Pacific Rim

What a movie! This film was made for the big screen. A breathtaking visual masterpiece from the genius that is Guillermo Del Toro, Pacific Rim is apocalyptic sci-fi at it’s finest.

Pacific Rim is a fast paced visual feast and is one of the most striking 3D films to be released of recent months. The world is under threat from giant creatures that are seemingly indestructible, so humans have to figure out another way to fight; by creating monsters. Giant robots manned by two people, one controlling the left side, the other the right that are big enough to take down the monstrous creatures. Former pilot Raleigh Beckett (Charlie Hunnam) is paired with a trainee in one last fight to save the world from extinction.

The performances are brilliant all round, from Hunnam‘s performance as the lead to Ron Perlman‘s support part as Hannibal Chow, the film boasts a fantastic cast. Rinko Kikuchi is a great addition to the film as the trainee pilot Mako Mori tasked with the challenge of operating one of the fighters alongside Beckett in a dangerous fight. One performance that seems out of place is Burn Gorman who tends to spoil the tone of the film with an over the top, pantomime like performance that feels like a forced attempt to be funny however his part is relatively small and doesn’t detract too much from the overall effect.

The film is a visual masterpiece, Del Toro can pull off any genre with finesse and style. Pacific Rim sacrifices no substance in favour of style, however and has as brilliant a storyline as it does visual effects. The characters are all easy to empathise with and all have back stories that we get a brief glimpse of to make them all the more realistic. 

If you are going to see this film please, do yourself a favour and watch it in 3D. The depth of the 3D effect is fantastic and it feels like the characters are popping out of the screen, there are even moments where you’ll find yourself feeling the urge to reach out and grab something. The visual effects are fantastic and the animation is flawless; the monsters look amazing when they could easily look ridiculous, and the scenes with the fighters are beautiful.

It’s definitely a film that needs to be seen on the big screen, and I pity anyone waiting until its DVD release. It’s a film to be marvelled at in awe and amazement, and it’s one for the visual creatures among us. Another genius piece of work; keep ’em coming Del Toro!