Pacific Rim Brings The Pain......(Oh So Much Lovely Pain)

OK, myself and the Imaginos Gang went on an excursion to see Guillermo Del Torro's Mecha vs Kaiju romper-stomper Pacific Rim. As a student of Robert McKee, I found that the film did have its holes and certain pieces we could see a mile away. However, the film was very enjoyable.

It managed to transport me back to the days of Ultraman, Giant Robo and the week-long Godzilla  and Gamera marathons, particularly the venerable Godzilla dust-up DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Pacific Rim manages to keep the best of the Kaiju movie traits without giving in to the the foibles that plague the genre, such as hyper non-believability and camp. Though Del Torro decidedly based the Kaiju on the old men in rubber suits creatures of the genre, the 3D special effects more than create monsters that are scary and at times absolutely frightening. 

What I really loved about the film was the believable relationships between the various characters. The protagonists  Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) are both scarred by traumatic incidents in their lives and over time grow sympathetically close because of it. There is a father and son team of Jaeger Pilots who we get to see grow through the adversity they face. The most compelling character is by far Marshall Stacker Pentecost, portrayed by Idris Elba. Behind his focus and hard as nails demeanor is a truly compassionate soldier who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his people.  

I can relate to Del Torro's needing to make this movie. He remained true to his (and my) childhood fascination with all things Kaiju and managed to create a film that makes me not feel so bad for still getting a little bit excited at seeing and loving new Kaiju movies like the Gamera: Gaurdian of the Universe series and Godzilla: Final Wars. Pacific Rim is a thrill ride and you feel truly happy for the protagonists when all is said and done. If you haven't seen it DO SO ASAP!!!

Mark