Pacific Rim

For those who yearn for a truly epic summer popcorn blockbuster action flick, your one-stop should definitely be Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim! It's also not fair to write off the film just like that, as there were magnanimously groundbreaking stuffs that went into the making of it!

The writer-director has given the picture an interesting premise with intricate plotting. Revelations regarding truth about the Breach, colonist aspect of Kaijus, sudden wings emerging out of a sea monster, their unpredictable appearances during battles and adaptability to the Jaegar system moved the story into uncharted, unexpected territories. Almost every scene ended with a surprise or major turning point before cutting back on another event in the screenplay with similar nature. He knew how and when to withhold information, leaving us hooked in a corner waiting at his mercy for answers. Such were the secrets surrounding Rinko Kikuchi's character past and General Stacker's (Idris Elba) upcoming death. Dialogues were used to shorten the time, tighten the grip and increase the urgency!

Sometimes, Pacific Rim could feel like it's a B movie. That's the byproduct of attempts to merge human connections in a literally big story like this. The effect took some time to percolate. Color scheme, although it was one of the factors that lent to the cheesiness, was vibrant and attractive. Caricatured characters like the scientist pair and Russian fighters were exaggerated, but they stood out memorable. Ron Perlman's Hannibal Chau was such a persona too. One thing is for sure, Guillermo del Toro owned the over-the-topness like a boss! The characters did grow more charming and relatable as the runtime travelled. All supporting characters were inbound with the plot goal. Decision to shoot the behemoth with a flare gun was stupid, but it’s an action that exposed the theme as per screenwriting rules. Not to forget, Mako may not be interesting, but the small girl who portrayed her was cute. Of all, Idris Elba stole the show.

Ramin Djawadi's goosebumps inducing score was everything! So much of energy were pumped into the movie through his music! Designs for the Kaijus, its carcasses, parasites, machineries, animatronics, costumes, production design and visual effects were great! Chemo Alpha, Striker Eureka, Crimson Typhoon, Gipsy Danger, you name it! Ideas such as neural handshake, drifting with Kaiju, fist causing office table's pendulum movement and pregnant Kaiju with a baby strangled by umbilical cord were touches well-thought of!

For a motion picture like this, you'll be surprised at how calm and composed the camera navigations were, laying out the actions, geography and who versus who vividly! That’s Guillermo del Toro's signature right there! And the battles were so exciting and fun to watch! Gipsy Danger thrown across the bridge, slitting through a Kaiju, blue acid it spits and tail being frozen with coolant venting, meeting a never-before-seen Category 5, two gigantic entities brawling and rubbing across neon-backgrounded skyscrapers, humanoid mecha finishing off a Kaiju by pulling out its tongue, ejecting plasma cannon onto the creature's body and slaughtering it with an embedded sword as the foot motor stopped right by the harbor before bringing along a tanker ship into the city to beat the crap out of another one of these suckers were pure jaw-drops! While CGI inside the Breach might have been a little heavy-handed, the constant ups and downs prior to climaxing rendered a total breathtaking experience and beautiful finale!