I have always been a fan of Voltes V, Daimos, and Voltron. I still watch their clips on YouTube or download some of their episodes to satisfy my mecha anime fix. To this day, I still get a kick out of hearing Steve Armstrong yell “laser sword.” I also have the same reaction when Keith shouts “form blazing sword!” As for Daimos, I find it cool when he can literally dismember an opponent with one punch. So after viewing these anime over and over again, I felt that it would be such a treat to see them on the silver screen not in animated version but in live action format.
But, growing up, I knew that creating a live action Voltes V or Daimos movie was next to impossible. The technology was not available in the 90s or early 2000s. Thus, I thought my dream of seeing these robots, similar to Michael Bay’s treatment of the Transformers, will never come to fruition.
But, thank god that there is a director named Guillermo Del Toro, a guy who had the balls and vision to finally make a film based on the Super Robot mecha sub-genre. Due to his efforts, theaters are now playing Pacific Rim: a movie showcasing gigantic robots called Jägers versus equally gargantuan monsters called Kaiju.
The film admittedly focuses the spotlight on the Jägers and Kaiju, but it does have a semblance of a story.
The movie starts with hotshot Jäger pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunman) losing his co-pilot/brother while fighting a Kaiju. He leaves the service and eventually becomes a nomad of sorts. But, as fate would have it, Marshall Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) convinces Raleigh to go back and fight the Kaiju. He accepts and then subsequently meets his would-be co-pilot Mako Mori, played by Rinko Kikuchi.
At first, Mako couldn’t hack it. She couldn’t handle the stress of bonding with Raleigh. Because when two pilots operate a Jäger, their minds must become one. This, however, has a side effect. As the two pilots merge, they open themselves to each other’s memories. So the trick is to control one’s emotion while the process of bonding takes place. Each co-pilot must remember that the memories are not real. In the case of Mako, she couldn’t hold back her feelings and gets lost in the memory of the most traumatic event in her life: the time when a Kaiju attacked Japan.
Eventually, Mako learns to control her emotions. She then becomes Raleigh’s co-pilot and both of them kick ass.
There is nothing much to review about Pacific Rim. The acting is at best average, because the technology pushed the actors’ thespian skills to the background. The story as shown above is as deep as shallow pond. Not even the supposed emotional traumas of any of the characters were deep enough to leave an impression on the moviegoers. All these indicate that the stories of the human protagonists were added as a matter of routine. Their inclusions were perfunctory in nature.
But, in spite of these seeming inadequacies, the movie is still worth watching. The motion picture’s director, Guillermo Del Toro made sure viewers’ eyes will be treated to a visual feast. The battles between the Jägers and Kaiju are awesome. The scale of their action scenes are a sight to behold. After all, cities are decimated in the wake of a Jäger and Kaiju encounter.
But, it’s not only the enormity of the clashes that are impressive but also the level of detail present in every skirmish that is equally notable. For instance, when Jägers use their weapons, the movie actually shows the technical aspects behind them. The motion picture also displays how every nut and bolt adjusts when Jägers shift from using canons to swords. The same goes with a Kaiju. Since they are supposed to be living monsters, their breathing is exhibited. Also, the movie consistently presents how they howl, grunt, and growl. Guillermo Del Toro, therefore, tried to make the Jägers and Kaiju as convincing as possible.
At the end, Pacific Rim undoubtedly does not offer much except pulsating action for 131 minutes. So if you’re the type who wants to find meaning in a movie, then move your ass and wait for the next Dead Poets Society or Shawshank Redemption. But, to those who simply want to be entertained, then I urge you to buy a ticket.
Normally, I go for substance over flash, but since I’m a Super Robot anime fan I will make an exception. I’ve waited so long for a movie like this, because it makes the production of Voltes V, Daimos, or even Voltron not a remote possibility but an apparent probability. For that alone, Pacific Rim gets my vote — to hell with objectivity!
* The poster above comes from http://collider.com/pacific-rim-poster-banner/
Playing the Point 