Pacific Rim (2013)

This has been the film everyone has been waiting for this summer. A sure hit summer blockbuster, surely? I mean, giant robots fighting giant monsters, directed by one of the best in the film industry, Guillermo del Toro.

In case you didn't get the plot...giant robots fight giant monsters. Ta da. Okay there's a bit more to it. The monsters, known as Kaiju, a Japanese term for giant monsters, have been appearing from the bottom of the ocean and attacking settlements. The world comes together to create the Jaeger program, German for 'hunter'; the giant robots. It gives humanity a fighting chance, but the monsters keep coming, and their evolving. Or so you think.

I don't really know what to say about the plot because there isn't really one there. Oh the plot has a basic premise, and that's it. Apart from that the story is riddled with cliches, so many I can probably make a drinking game out of it. I wouldn't normally care so much, but there are so many it really annoyed me. I think the only non-spoiler one I can mention is the rival, Chuck (Robert Kazinsky) who really doesn't like the main character Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) until he doesn't a really tremendous act. Along with that there's a flashback scene or two which seem really out of place, one of them because it wasn't shown with the other flashback scene.

Speaking of the characters, yeah, the main lot are pretty bland. One I've already mentioned, Chuck the rival, the cliche rival. Our main character Raleigh, we do learn some stuff about him. Not a lot and one of the bits we learn is a major plot point which...actually doesn't affect the plot in the slightest. Neither does the background for Mako Mori's (Rinko Kikuchi) character. I want to care about these characters, but I don't, I really don't.

In fact, I learn more about the supporting cast than I do the main cast. I found myself getting more attached to Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Gottlieb (Burn Gorman, the guy from Torchwood), the research team who, individually are annoying and unlikable, but together have really good chemistry. Commanding officer Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) is also a more fleshed out character which you can identify with. That being said there are a whole bunch of characters which you feel nothing for, and when/if they're killed off and you're told there isn't time to mourn for them, you can't help but feel "Well I don't even remember their name so it isn't a great loss".

But to be honest, I actually found myself liking Mori. She's a character who wants to prove herself, to show that she isn't just some intelligent, kind female, she has the need for destruction as well. My point is, I do like her, and in a way I believe it's because of the actress Rinko Kikuchi. I'll come across the others in a minute but for her, I do want to see more of her, I do think 'Pacific Rim' will be her breakout role to a global audience. Despite only really learning one thing about her, she is probably one of the strongest characters in the film, and that's pretty much because del Toro put a fair amount of work in there, saying that he "wanted a female lead who has equal force as the male leads. She's not going to be a sex kitten, she's not going to come out in cutoff shorts and a tank top..."

Yeah. She isn't going to come out in a tank top.

Moving on.

As for the other actors, not much to say. Elba though was great, he certainly dominated the scenes he was in. I do have to give Kazinsky some praise as well though for successfully managing to make me hate him, and you can tell Ron Pearlman had great fun with playing Hannibal Chau. The rest though, well, there's nothing spectacular, in particular Hunnam who just seemed to suck the emotion out of the scene.

Okay, let's be honest. No-one was going to see this film for the plot or the characters. The only reason why people were going to see this, was to see giant robots fighting giant monsters. AND THEY SCREWED IT UP. No, seriously, they screwed it up. The fights all take place at night, in the dark, with little lighting, in the water with the camera shot low so the water goes over it, basically, you can't tell what's going on. In fact, there is one fight scene which takes place on land which was spectacular, simply because the two combatants were well lit up and water didn't obscure your view. Look, I get the influence, I get that this is a homage to the old Kaiju films with the likes of Godzilla or Gamera, but in those films you CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

I will say however that the effects are pretty damn good, the Jaegers look brilliant, as do the Kaiju. The designs are really good, especially one certain Kaiju which packs a surprise. My only concern is that there isn't much difference in their design. That may sound confusing, but while they do each Kaiju have their own certain trait, their appearance do look the same. Meanwhile there are two distinct different looking Jaegers, but one of the others only has one different type of weapon, and that's it.

Like 'World War Z' I really wanted this to work, I really did. But I just couldn't get into it, and because of that the flaws seemed huge to me. The fight scenes seemed lackluster, the main characters are bland and outshone by supporting cast, there's little story, and the acting is mixed at best. It had a great concept, but I felt it couldn't back it up. There are talks of a sequel, including a crossover with a certain infamous lizard, and I'd be willing to see it, I just wouldn't have the high expectations I had for this film.