'Pacific Rim' (12A)

 

***

Upon leaving the cinema, my friend turned to me and said: ‘If I were 12, that would be the best film ever’. Alas, I am not 12 and thus this is not the best film ever, but it is a return to the more light-hearted summer blockbuster (think ‘Independence Day’) as opposed to the rather dark forays of late. Yes, ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’, we’re looking at you. In the not too distant future, Earth is invaded by giant aliens named Kaiju. In a desperate attempt to save mankind, worldwide governments build immense robots, known as Jaegers, whereby two pilots mind-meld with each other and the machine to create the ultimate fighting machine. In one final stand, the Jaegers are assembled in Hong Kong, where our washed-up former-pilot, Raleigh, must climb back into the machine where his brother was killed and defeat the Kaiju once and for all.

This is essentially a film about big robots hitting even bigger aliens, and the aliens get bigger as time goes on. Yet, in the hands of Guillermo del Toro, ‘Pacific Rim’ doesn’t deteriorate into one big set piece after the other as a strong human voice also comes through. Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) was a great pilot until his brother was killed, a memory he is still haunted by as the pair were mind-melded at the time, and is essentially on recruited again because the planet is running out of trained pilots. (He’s also ‘a bit of alright’ so you could take your girlfriend and know she wouldn’t be too bored.) Idris Elba is great as the high-ranking officer desperate to save the world, offering up some of the best lines and best acting the film has to offer. The two mismatched scientists (Burn Gorman and Charlie Day) offer some comic relief, but in truth the scientific angle is the most interesting part of the whole movie. There is also a delightful cameo from a Hollywood A-lister that further cements the notion that del Toro is basically having a good time. In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, the director said that he was making it for his pre-pubescent self and this is entirely evident.

There are some super-corny lines (‘For my family’) and a pre-battle speech by Elba reminiscent of the president’s in ‘Independence Day’. Charlie Hunnam has only two facial expressions and if you can identify the accent Elba is speaking in then you’re a better man then me. There’s a stupid rivalry between Raleigh and another pilot which is never fully realised and the blossoming romance between Raleigh and new co-pilot, Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) is delightful cringey. It looks spectacular, and the attention to detail is outstanding, but at the end of the day this is just a summer blockbuster so don’t go in expecting a philosophical debate on life, the universe and everything.