Pacific Rim

Ratings: 9.0/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Sci Fi Action

It's Gundam meets Godzilla. If there ever was a live action Gundam movie that is. It's plain simple machine vs. monsters, end of the world scenario if humans don't defeat the oncoming alien species that is sneaking through a portal from the seabed. It's has an interesting take on how aliens would invade earth by, and all these while we thought it would be from the "heavens", "hell" would be a good place to start looking. 

While there are inevitably flaws in the story, it makes a cool CG-dominated non-stop (almost) action packed movie with most of the action scenes taking place in the dark. I might have missed the important bits about why the aliens didn't send armies of monsters at one go but a pathetic few every now and then, as if to tease/challenge the human race, but it sure even the odds. In fact, most of the time the humans barely survived an attack.

The cast is relatively unknown, and though not stellar, creates a more "realistic" feel with what looked like your everyday common-folk characters instead of the usual "Hollywood" glam. Also, there's a certain raw look which makes this a more realistic film than Transformers. Actor Ron Perlman is a tickle to watch, always getting giggles from the audience whenever he's introduced as a supporting cast like in his other films, obviously one of main reasons for making it into the director's favorite list of actors. 

There's a westernized anime fusion in this, hints of Japanese influence/inspirations here and there, and which was pretty obvious by starring the rather out of place Rinko Kikuchi (female lead who starred as Mako Mori). Even the terms used to describe the machines and monsters were in japanese. The little girl acting as the younger version of Mako stole the limelight despite having only a mere 10-min screentime. *major spoilers ahead* That said, the part of her savior appearing felt kinda cheesy, killing the mood of the "short clip" of her demise. To look on the bright side, it created what seemed like a glaring closure for that chapter of Mako's background story. 

There are funny bits scattered throughout the film but none too noteworthy. The main focus was the awesome fighting scenes between the machines and monsters. There's a good buildup of intensity for the fighting scenes and the highlight came midway (parts of it are shown in the trailer). The ending, though not as satisfyingly long as the fight scene in the middle, was a visual spectacle of boomz. 

I was silently hoping to get a glimpse of a possible sequel after the credits but all I got was "What the hell happened to my boot?". (In this case it's not a stinger but a "sting" I guess. Cos the extra scene came midway during the credits)

Pacific Rim is a sure hit among the guys, but might not fair as well for the ladies. The closest thing to romance you'll find here is a forehead kiss, and the only "hugs" are the direct opposite of bromance... 2 guys beating the crap out of each other. 

Though the machines and monsters might look the same due to the color hues, there are some really commendable efforts invested into the details. The types of weaponry and fighting styles were clearly distinguishable for both the monsters and machines. 

The only complain I have is the sound, which I believe to be the fault of the theatre's and not the production of the film. If you're wondering, the title "Pacific Rim" possibly came from the crack in the seabed, which was the portal between our world and the alien's, which looked like a rim underwater. And the fights are mostly at the pacific coast. 

Pacific Rim has made the dreams of most anime fans come true, anime-styled movie with awesome Hollywood graphics. Best of both worlds. What more could they, we, ask for?