FILM REVIEW
PACIFIC RIM, 2013, co-written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.
★★★ out of ★★★★
After an abscence of five years since HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, del Toro makes a triumphant return to the silver-screen in blockbuster style with PACIFIC RIM, a gigantic monster fighting picture unlike any seen before.
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SPOILER ALERT: SIGNIFICANT PLOT POINTS
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To paraphrase a quote from a blog entry I wrote nearly two months ago: “giant monsters … del Toro?”. Indeed the idea does not sound keen from the director of the PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) or CRONOS (1993) but in fact del Toro orchestrates his regular themes and love of monsters magically in a film that knocks the ole nostalgia muscle into physical fitness by reminding us of the Godzilla-giant-monster movies. Although the film itself does not make obvious homages to the excellent kaiju Japanese monster movies of the 1950s and 1960s, this actually fuels the picture’s original concepts of humans piloting the “Jaegers” or “Hunters” (giant humanoid mechas) to combat kaijus (colossal monsters) which have emerged from the Pacific Ocean.
It is necessary for the two pilots to sync their movements for controlling the Jaegers by first synchronising their thoughts and emotions in a process called “drifting” and in this film director del Toro’s mind is absolutely connected to the overall project’s juxtaposition of the giant battles and human emotions that coarse through characters like Idris Elba’s blood. Unlike J J Abrams’ own giant monster which emerged from the New York Harbour in CLOVERFIELD (2008) and terrorised audiences with terrible dialogue, inept story, corrupt soundtrack, and two-dimensional characters, del Toro’s monsters and opposing mechas are beautifully decorated with pastel-like special effects that enhance their painterly depth like creatures from a Francisco Goya (1746-1828) painting.
There is no doubt that the most powerful scenes in the whole film were the flashback sequences to Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) as a child when she lost her family to a kaiju and witnessed a jaeger save her life. These sequences offer the best perspective to the damage kaiju inflict on humanity – emotional pain – likened to losing one’s family or culture, and I cannot help but feel as though del Toro was also hinting at historical events such as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 as backdrop to the political implications of “monsters”.
Not since the South Korean picture THE HOST (2006, directed by Bong Joon-ho) has a monster film tackled so many issues (e.g. economic, political and social) all reolving around humanity’s struggle to survive their own worst enemy: themselves. Not even the large budget seems to affect RIM’s charisma and expectations, as demonstrated when the Jaeger pilots make final preparations inside their cockpits to synchronise their memories in order to pilot gigantic mechas that are [excuse the cliche] “humanity’s last hope”. Even the film’s tagline, mentioned by narrator Charlie Hunnam near the beginning – “To fight monsters, we created monsters” – is elegant and endearing.
Though PACIFIC RIM ranks high above the likes of the diastorous American remake movie GODZILLA (1998, directed by Roland Emmerich) both films do unfortunately share a common ancestor: bumbling people. The most maligned accessory to this RIM were the two bumbling scientists (Charlie Day & Burn Gorman) whom seem to fulfil all of the stereotypes and yet contribute weak comic relief to the overall production whilst in GODZILLA (1998) just about everyone is granted an opportunity to bumble and joke, despite the fact that a humongous lizard is destroying a specific city and nesting hundred of future offspring in Madison Square Garden. Some of RIM’s Hollywood-action-movie editing certain dialogues such as Idris Elba’s are unnecessary and cliche but overshadowed by it’s excellent auteur’s vision.
Perhaps the most original and outstanding sci-fi film of the year (so far), del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM is frought with his distinctive eye for monsters, and fairytale-like wonder. Coupled with Ramin Djawadi’s electronic, heroic score and Guillermo Navarro’s appropriate ‘apocalyptic’ cinematography RIM has all the ingrediants of a must-see film. And whilst RIM will not likely stimulate children to enact their own monster battles it is still set to become a cult classic and this fan’s favourite sci-fi picture of the year (so far).
