[Films] Pacific Rim

One of the staple television shows of my early childhood was "Power Rangers". I remember watching the original "Mighty Morphin" series right up through "Power Rangers in Space". I even watched "Lightspeed Rescue", "Time Force", and "Ninja Storm" before I fell out of touch. I think that's where my love of giant robots started. I then moved on to Mecha-based anime, with "Big-O" and the various "Gundam" series getting me hooked. Giant monsters also started with Power Rangers, and I have a curious soft spot for the mid-90s Godzilla film that everyone else seems to think is rubbish.

There's something about giant fighting robots piloted by plucky heroes taking on giant monsters (or other robots) that's inherently cool in my mind. So you can imagine how excited I was when I first heard about "Pacific Rim". The fact that it was being directed by Guillermo del Toro was even better; I've loved his films ever since I saw "Pan's Labyrinth". Then the trailers came out, and I knew that I had to see this film. And man oh man, it didn't disappoint.

How cool does this look? The Jaegers are suitably huge, and unlike a lot of anime actually act like it.

There's a real sense of mass to them. (Credit: thehollywoodnews.com)

Lets be honest, this film was never going to win any acting awards. The script is serviceable, and has just the right balance of cheesy lines, seriousness, and levity for a film like this. But the characters are surprisingly well written, if predictable and somewhat stereotypical. The 'lead' is probably the least interesting of the three 'main' characters, with his copilot (one of only two females, and the only one with anything of note to do) and the general both seeming much more multi-layered to me. But it's the inter-character relationships between those three that's much-more involved and subtle than I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise. The supporting cast are reasonable, with the two slightly weird scientists being the standouts (and oh so silly).

The cheesiest moment of the film, but also one of the greatest lines. (Credit: tumblr.com)

But it's the robots (Jaegers in this film) and monsters (Kaiju!) that people are going to see this film for. They are where del Toro has clearly spent his money, time, and love. Each one has its own distinguishing characteristics, and they're very clearly individuals. They have personality, which is an impressive feat for such massive constructs. The designs ooze imagination, and there's clearly been a lot of thought put into the world-building. I'd love to see more. I also really liked the detail that was put in to the engineering of these beasts of war; things like the number of engines needed per arm, or the nuclear reactors powering some of them. Sure, some of the more 'out-there' science isn't really explained (or even explainable), but that's fine. It's science-fiction. But what is nice is the plausibility of a lot of it - where it would be possible, it's done with current or emerging technology.

The cockpit of Gypsy Danger. It's clearly a real set - no green screen here. That greater sense

of realism is a large part of what makes this film great. (Credit: nerdophiles.com)

The fights don't disappoint. The Jaegers are somewhat ponderous, and have a real sense of mass to them. You can see the inertia at work as they move. But you can also see the difference between the different generations of Jaeger, with the newer models obviously being faster and more agile than the older ones. The Kaiju have the same sense of mass, but are much more animalistic and natural in the way they move. It makes for an interesting contrast, and one that works really well. Some of the weaponry on both sides is rather imaginative, and what's great is that it's easy to see what's going on during the fight scenes. Unlike the Transformers franchise there's no shakycam at work here, no rapid cutting or frantic zooms that make it hard to follow. These fights are watchable, and brutal. I also love the nod to Power Rangers/anime in the use of a finishing weapon by the main Jaeger.

Striker Eureka takes on a Kaiju in Sydney. The fight scenes in this film are amazing. (Credit: pacificrim.wikia.com)

A final thumbs up too for the effects. Yes, the Kaiju and Jaegers are clearly CGI (there's no way it could be otherwise), but they don't look it. An advantage of modelling such creatures rather than humans I suppose. But the cockpits for the Jaegers, the bases, the dead Kaiju etc. all seem to be physical sets, with old-school, physical effects (even the head of Gypsy Danger, which is dropped into place!). And that adds to the sense of realism that this film has, however weird that sounds for a film such as this.

This is my favourite film of the year so far, and it's going to take a lot to top it. I knew I was going to enjoy it, but in truth, I was blown away. I loved this film, and if you're a fan of giant mecha or kaiju, then you will too (go see it in 3D - it's worth it).

Four jaegers, four designs, four individual personalities. This film is just bursting with character, even

from its giant pro- and antagonists. (Credit: pacificrim.wikia.com)