Pacific Rim Review By Chris Bridge

If there was a blockbuster this summer that had me in a force choke hold it would definitely be Pacific Rim. Usually I don't allow a film trailer to mesmerise me so much, when you look at how they are put together and how similar they are it actually becomes almost laughable. However Pacific Rim's pounding ambience and dark soggy aesthetic struck some kind of inner chord with me. It also has giant robots in it which is always great.

The trailer has caught my attention in a big way and I can't wait to see the film, which is bad. The best experiences I have had in the cinema are usually because I half expect to see a really mediocre feature and become pleasantly surprised at how wrong I am. It leaves only room for improvement as my expectation is already low. When I go in already expecting an amazing film, thats when I am most likely to be disappointed. We all have our own perceptions of what makes a great film. For instance I actually really liked the infamous third act in Man Of Steel. Without spoiling anything I thought it really brought some very welcomed action to an already brilliant  while slightly flawed origin story. I admit its quite a turn and understand all the criticisms but for me it was an early summer guilty pleasure.

That said I will see you on the other side.

                                                                      

Review - Pacific Rim

A walking skyscraper with rocket propelled punches.

Well I fell for it. The trailer while honest in context gave me a completely different expectation of what this film would throw at me. Don't get me wrong I am very impressed. The film manages to tap into the inner geek within me who appreciates giant robots and destructive special effects. However it still manages to let itself down with a few storytelling cliches and hammy acting.

'Megatron is my toothbrush.'

Straight off the bat this film seems to give you what you expected. Giant monsters and robots duking it out in varied land and ocean battles, and boy do these visuals look gorgeous. While not quite as surreal as most of Guillermo Del Toro's backlog the robotic designs really are a stunning sight to behold, each with their own unique flavour. You really do get a sense of how massive these robotic centurions are. My only gripe with the visuals is not the creature design but for the fact that we cannot see them very well. These monsters or 'Kaiju' have all been clearly modelled differently and yet because of their strategy of 'always attacking at night during a thunderstorm' its hard to appreciate their detailed presence. Still this is a small nit pick as I still got a better appreciation for the monster designs displayed here rather then say the clover field creature, who is very camera shy.

 The fact that there are giant robots that could be fighting

 monsters right now makes this scene very criminal.

The characters are indeed all as rigid as they need to be, in this they serve their purpose. This didn't stop me from seeing them all fall into dangerously familiar story cliches. Raleigh Becket, a young man who was once great is in desperate need to redeem himself. He's unpredictable and 'doesn't play by the rules' ooooo fantastic, how relatable. Hard daddy figure colonel Pentecost who keeps a stern face and all his lower ranked children in check with a subtle badass streak. Indeed Idris Alba wins my vote for character of the film as Stacker Pentecost. Did you hear me? His bloody name is Stacker Pentecost! Ill remember that for my son.

Idris Alba: The only man who should be 

allowed to play every role in the world.

Even with the noticeable cliches and questionable storytelling among other distractions (Why don't you just use swords from the beginning of the fight, they obviously work better then fists!) the film has no trouble sucking you in to its apocalyptic atmosphere. I still found shivers running down my spine every time a giant mechanised fist flew into a Kaiju's face. Well worth seeing if your a fan of sci fi action however some may find themselves waiting for the next robot battle instead of clinging eagerly to the story. I know at one point I found I had had enough of the one trick characters and just wanted to see another robot battle. Boys In The Hood has better character development! It really depends on the mood your in and I really would have just been content watching two hours of metal bending visuals.
If there was anything I would have liked it would be more exposition on the history of these Jeagers, which is only lightly touched upon within the first few minutes. More robots with more nationalities should have been included. Why focus on just one cool robot when you could have a whole stable? I vote for a stereotypical British robot complete with mechanised handlebar moustache and don't you dare tell me that sounds ridiculous.

Oh Pacific Rim I really think you have potential, so why do I feel the need to throw my toys out of my crib? I wanted more out of it, yet I still got a decent film which I can't complain about too much. Go watch it with a few friends, you'll have fun but don't base your decision on the trailer. Speaking of which, wow wasn't that trailer awesome? If they don't make a game of this film by the end of the month then someone has seriously tripped up.

Rinko Kikuchi is very cute, and I totally 
grant her permission to date me.

VERDICT - If transformers had a baby with Cloverfield, and it actually turned out decent!        7.5/10

Chris Bridge