Pacific Rim
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and Rinko Kikuchi
Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language
In the near future, a rift opens up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean allowing alien monsters to invade Earth, destroying everything in their sight. In order to stop them, humankind has banded together to create giant robots roughly their size, capable of defeating the enormous beasts. But as more and more of the creatures attack the planet, mankind must find a way to stop them before they are eradicated.
I’ve been super excited to see this film ever since I heard they were making it. Guillermo del Toro has been one of my favorite directors for years and I love a good monster movie. I was also very happy when I saw how well the film works. The robot/monster fights are an epic spectacle and an absolute blast to watch on a big screen. My only wish is that some of the fights could have been during the day when everything might be easier to see, but even with the huge battles taking place at night or under the water, the immensity of the project is still truly impressive.
I will admit that for the plot, you better be prepared to listen. The exposition is complicated and comes at you quickly. Personally, I found the sound in the theater I was in to be a little off, making some of the dialog a little hard to understand at times. Since I missed some of the important exposition I had to rely on the internet, which is fine, but I wish I could have had a better understanding of everything while sitting in the theater. But story aside, I was there to see monsters tearing stuff up and this just might be the mother of all monster films.
Also of note is that once again, I don’t think the 3D was necessary. In fact since many theaters don’t do a good 3D projection and leave their projections too dim, the almost sunglass-like shading of the 3D glasses might just really cause the film to get way too dark. Since the fights are all a little hard to see with good projection, I have a feeling that many theatergoers will be deeply disappointed in the 3D offering. A-