By Cameron Simek Life Editor
For those who grew up with “Power Rangers” and “Gundam;” for those that loved watching those old “Godzilla” and other Kaiju films with a sense of awe and wonder—even though the models were plastic and the destruction was obviously fake—this is your film.
“Pacific Rim” is, to put it simply, a movie about giant robots beating up giant aliens. It really doesn’t try to be anything more than that. Yes, there is some character development, and kind of a moral about becoming one and the power of teamwork, but that all plays second fiddle to the reason the film was made. It was made for people who saw “Transformers” and were disappointed by the lackluster robot fights.
The best compliment that this movie can be given is that it’s forgettable in all the right places. The character growth is interesting, but some parts tend to drag on a little bit. Those scenes are quickly wiped away the second you see the fights. Dynamic, destructive, and shatteringly loud, these are the reason movies and special effects exist.
They are also really, really fun.
The fights play out almost exactly as they should, childhood fantasies about what you could see on the big screen finally coming to life. I found myself smiling with joy during every single one, elated at the collateral damage you don’t see in too many films these days.
“Is that building in the way of our fight? It’s ok, we’re going through it.”
If you feel that giant robots and loud fights are too much for you, then this film may not be for you. It is probably one of the loudest films I have seen in theaters and for some people that may not be the best thing.
It’s a fun ride, and it’ll probably turn out to be one of the best action films of the summer. If you can, it seemed to be more fun to watch in 3D, and it didn’t fall on the gimmicks of throwing things at the audience. The 3D added depth and scale to every scene, and really made the fights more intense.
It’s also showing in IMAX and IMAX 3D, for those that think they can handle that much giant robot.
To perfectly sum up this film I only have two words, “Elbow Rocket.”
See it, it’s fantastic.
