Pacific Rim

This may be one of the most difficult reviews I've ever written. Woven within a terribly cliche story with preposterous events, average acting, and pretty mediocre dialogue is one of the best CGI action films I've ever seen. I saw the film in a format called D-Box, which adds a 4th dimension to the film with seats synched to rock and roll with the action. It was amazing. And anyone who doesn't crack a smile when you say that "giant robots driven by humans will battle giant monsters" is lying straight to your face. Seriously. Not since Avatar in 2009 have I been completely immersed in special effects-laden action that sucks you into the childlike fun of a movie-going experience.

Where does Pacific Rim get it right when so many other blockbusters get it wrong? Because there is nothing else to Pacific Rim besides these Mech Warriors fighting for humanity. It's a superhero film supersized. And without the baggage of a hero's alter ego or back story. Sure, the characters who make the robots run get mildly bland back stories that either add to the story arc, or are lost amidst the Godzilla-sized battle sequences, but it's not really about characters at all, is it?

It absolutely is. But the characters in question are named Gipsy Danger, Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha, and Striker Eureka. The monsters have names like Bladehead, Leatherback, and Otachi. Pacific Rim succeeds in creating personality within each of the robots and monsters. It's pure fun.

The film begins when the Kaiju (Strange Creature) show up out of an inter-dimensional portal that opens deep in the Pacific, and begin to wreak havoc on coastal cities around the world. The world responds with a global effort to create robots to fight the creatures. These are called Jaegers, the German word for "Hunter". They propel the drivers to celebrity status. Think astronaut, but combine with war hero. It takes two humans, linked by a "neural handshake" to share the load of running these massive metallic monstrosities. It's ridiculous, but literally awesome at the same time. Fast forward a few years, and the Kaiju are winning the war. The Jaeger program is being scrapped in favor of a "Wall of Life". The remaining Jaegers have one last effort to finish off the Kaiju once and for all.Really straight forward actually.

Charlie Hunnan, Rinko Kikuchi, and Idris Elba are the Alphas who strap in and risk life and limb in a fearless humanity-saving effort. They are full of testosterone (even Rinko in a weird way) and bravado, and that's where much of the cliche simmers. with a meandering subplot with the hilarious Charlie Day playing the intellectual side of the war effort as a scientist who has unique insight into the mind of the Kaiju, the film runs the typical parallel storylines. It can't really happen any other way. In ambitious action films, there is usually a tertiary storyline that breaks suspense and action. Think Return of the Jedi: Luke/Vader 1 on 1, Han and Leia on Endor, and the Millenium Falcon making the run on the Death Star with Billy Dee Williams and fish face. Possibly obscure reference, but serves the point. Pacific Rim avoids trying to be more than it needs to, and keeps the storyline simple. GIANT ROBOTS! and then Charlie Day running around for comic relief and a little bit of back story.

Charlie Hunnan isn't your typical leading man. He's best known for his role on the gritty Sons of Anarchy, so in a real way, Idris Elba is the star power of the film. He's got a massive screen presence, and has been rumored to be in line to succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. I personally think he'll be too old by the time Craig (and Mendes) hang it up, and Elba's natural accent is about as thick as it gets. Might be too much. Anyway, he's the strong-willed, hard-assed commander of the Jaeger program, and straight out of every other action film in the history of cinema, he suits up himself for the final battle.

Guillermo Del Toro is impressive here. Not Pan's Labyrinth impressive, but Hellboy and Blade impressive. He is proving that he's a master of visual effects as he unflinchingly gives us close up after close up of his end product. He should be proud. Pacific Rim avoids typical trickery employed in films of this type; quick cuts to avoid the seams or integration frames, or fast moving cameras so you won't get a full glimpse of what your mind hopes is happening on screen. He boldly puts the CGI on screen for minutes upon minutes at a time. I can't recall another director whose name isn't Cameron who is that aggressive. OK, Michael Bay did a pretty nice job with the Transformers films, but this in many ways is better.

The team that brought you Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean (Industrial Light and Magic) did most of the visual effects, and advisers who did work on Star Trek, Independence Day, Iron Man's suit, and Real Steel were on board to help. My hat is off to the whole team. They made an incredible film.

So you see my dilemma. Do I rate the film on the sheer mind-blowing effects, and how giddy it made me while watching it (heretofore will be called "The Avatar Effect") or do I use my objective film critic standard and degrade it for its flaws? It's a tricky one, so I am going to average the 10 for effort/effects and the 7 that I am inclined to give it.

Go see Pacific Rim. It will blow your mind and entertain the hell out of you. 8.5.