Much of Andrew Neskoromny and Carol Spier's steel based production design looks ugly, but there's creativity in this dystopian survival world. Guillermo Navarro's cinematography looks neat, but not every shot is gorgeous.

Pacific Rim is a long 131 minutes that possibly could have been trimmed down or paced faster. I could mostly tell what was happening during the fights, but many of the cuts flash by too quickly to coherently read all the action like Guillermo Del Toro's more compelling Hellboy action sequences. I was pleasantly surprised by the deeper character motivations and conversations, while the Kaiju are cool to marvel at, honestly.Įditors Peter Amundson and John Gilroy cut smoothly for the more intimate heart to heart conversations, while blitzing through rapid fire edits for the fights. Writers Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham find the emotional, character driven heart of Pacific Rim, while balancing fearsome creature combat for entertainment. Pacific Rim's story is basically a combination of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion and Mobile Suit Gundam with Lovecraftian monsters like only Del Toro could realize on the silver screen. Everyone else is a forgettable side character not worth mentioning and there are plenty of them. Burn Gorman was funny alongside Day with his mathematician monologues. Ron Perlman is hilarious and cool as the black market Kaiju dealer, while Charlie Day is a riot as the crazy scientist of sorts. is good as the operator, but doesn't get great lines. Idris Elba makes for a stalwart commanding presence, while Max Martini is his steadfast side leader. She is my favorite aspect of Pacific Rim with her believable drama and fantastic heroism. Rinko Kikuchi is miraculous as a cool action heroine and emotional heart of Pacific Rim as a girl seeking approval from her adopted father and revenge against her Kaiju foes. Del Toro engages you with the human drama and consequences of these epic battles, while thrilling audiences with visceral blood and guts.Ĭharlie Hunnam is a compelling hero with a grounded emotional presence as the lead. The CGI is on point, though I wish there were more practical effects like the massive robot 'Jaeger' suits inner sets. Del Toro's monster worship is put to good use as the villainous giant alien 'Kaiju' creatures have such unique designs. Pacific Rim is one of Del Toro's worst movies, and yet, it is still a blast to watch.

It looks great with vivid neon colors with a bit too much cold metallic greys in the industrial areas. Guillermo Del Toro's adoration of monsters is on full display!ĭirector Guillermo Del Toro's science-fiction action-thriller Pacific Rim (2013) collides the worlds of monster horror and sci-fi giant mechs for exhilarating combat.

Pacific rim movie rotten tomatoes