Film Review : Pacific Rim

, in Films, Science Fiction

Pacific Rim PosterA rift between dimensions has opened up somewhere under the Pacific Ocean, and every so often a giant monster comes through. These monsters wade out of the ocean and lay waste to any coastal city. With millions dead or displaced and the world economy ruined, humanity turns to the only obvious solution: build giant piloted robots to take the monsters on hand to hand. It works pretty for the first few years, but the monsters keep getting bigger...

On the surface, Pacific Rim is a deliberate throwback to the old Godzilla films - heavy on the action set pieces and wanton destruction. The characters are all hilariously over-the-top, most of the dialog is terrible and almost universally delivered at high volume in unplaceable accents by actors that look like they are having fun. Even the side plots are entertaining, Pacific Rim's charm lies in its apparent simplicity.

But beneathblockbuster exterior lies complex filmgently exploressubtle interplay between peoplein existential forces threaten to struggling with internalmotivations express masterclass in restraint

Highly recommended if you like this sort of thing.