Humanity is attacked by giant sea creatures called Kaijus, that travel through a portal in the ocean from another dimension. To combat the Kaiju, humanity creates colossal mechanical robots, called Jaegers, that are controlled by two pilots. The pilots brains are linked, also known as drifting, to help control the robots abilities without overloading the pilot's brain. Raleigh Becket (Hunnam) and his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff) pilot a Jaeger named Gipsy Danger. But their career is cut short when they are attacked by a more powerful Kaiju, who severely damages the Jaeger and kills Yancy.
Seven years later, the Kaijus have destroyed all but four of the Jaegers and the government cuts the funding for the program. Stacker Pentecost (Elba) recruits Raleigh to return to the program and once again pilot the Gipsy Danger. He is paired with Mako Mori (Kikuchi), a trainee that has no experience, while the other 3 teams have perfect records and have a history together. Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Gorman) predicts that the attacks will only get worse, while his colleague Dr. Newt Geiszler (Day) focuses on figuring out the Kaiju. As the Kaijus get stronger, the future lays in the hands of Raleigh and Mori.
I initially disregarded this film. I figured it was just trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Transformers films. But I read a few positive reviews and there was buzz about a potential Oscar nomination for the film (which never happened). Based on the buzz, I bought the film for my brother and planned to eventually watch it.
I loved it! Yes, this is a weird movie... but it works. The effects are awesome. Each of the Kaijus are different (apparently they created many more, but couldn't use all of them for the film so they chose the filmmakers favorites). The Jaegers are distinct enough that you can pick them out in the battles, and they seem to take on the personality of their pilots. You really have the pay attention to understand the film, but the payoff is worth it. The characters are compelling, and don't mind being silly, and the complex story works. The film itself is a bit of a departure from director Guillermo del Toro's previous films, but when you hear del Toro is the director, it makes sense.
Frequent del Toro actor Ron Perlman has a small, but memorable role, that lets him be as weird as he can be. Idris Elba grounds the film as Stacker, you really believe that people would follow his orders and follow him into battle. Charlie Hunnam is a strong lead and audience surrogate. Comedy actor Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses and TV's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Burn Gorman (TV's Torchwood, Game of Thrones, and Turn) are the perfect match as the scientists. They bring a nice does of comedy as the bickering scientists. Rinko Kikuchi holds her own among the men, and ends up being the strongest character in the film. The rest of cast works well in their roles.
I still don't understand how/why it's special effects were not nominated for an Oscar, but it did receive other nominations / wins. The film was popular enough to garner sequel talk, which del Toro is currently writing. I enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing a sequel.
Pacific Rim (2013) minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh Becket
Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost
Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori
Charlie Day as Dr. Newt Geiszler
Burn Gorman as Dr. Hermann Gottlieb
Rob Kazinsky as Chuck Hansen
Max Martini as Herc Hansen
Clifton Collins Jr. as Ops Tendo Choi
Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau
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