Pacific Rim

The trailers for “Pacific Rim” did not impress me. I saw no story in those previews and while the visuals were impressive, I couldn't help but feel that this movie was made to capitalize on the success of "Avatar". True "Pacific Rim" was written before the release of "Avatar" but the script wasn't purchased until after. Fortunately, this movie had a good director. Otherwise, it would have been awful. Guillermo del Toro has talent and it can be seen in this film as well as his past works. The special effects were great and the acting was fine. I wish however that all directors would have the story of their movie as the focus and have every other element of the movie support it. In "Pacific Rim", I could see that the visual and action sequences were going to take center stage and I was right. I will admit however that IMAX 3D was a fun way to watch this movie.

Not only did the story take a backseat but also so did the characters. They were not as genuine as I wanted. The actors did their job well but if we don't care enough for the people, how are we supposed to become emotionally invested in robots fighting monsters. There were some great character moments such as when Gipsy Danger's sword is first used but I desired more. I was appreciative of the opening montage that "Pacific Rim" had. Also, the initial scene where we see how a Jaeger operates was well organized in terms of exposition. The best part of the movie was the battle in Hong Kong with Raleigh and Mako operating the Gipsy Danger. Newton's cradle gag was a little much though. The climax was not as good as that scene so "Pacific Rim" lacked a strong narrative crescendo. I also was more entertained by Dr. Geiszler's plotline than Raleigh's. I also felt a lack of resolution at the very end of the movie. We needed a closing exposition scene in order to bookend the well-done opening exposition scene. I was interested in what was going to happen next in terms of the whole world now that the portal has been closed. Other movies like "Minority Report" and "Transformers" gave us that desired info.

Director Guillermo del Toro may have focused more on action and visual effects but had this movie been in the hands of someone else, it might have been really bad. You know that "Pacific Rim" is supposed to be eye candy as you watch it but because it is good eye candy, you are entertained. I was disappointed however by the 3D of the flashback scene when little Mako met Stacker. The rest of the film had great 3D but there was one shot showing the destruction in the street during the flashback where parts of the environment appear to be moving in the opposite direction of other parts and this is a result of poor conversion to 3D. You would think that a flaw so obvious would have been spotted. As mentioned, the cast did their jobs well but I would have enjoyed another actor playing Raleigh because Charlie Hunnam wasn't unique enough. I remember Burn Gorman from "The Dark Knight Rises". He and Charlie Day had great chemistry together. I seem to enjoy the comedic characters in a disaster movie. Max Martini has been in a lot of war movies so he was a good choice. Rob Perlman, who was the title character in "Hellboy", is working for del Toro once again. Industrial Light and Magic created some amazing stuff as did Legacy Effects. Many noteworthy special effects supervisors were involved in this show.

I saw "Pacific Rim" in the same IMAX Theater as "Inception" and I had a similar experience while watching the movie. The acting and directing in both "Inception" and "Pacific Rim" were such that in some scenes where minds are connected, "drifting" in this case, I was so emotionally overloaded that I got dizzy. This is a testament to del Toro's good directing and the acting performances. It may be the IMAX also. I am glad that del Toro decided not to direct "The Hobbit" because he might not have given that amazing story the attention it needed. With "Pacific Rim", I could sense that the story was not holding everything up but rather the special effects were the focus of the movie. Many people who liked this show have started to bash Michael Bay on social media because they compare this movie to the last two films in the "Transformers" franchise. They praise del Toro for satisfying their appetite. First of all, fans mistakenly think they can compare an original film to two sequels. Secondly, the way I see it, people like change. These movie lovers became tired of Bay's movies and looked for the next big thing, all the while blaming their former idol that they claim has lost his touch. Directors do hit their stride but just as Bay was popular in the 90's and del Toro is popular now, some moviegoers will always be disappointed because they set their expectations too high. I would bet that a sequel to "Pacific Rim" is on its way but I for one have no high hopes for it to be successful.

3 Stars