Pacific Rim

Movie Name: Pacific Rim
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Max Martini, Robert Kasinski, Diego Klattenhoff, Clifton Collins Jr., Ron Perlman

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Director Guillermo Del Toro is back, after his last directorial effort which was "Hellboy II", and his attempt at directing "The Hobbit". "Pacific Rim" is his biggest budget film, and it can safely be said, that the film is a stunning accomplishment. The film takes place in a nearby future, where Earth is being attacked by huge monsters who appear from a ridge that is situated in the Pacific Ocean (which is a portal between dimensions). These monsters destroy everything in sight, until humanity responds by creating huge robots to battle them on an equal measure. Each of these robots require the communion of the mind of their two pilots - one of them, Raleigh, loses his brother in one of the battles. It's up to Raleigh and the few remaining pilots to battle the escalating attacks of these monsters, who are driven to destroy the planet.
Guillermo Del Toro is a deft storyteller, with an incredible eye for the construction of fantastical worlds, populated by conflicts that are very human. The beautifully shot "Pacific Rim" presents us with a world at the brink of destruction, faced with an adversary that is colossal in scale, one that tests every resource that humanity has. What is so smartly woven in this film, are the different stories that create each main character - the creators of the story know that the film can only be as strong as the characters that propel it. The concept of robots vs monsters, enticing as it may be, doesn't make for much of an interesting feature, if the characters behind it aren't as dynamic and plausible as the way these are. The film also benefits from truly stunning visual effects that elevate this concept to a whole different level. The editing, the pacing, the orchestrated action set pieces, everything comes together in a very unified way to really create a fantastical world and entertaining film. Guillermo Del Toro once again proves that no one creates monsters quite like him - a fantastic film worth watching!