everytime a Kaiju pops up so they came up with the "Jaeger program". Hence the tag line "To fight monsters, we created monsters".
The Kaiju and Jaegers are HUGE! They range from 250 to almost 300 feet tall (move over Transformers, you don't want to get stepped on by these behemoths). When it finally looks like mankind has found it's solution to the Kaiju menace, new Kaiju start popping up that employ new strategies and start beating the Jaegers. And to the horror of mankind, the Kaiju onslaught comes in more frequently with no end in sight. We see a sort of "doomsday clock" where the next Kaiju attack is predicted to happen and a countdown is shown.
PACIFIC RIM is all about giant robots vs giant monsters. It's a wild and loud roller coaster ride of epic proportions. This is something you should keep in mind when you go to see this movie. If you are looking for intense human drama and thought provoking ideas, this is not the movie for you. Be sure to keep your thinking caps outside the theater for this one!
As far as the action goes, I am an extremely happy camper! My only problem is that I am left wanting MORE titanic battles from the other Jaegers aside from Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka. During the "Battle of Hong Kong", the four remaining Jaegers (Gipsy Danger - USA, Striker Eureka - Australia, Cherno Alpha - Russa, and Crimson Typhoon - China) are transported to the last operational Jaeger base called a "Shatterdome". Here, they will hold the fort while the rest of mankind builds a gigantic wall which they hope will contain the Kaiju. At this point in the history of PACIFIC RIM, politicians have lost faith in the Jaeger program and have decided to put their remaining resources in the construction of the "Wall of Life". Unfortunately, the wall is easily breached by a Kaiju and Striker Eureka (the latest, fastest and most agile Jaeger to date) arrives and puts an end to the Kaiju menace.
Meanwhile, Stacker Pentecost (portrayed by Idris Elba), head of the Jaeger program, has a crazy plan in mind. While the rest of humanity wallows in despair and walls itself off from the Pacific, he plans to enter the Rift at the bottom of the Pacific and nuke it from the inside to close it once and for all.
As they prepare for their daring mission, two Kaiju appear from the Rift and head towards Hong Kong. Our heroes are forced to send Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon to do battle with the Kaiju. Unfortunately, the battle left me wanting to see more of these uniquely designed Jaegers! It was a shame to have them so quickly defeated by the Kaiju. Personally, I would have preferred that they got more Kaiju kills before they sacrificed themselves on their mission to the Rift. The rest of the battles were a sheer joy to behold!
Anyhow, I hope this movie earns a lot so that it easily warrants a sequel. I have read that Del Toro is already working on a sequel so this is good news! I also hope this sparks more fans to produce fan-fiction and inspire more Jaeger / Kaiju fan-art on the Internet. Hopefully, a successful toy / action figure line is not far behind.
Lastly, if you're a fan of Guillermo Del Toro and also like me who loves these types of films, GO WATCH THE FREAKIN' MOVIE AT LEAST TWICE! You will not regret it!
