Pacific Rim Review

Continuing my reviews of the movies I saw this summer, Pacific Rim is next. Guillermo del Toro's robots vs. Kaiju film caught my attention from the first time I saw the trailer. There was just something about it that looked really...cool. That's the only word I can think of. I was expecting tremendous scope and spectacle, awesome fights between the giant robots and the Kaiju, and just plenty of popcorn fun. No life-changing story. Just a great summer flick. Pacific Rim delivers just that.

I really enjoyed this movie. I mean, the fight scenes were just so huge in scope and just so awesome, that it was tough not to feel the 12-year old side of me beaming. Who wouldn't marvel at a robot the size of a skyscraper emerging heroically from the ocean to face an equally gargantuan monster in an epic battle? No one. Pacific Rim serves up plenty of spectacular moments such as this. Whether it's a robot soaring in the air over a bridge, only to crash in visually stunning fashion, or a massive Kaiju monster smashing ferociously through a building, this movie delivers eye-popping scene after eye-popping scene. del Toro did a fantastic job of making you feel every punch, every slam. Even though the action was so massive in scale, it packs a visceral punch that makes you feel like you're up there in the fight.

The performances in this movie are all passable. With the exception of Idris Elba. He was the only human character that I really liked, and his performance was the only one I can say was notable. But, they didn't need Oscar-worthy acting in a film like this. That wasn't the point. The point was to entertain you with overwhelming visual treats, and Pacific Rim succeeds in doing so.

The story was nothing very special. In fact, there were a number of plot holes that I noticed. However, I didn't bother paying much mind to them because I didn't want all the great action to be bogged down by a mediocre story. If you focus on the fantastic action sequences, you should be able to forget about any deficiencies in the plot. I was. As long as you understand what's going on, you'll be able to enjoy it.

It's difficult for me to score a movie like Pacific Rim. It has many flaws in its plot that critics could have a field day harping on. But, the visual and visceral extravaganza that is happening in front of you is too awesome not to love. So, while it's errors merit the critic side of me to give it a fairly low score, the fan side of me is not allowing it.

Conclusion

Pacific Rim provides an abundance of spectacular visuals and humongous action sequences that will probably leave you as giddy as a child. If you let yourself forget any mistakes in the story, you will have a grand old time watching epic action scene after epic action scene unfold on your screen. If you can, I'd recommend you watch this on Blu-Ray on the biggest TV screen possible. It will definitely be worth it. 

Rating: 9/10