Pacific Rim: Robots, Aliens, and, most importantly, no Transformers
If you’re a fan of aliens and/or giant robots, you’ve probably already heard about Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim. Even if you’re not a fan of aliens and/or giant robots, you’ve probably still heard about this big budget Hollywood sci-fi/fantasy romp, as people have been talking it up for well over a year. Online movie and geek culture news blogs have been abuzz about this movie for quite some time now, and there has been a fair amount of debate about exactly what this movie means for both the film industry and the genre at large. And that’s okay, too. I’m not going to tell you what this movie is about, but I am going to tell you exactly what this movie is. (And, by association, what it is not.)
Pacific Rim is:
A movie with an appreciation of scale.
Are you tired of super-sized summer blockbusters, bursting with needless wholesale destruction and vomit-inducing chaos? Even if you are, don’t worry about it. Pacific Rim utilizes the monolithic scale of the Kaijus and the Jaegers to their fullest potential, and does it with style. The creature combat in this movie is impressive, not only in size but in execution, framing intense battle scenes with well-scripted choreography and attention to detail. As big as these fight scenes are, they feel grounded in their surroundings and keep the viewer’s attention with good pacing, making for an engrossing viewing experience.
A movie with some actual diversity.
Yes, there are a lot of white dudes running around, but this is one of the few times I’ve seen an international coalition force in an action movie that, um, actually looks international? Okay, the team piloting the heroic American Gipsy Danger is the focus of the film, but this isn’t another sci-fi movie where we save the Earth by defending America’s infallible borders and political concerns. America, China, Britain, Australia, Russia, and many other nations have thrown together to defeat the Kaiju, and the pilots and their Jaegers are all formidable in their own ways. I really wanted to see more of the Chinese and Russian Jaegers, because they were just that awesome.
A movie with a great cast.
Charlie Hunnam is an endearing and relatable hero as Raleigh. Rinko Kikuchi is engaging, layered and so enjoyable to watch as Mako. Idris Elba and his damn cowboy speeches make you believe in Stacker Pentecost. Not every character is a winner, but the strength of the cast sells this story and does it well.
A story about families.
With the exception of a handful of characters, everyone in this movie was pretty much related to each other. Raleigh’s original copilot was his brother Yancy; Herc and Chuck Hansen piloting the Australian Striker Eureka were father and son; the Chinese Crimson Typhoon was piloted by triplets; the pilots of the Russian Cherno Alpha were married, and even Mako and Stacker made a little family of their own after being brought by tragedy. In a movie about the end of the world, it’s nice to see how the strength of family (both the kind you’re born into and the kind you find) can help humanity rise above the threat of extinction.
An entertaining kaleidoscope of pop culture influences.
You like anime? You like video games? You like comic books? You like movies? Well, good – because the influences and allusions are practically oozing off the screen with this one. From Godzilla to Evangelion, this movie is a big love letter to genre, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you took a bag, put all my favorite things in it and then shook it, Pacific Rim is what you would come out with. It’s kind of like a remix: The stronger aspects of many different stories, all put together in an entertaining way.
Pacific Rim is not:
A kissing movie.
This movie proves you can have male and female protagonists in an action movie and they can just be bros. And, you know what? It’s still awesome. Because being cool bros who kill giant monsters is awesome. Whatever happens between Raleigh and Mako after the credits roll doesn’t make any difference to me, because their chemistry and friendship on-screen is satisfying enough.
A perfect movie.
Some early reactions I’ve read so far frame this movie as cinematic perfection, but that’s kind of a stretch for me. Yes, the characters fall in line as predictable archetypes. Yes, the movie probably should’ve been longer to develop the characters and background a little more. Yes, some parts are a little silly. And, yes, the fact that we have giant inter-dimensional monsters coming out of a rift at the bottom of the ocean and Cthulu didn’t make an appearance felt like a missed opportunity. But for what it is, it’s a fun romp with great acting and visuals, and manages to show a little heart in the process. At the end of the day, I’m fine with that.
Our salvation from “lesser” movies.
This movie isn’t Transformers, or Battleship, or Iron Man, or even G.I. Joe. It’s just not, so let’s not waste time putting it on pedestals or holding it in contempt. It’s a fun sci-fi/fantasy adventure story, which manages to do some interesting things in a genre plagued by overplayed franchise properties. And if certain movie reviewers and bloggers (cough cough) can’t look beyond the surface similarities between Pacific Rim and its contemporaries to review it on its own merits, then maybe they need to do more than just look at movie trailers and make such sweeping statements. Pacific Rim is exactly what it says it is – a big movie about robots fighting aliens – and that’s all I can ask from Guillermo Del Toro.
But, hey. That’s just me.
