PACIFIC RIM (9)

First movie for the blog is really important. PACIFIC RIM from WARNER BROS. will receive the honor.

PRE-TRIP

Giant mechs clash with equally giant monsters when the latter emerge from beneath the Pacific through a mysterious portal. Hmm, finally, a film that is not a sequel, reboot or about a superhero - instead a tribute to anime of a Gundam n Wait, GUILLERMO DEL TORO is at the helm? What, there’s RINKO KIKUCHI from BABEL, IDRIS ELBA and RON PERLMAN, aka HELLBOY? A definite audiovisual treat, but one should be prepared for cheesy action flicks scenarios/speeches in store. 

8 out of 10.

POST-TRIP

No stranger to cinephiles, DEL TORO is famous for designing his own creatures (or robots) with extreme attention to detail. It shows here. Beautiful effects work, you could certainly feel the weight and scale. At times, you’ll definitely want to reach out to touch the screen. Photography legend GUILLERMO NAVARRO’s camerawork is simple but, as always, effective and mesmerizing. Music and sounds explode, boom and blast, making sure you remain on edge. Think IRON MAN mix with THOR.

Now the idea is good but the writing is not. The dialog is top-of-the-line cheese with bad-boy one-liners, dramatic before-the-final-battle motivational speech and exceedingly simple phrases to convey either urgency or care. Acting-wise, IDRIS ELBA and RON PERLMAN shine, while the main man - CHARLIE HUNNAM - is as lifeless as the robot he controls. RINKO KIKUCHI, CHARLIE DAY and BURN GORMAN are fun, but not really memorable.

In short, what is digitized on screen is better than what is not.  PACIFIC RIM is a step, only one step, above your usual lights-and-explosions fare, thanks to megatons of eye candy deliver by the sights, sounds and scale. 

Oh, and the abs too, for the ladies. 

9 out of 10.

MOMENTS THAT LINGER

- Alaska fight - a breathtaking 18 minute prologue which shows off the good stuff of PACIFIC RIM

- Mako Mori (RINKO KIKUCHI) chasing the ‘white rabbit’ - lost in the neural drift while operating a robot

- Hong Kong battle, which takes up the whole of Act 2

SIDENOTES

Screenwriter TRAVIS BEACHAM got the idea for the movie during a morning walk along the foggy California coastline. As the pier looked like a giant creature emerging from the sea, he imagined a robot waiting to fight it. (IMDB)