Cast of Characters:
Raleigh Becket - Charlie Hunnam
Stacker Pentecost - Idris Elba
Mako Mori - Rinko Kikuchi
Dr. Newton Geizler - Charlie Day
Chuck Hansen - Rob Kazinsky
Herc Hansen - Max Martini
Hannibal Chau - Ron Perlman
Director - Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay - Travis Beacham & Guillermo del Toro
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language
It's the FX all-star lineup as FX network staples Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day and Ron Perlman star alongside Idris Elba and Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi in Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim. Will Guillermo deliver another hit, or will it be a step back for him? Is that even possible?
Pacific Rim opens with the war between the Kaijus (Japanese for "Giant monster") and Jaegers (German for "Hunter") already taking place. There is a brief backstory in that while mankind originally believed alien life would exist beyond the stars, it actually comes from beneath the surface. Considering the size and strength of the Kaijus, and not wanna to create any more collateral damage than needed with a full-on assault, a special type of weapon is created with the Jaegers - giant humanoid fighting machines. Needing two soldiers to operate the Jaegers - one for each hemisphere of the brain - the Jaegers are the world's only hope in preventing the Kaijus from bringing about the apocalypse.
Fast forward a bit. Jaeger Forces Commander Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) approaches former pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) to help bring about one last push against the monsters. Having witnessed his brother be killed by a Kaiju while both piloting a Jaeger, Raleigh is hesitant. What happened in his past was more than just his brother being killed. To operate a Jaeger both pilots access each other's thoughts and memories in order to synch the hemispheres. In a way, it was like Raleigh experienced his brother's death as well. The fact that it came about through an order he ignored makes him feel all the more responsible, so why would he wanna go back?
Raleigh eventually changes his mind and rejoins the mission. He's paired up with Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), a test pilot who is overseeing the nomination process for Raleigh's new co-pilot. Seeing that she's clearly skilled herself, Raleigh insists she be his new co-pilot. Pentecost though - being her adoptive father - strongly opposes for protective reasons. When push comes to shove, Pentecost relents and allows Mako to be his co-pilot. With the help of Dr. Newton Geizler (Charlie Day), who believes he can access all things Kaijus by tapping into a brain of theirs he can get from black market Kaiju organ dealer Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman), the Jaeger Forces push on to give the Kaijus one last fight.
Prior to the release of this film, I was rather disappointed by the poor marketing done by Warner Bros. Unlike films like Man of Steel and the upcoming The Wolverine - of which both were excellently marketed - there really was no advertising push for this film until the last minute. All that considered, just 'cause a film is poorly marketed doesn't necessarily mean it will be poorly received (See my A- review of The Heat). In spite of the lackluster advertising, this is a highly entertaining film. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna say it once again come his next film. Guillermo del Toro is a masterful director. Whether it's his balanced pacing, his eye for colorful detail, the ability to bring out so much emotion into just one shot, or the Oscar level creature and visual effects (Credit here to Oscar winners John Knoll and Hal T. Hickel), del Toro has his craft down to a perfection. This film is beautifully shot, and I have a feeling you may be seeing this film listed in a few technical categories come Oscar season. Even the title sequence and the closing credits (I always stay a bit afterward just to see the cast and crew), were amazing to watch. If there was any beef that I had with the film, it's that maybe the fight sequences go on a tad bit longer than they need to. That was also a similar problem I had with Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and a just little bit with Man of Steel as well. It's not a slight on the pacing in any way, 'cause the film is just only a bit over two hours, but del Toro keeps things moving. The film has its share of heart and humanity. We see it in the connection that Raleigh and Mako have through their backstories (and thank God they don't go in the token, cliche love interest route). We see it in the father figure relationship between Stacker and Mako. There are also striking little moments beautifully shot throughout the film be it a little girl's red shoe lying in a heap of ash and rubble, Pentecost slowly lowering his helmet like a leader of warriors to address the crowd, or a little child crying from the loss of her parents as she stands helplessly in a destroyed city while fighter jets fly above her. This film has heart like any del Toro film. I just felt maybe they could've trimmed some of the fight sequences back and use that additional time to expand a bit more on the relationships.
My nitpicks aside, as I said, this is one hell of an entertaining movie. Del Toro's direction is sharp and spot-on with all his trademark niches evident onscreen. The acting is solid. Charlie Hunnam isn't quite there yet as a "leading man", but he still holds his own. Underrated character actor Idris Elba provides a strong presence. The lovely Rinko Kikuchi (who, on a side note, absolutely deserved Best Supporting Actress for Babel instead of the overrated Jennifer Hudson in 2006) is a gorgeous presence onscreen and it's great to see her get a role that has her talking (See Babel and The Brothers Bloom to see what I mean). The scenes between her and Elba are a good portion of the film's depth. Plus, we get some much needed comic relief from both Charlie Day and del Toro's go-to guy Ron Perlman. Is it del Toro's best film? No. It's pretty hard to top Pans Labyrinth, but it's greatly entertaining and has the emotion and humanity we've come to expect from his films. I give Pacific Rim an A- (★★★½).
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The characters and script kind of blow, but the action is always there to save the day. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I didn't think the story sucked. It certainly didn't have the narrative that came with Pans Labyrinth, Cronos and The Devil's Backbone (My top 3 del Toro flicks), but I felt for what the film was the story worked. We were spared the obligatory origin story that normally goes on for about 25-30 min. as well as the cliche love interest angle and that worked to the film's benefit. It was boom, this is what has been happening, now here we go.
DeleteAs far as the characters go, I really enjoyed the relationship between Mako and Stacker and the comic moments between Dr. Geizler and Hannibal. Hunnam's character is really the only one that could've been a bit better (that and maybe Kazinsky's token douchy pilot character). It wasn't a bad performance by any means. It just wasn't enough to convince me Hunnam's at leading man status for film.