Film review: Pacific Rim (7 out of ten)

Giant aliens battling giant robots - what’s not to like?
Pacific RimPacific Rim
Pacific Rim

Well, for a large portion of the cinema-going public, quite a bit I fancy.

Pacific Rim certainly sounds like a recipe for disaster and I certainly had fears that it would be an all-American hung ho epic tale.

There’s plenty of gung ho but not that many Americans.

Pacific RimPacific Rim
Pacific Rim
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Instead we have quite a diverse range of actors from across the globe trying to save the planet.

As with a few sci-if movies this year, the first few minutes are spent setting the scene.

However, once again the descrtipn of what’s gone on before sounds like a pretty decent film in its own right.

The brief synopsis is that a rift in the ocean has appeared, out of which occasionally pops a very large monster (called Kaiju) ready to cause havoc.

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After several cities are laid to waste the world’s leaders get their act together to create giant robots (named Jaegers).

These need two people (tucked inside the robot head) to control them.

We are introduced to one such team, two brothers who early on encounter a life-changing meeting with a huge beastie.

Roll on a few years and one of the brothers is sought out for a final showdown with the aliens.

What’s left of the robots are now holed up in Hong Kong.

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Unfortunately, the aliens are starting to pop out of the rift more often.

Will humanity conquer these unpleasant monsters?

The plot may seem a bit thin on occasions but you can’t fault the director Guillermo del Toro, for the massive action scenes.

I was lucky enough to view it in 3D IMAX, and pretty amazing it was too.

I did wonder though whether the sheer spectacle tried to paper over the cracks of the scimpy plot?

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Star of the BBC TV series Luther Idris Elba is pretty good as the man in charge of the robots, Stacker Pentecost. Charlie Hunnam is also fine as the chiselled hero Raleigh Beckett.

But there is some cliche casting - the arrogant Aussie, the slightly bonkers British scientist (Burn Gorman) and a couple of Russians who just stand around and stare menacingly.

If you want another blockbuster attack on your senses then Pacific Rim is right up your street, however, just don’t analyse the storyline too much.

Film details: Pacific Rim (12A) 131mins

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Starring: Idrid Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kituchi

Screening courtesy of Cineworld Crawley

Steve Payne

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