Pacific Rim

            It's going to be difficult writing this review without sounding like I'm gushing.  But whatever, screw it.  It's about time I loved a summer popcorn flick that didn't have the Marvel name attached to it.

            On to the review!

            This weekend I found a very excellent reason to not see GrownUps 2.  That reason is that I don't hate myself.  Instead, I went to check out Pacific Rim for 3 reasons.  First off, I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro.  Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth were both great movies (for totally different reasons).  Secondly, it looked like an action movie that was actually fun.  Thirdly, giant freaking robots. 

            I love giant robots.  Which is weird, because I'm really picky about which anime I watch that involves giant robots.  Both Gundam Wing and Evangelion bored me to death and Rahxephon never kept me interested enough to actually finish it.  But stuff like Tekken Toppa Gurren Lagann and even the recent Suisei no Gargantia entertained me to no end.  (Fun fact, Gurren Lagann is both my 3rd favorite anime of all time and the cause of the biggest fight I've ever had with a loved one in my life.)

            Aaaaaanyways, Pacific Rim has giant robots beating up aliens, and it was directed by Guillermo del Toro, and it's an action flick.  I wanted to be there on opening day, and I was.

            The movie starts off with a run-down of what happened to get the planet to its current state.  It starts in 2020 and picks up several years later.  Fortunately, even the prologue is action-packed enough to keep just about anyone interested even while cramming information down the audience's throats.  We need to find out what's up with the aliens (Kaiju) and get some clues as to where they came from.  This spins us up on why the robots (Jaegers) were built.  It also gives us some clues as to the main character's mindsets and attitudes.

            Interestingly, there's a lot going on for a simple action flick.  There's the main character's quest for control and redemption.  There's also the grizzled old warrior, a hotshot kid, a mysterious lady, the experienced soldier, and even two scientists looking for answers.  Yet somehow Pacific Rim merges all these characters and storylines together into a cohesive unit and an entertaining story.  Yes, it is totally a summer blockbuster bubblegum flick, but it's one with half a brain.

            At 131 minutes, it could have been just as dreary and boring as The Lone Ranger, but del Toro did what Gore Verbinski could not: he paced everything out properly.  There are no 20 minute dialogs.  There are no yawn-inducing moments or shitty characters.  Basically, there is no wasted space.

            While I could easily go on about every character in the film and how entertaining they all were in their own right, I just want to briefly mention a few of them.  Charlie Hunnam was fine as Raleigh Becket, our main character and voiceover guy.  Yes, he was wooden.  I can't deny that.  But he almost seemed like a cipher placed there to keep the story moving.  But yes, he was genuinely overshadowed both in acting and story.  Idris Elba (as Stacker Pentacost) was the perfectly cast, perfectly played old commander, and Rinko Kikuchi was just fantastic as Mako Mori, the mysterious girl with a hidden past. 

            While I enjoyed everyone else, I really have to say that Charlie Day was the heart of this film.  As Dr. Newton, he tries to figure out why the Kaiju are attacking, while everyone else focuses on how to destroy the threat.  During his travels within the film, he ends up delivering a large chunk of the humor as well as a few memorable lines.  I gotta hand it to the guy, he's definitely becoming a singular reason to check out a film.

            So, before I spoil any of the plot, let me just say that I enjoyed Pacific Rim very, very much.  It is now the very first film of 2013 that I intend to purchase when it comes to video.  It is also the first summer film of the year that I highly recommend seeing in theaters, because the special effects are way too great to see them for the first time on a tiny TV set.

            This is no Independence Day.  Pacific Rim purposefully avoids nationality and becomes a "Humanity, fuck yeah!" celebration.

            Also, apparently you should stay for the credits.  I didn't, but then I heard that you should.  Guess I'll just have to go see it again.