Pacific Rim (2013) Review

“Where is my goddamn shoe?”

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

When danger comes from unfamiliar places, you best believe facing it will be much harder.


PLOT


2013’s Pacific Rim takes place in a fictional dystopia where Kaiju monsters emerge from an inter-dimensional portal in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. When they attack every coastal city, every military would coexist would coexist to form the mech-Jaeger bots, where more than one pilot must share a mental link, the Drift, to share the mental stress in piloting the machines. In 2020, Raleigh Backet piloted the Gipsy Danger Jaeger with his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff) to defend Anchorage from a Category 3 Kaiju, at the cost of the latter’s life. Traumatized of this loss, the former would quit the program until five years later, when Marshal Stacker Pentecost recruits him to be part of the last stand when defense walls are proven ineffective. He relocates to Hong Kong where Gipsy Danger and three other Jaegers remain: China’s Crimson Typhoon, Russia’s Cherno Alpha & Australia’s Striker Eureka, the latter is piloted by the father-son pair Herc & Chuck Hansen. At HK, Stacker explains to Raleigh that the plan to defeat Kaiju for good is to detonate a nuclear weapon into the Breach where the portal comes from. He gets paired with Mako Mori, Director of the Jaeger restoration program, after deeming her compatible upon training, but the pairing gets official when pleading with Pentecost for it to happen. He accepts their request, but his hesitance is proven to be validated when Mako loses alignment, recalling how she lost her parents in Tokyo from a past Kaiju attack, almost discharging a plasma cannon inside the Shatterdome headquarters on accident. Because of this, Pentecost suspends her until further notice, but Raleigh calls him out that he’s doing so to protect her, as he saw her memories and saw him adopt her after he saved her in her childhood. Despite being told the truth, he doesn’t change his mind. On the other hand, the marshal consults to Kaiju experts, Newton Geislzer & Herman Gottileb on how to plan attacking the Breach. According to Herman, he predicts the next attacks will be frequent, but the Breach should be stable enough to plant the bomb. Disregarding past advice, Newt drifts with a spare Kaiju brain and discovers they’re a hive mind of bio weapons developed by an alien race long ago. When telling this to Pentecost, he instructs him to go to black market dealer Hannibal Chau for another brain to drift with. When the two meet, two Category 4 Kaiju attack HK and Chau suspects the hive mind accessed Newt’s memories during the drift, promoting them to go after him. Striker Eureka, Cherno Alpha & Crimson Typhoon are tasked to intervene, but the latter two are slain while the former is deactivated from an EMP blast. This prompts Raleigh & Mako to intervene, since Gipsy is the only analog Jaeger left. Luckily, they finish off both of them before they can get to Newt. When he and Chau try harvesting the second brain, an infant bursts out and instantly devours Chau, but doesn’t go any further due to being strangled by its umbilical cord. Although Shatterdome celebrates that HK is protected, Stacker confesses to Raleigh that he’s been suffering from radiation poisoning ever since he saved Mako, knowing the next drift could be fatal. Despite knowing this, he volunteers to co-pilot Striker with  Chuck on behalf of Herc and head to the Breach alongside Gipsy. Upon reaching the Pacific Ocean however, Newt & Herman warn both Striker & Gipsy, having drifted with the infant brain however, that the portal will only open if it detects Kaiju DNA, meaning they’ll have to make it think they’re Kaiju somehow. Just upon explaining this, both Jaegers get attacked by three Kaiju, one of which is a Category Five. When Stacker & Chuck sacrifices himself to slay two of them with the warhead, Raleigh & Mako defeat the third and ride its corpse into the Breach. With Gipsy damaged, Raleigh ejects Mako so he can manually trigger a meltdown in the Jaeger’s nuclear reactor. Luckily, he ejects himself in time as well before the Breach is sealed for good. With his and Mako’s pods surface, they celebrate the safety of humanity as helicopters arrive for them. The film ends in a mid credit scene, showing Chau escape the infant Kaiju that devoured him. 
THOUGHTS
If you were to come up with how it’d look to see Power Rangers face the catalog of monsters from the Godzilla franchise, you’ll get something very cool that is this. Director Guillermo Del Toro and cowriter Travis Beacham succeed in crafting top tier entertainment in crafting something that could turn out bad but only be awesome instead. You know the VFX look great for each fight scene between Jaeger & Kaiju where you can pick your favorite design of either or. And while you know to get hyped hearing Ramin Djawadi’s score, the production design is so batshit insane you’d be crazy to ignore. Whether it’s seeing a Kaiju black market or the inside of piloting a Jaeger, it’s breathtaking world building you got to expect from Del Toro at this point in his career. While I’m a sucker for a monster mash, I was most impressed with how we get to catch on to how trust goes a long way with the partners you choose/end up with, otherwise it’ll only get harder to get through the case adversity. With an all around great ensemble, this couldn’t be anymore true. This was my introduction to Charlie Hunnam before seeing him in Sons of Anarchy and he did not disappoint in one of his many cases as a leading man. Raleigh is a standout of his array of roles because his arrogance vanishes after the trauma of losing his brother, yet he still maintains his compassion in wanting to save the world. He knew he’d be with the right people to do it with where guys like Tendo are always on their toes, as played by Clifton Collins Jr., he really wasn’t expecting anyone to be so compatible with. Enter Rinko Kikuchi who blew me away as Mako for making her so reserved yet disciplined when it mattered most. Simply put, these two did get on the same page due to sharing similar traumas since she lost her parents when she was a kid. Off of that, they both understand how hard it is to be focus long enough to put the past behind them and together, they get to pull that off with each battle they shared. Of course, this pairing would’ve not been possible had it not been for such a mentor. Call it exaggerative, but I always identify Idris Elba too awesome of an actor for his own good because even he can command every given role with ease and Stacker is no exception. This role is no exception because you relate to him being pragmatic yet stoic enough to get things done. He reached out to Raleigh because he knew he’d had the will to fight until the end, as they share the fact being the only ones to survive sole piloting Jaegers. He chose to die fighting alongside, because he knew it’s better to die hiding. And his short speech to tell everyone how much they believe in each other makes me smile each time. It did suck to see him die the way he did because any war hero deserves to live a long life, yet I respect he went on his terms. And when you look back, I wouldn’t doubt Mako values that and did her best to live to the fullest until the sequel said otherwise. Moving on, Charlie Day was his own highlight as Newt because while abrasive, he had too big of a mind to control. He knew that you can’t discover the truth without trying the theories first. Drifting was a big gamble since it became the domino effect for Uprising, but it was still worth it at the time because he wanted to help however he could. And had he not had an analytic friend out of Herman the way Burn Gorman plays him, he would’ve not been so driven to do so. I also got to give a shoutout to Ron Perlman here because Hannibal Chau may have been the most cynical of figures, he was still willing to own up on a deal for something he wasn’t sure would work. Whatever he did after surviving a kaiju’s wrath, I’m sure he’s still enjoying the wealth he’s maintained since. Last but not least, the dynamic of the Hansens were still interesting in their own way due to how they lived to be polar opposites. Max Martini showed Herc to be one who matches dedication, while Robert Kazinsky portrays Chuck as one who tries to be a perfectionist, which makes him have a big chip on his shoulder. He’s like that towards Raleigh & Mako because he wants the mission to succeed and doesn’t trust succeed who can’t focus like him. Having said that however, that doesn’t excuse his attitude, hence being taught a lesson twice over by Becket who not only kicks his ass for his disrespect, but also saves his life. It did still suck to see him die alongside Pentecost because he had just realized the world don’t revolve around him and it would’ve helped him a have a better relationship with his dad than he already did. Nevertheless, the world still kept on thriving thanks to his sacrifice. This movie is hella fun, but fun doesn’t always excuse stuff that doesn’t make a lot of sense upon rewatching. For example, am I the only one wondering why the Becket brothers go to Gipsy while wearing their bomber jackets? They look good, but there is no point walking with it when you know you’re gonna take that off. And while it’s obvious at least someone is gonna have a chip on their shoulder, Herc should’ve told Chuck in advance to be respectful towards a traumatized veteran like Raleigh. Also, I refuse to believe how quiet Gispy’s station is while it’s getting a touch-up. I know it’s neat for Raleigh & Mako to have a heart-to-heart, but there ain’t no way it’d be silent like a library for a military base. And if the defense walls have proven to be useless, they should’ve set up missiles right behind it the way they arm some of the Jaegers. I then wonder whether or not Raleigh knew about the sword equipped of Gipsy because if he didn’t, Mako should’ve told him sooner since I don’t think he would forget of a specialty like that. Another thing, Newt should’ve tried radioing in or calling Herc that the plan won’t work rather than fly back in at the last minute. Lastly, they did not need a dozen choppers to pick up the protagonists. Thats an over search for two people if you ask me. Ignore this, then you’re still in for a blast in the long run. In conclusion, Pacific Rim is a top tier sci fi blast that deserves more recognition than it already does. If you enjoy a good old monster mash, see this now.2013’s Pacific Rim takes place in a fictional dystopia where Kaiju monsters emerge from an inter-dimensional portal in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. When they attack every coastal city, every military would coexist would coexist to form the mech-Jaeger bots, where more than one pilot must share a mental link, the Drift, to share the mental stress in piloting the machines. In 2020, Raleigh Backet piloted the Gipsy Danger Jaeger with his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff) to defend Anchorage from a Category 3 Kaiju, at the cost of the latter’s life. Traumatized of this loss, the former would quit the program until five years later, when Marshal Stacker Pentecost recruits him to be part of the last stand when defense walls are proven ineffective. He relocates to Hong Kong where Gipsy Danger and three other Jaegers remain: China’s Crimson Typhoon, Russia’s Cherno Alpha & Australia’s Striker Eureka, the latter is piloted by the father-son pair Herc & Chuck Hansen. At HK, Stacker explains to Raleigh that the plan to defeat Kaiju for good is to detonate a nuclear weapon into the Breach where the portal comes from. He gets paired with Mako Mori, Director of the Jaeger restoration program, after deeming her compatible upon training, but the pairing gets official when pleading with Pentecost for it to happen. He accepts their request, but his hesitance is proven to be validated when Mako loses alignment, recalling how she lost her parents in Tokyo from a past Kaiju attack, almost discharging a plasma cannon inside the Shatterdome headquarters on accident. Because of this, Pentecost suspends her until further notice, but Raleigh calls him out that he’s doing so to protect her, as he saw her memories and saw him adopt her after he saved her in her childhood. Despite being told the truth, he doesn’t change his mind. On the other hand, the marshal consults to Kaiju experts, Newton Geislzer & Herman Gottileb on how to plan attacking the Breach. According to Herman, he predicts the next attacks will be frequent, but the Breach should be stable enough to plant the bomb. Disregarding past advice, Newt drifts with a spare Kaiju brain and discovers they’re a hive mind of bio weapons developed by an alien race long ago. When telling this to Pentecost, he instructs him to go to black market dealer Hannibal Chau for another brain to drift with. When the two meet, two Category 4 Kaiju attack HK and Chau suspects the hive mind accessed Newt’s memories during the drift, promoting them to go after him. Striker Eureka, Cherno Alpha & Crimson Typhoon are tasked to intervene, but the latter two are slain while the former is deactivated from an EMP blast. This prompts Raleigh & Mako to intervene, since Gipsy is the only analog Jaeger left. Luckily, they finish off both of them before they can get to Newt. When he and Chau try harvesting the second brain, an infant bursts out and instantly devours Chau, but doesn’t go any further due to being strangled by its umbilical cord. Although Shatterdome celebrates that HK is protected, Stacker confesses to Raleigh that he’s been suffering from radiation poisoning ever since he saved Mako, knowing the next drift could be fatal. Despite knowing this, he volunteers to co-pilot Striker with  Chuck on behalf of Herc and head to the Breach alongside Gipsy. Upon reaching the Pacific Ocean however, Newt & Herman warn both Striker & Gipsy, having drifted with the infant brain however, that the portal will only open if it detects Kaiju DNA, meaning they’ll have to make it think they’re Kaiju somehow. Just upon explaining this, both Jaegers get attacked by three Kaiju, one of which is a Category Five. When Stacker & Chuck sacrifices himself to slay two of them with the warhead, Raleigh & Mako defeat the third and ride its corpse into the Breach. With Gipsy damaged, Raleigh ejects Mako so he can manually trigger a meltdown in the Jaeger’s nuclear reactor. Luckily, he ejects himself in time as well before the Breach is sealed for good. With his and Mako’s pods surface, they celebrate the safety of humanity as helicopters arrive for them. The film ends in a mid credit scene, showing Chau escape the infant Kaiju that devoured him. 


THOUGHTS


If you were to come up with how it’d look to see Power Rangers face the catalog of monsters from the Godzilla franchise, you’ll get something very cool that is this. Director Guillermo Del Toro and cowriter Travis Beacham succeed in crafting top tier entertainment in crafting something that could turn out bad but only be awesome instead. You know the VFX look great for each fight scene between Jaeger & Kaiju where you can pick your favorite design of either or. And while you know to get hyped hearing Ramin Djawadi’s score, the production design is so batshit insane you’d be crazy to ignore. Whether it’s seeing a Kaiju black market or the inside of piloting a Jaeger, it’s breathtaking world building you got to expect from Del Toro at this point in his career. While I’m a sucker for a monster mash, I was most impressed with how we get to catch on to how trust goes a long way with the partners you choose/end up with, otherwise it’ll only get harder to get through the case adversity. With an all around great ensemble, this couldn’t be anymore true. This was my introduction to Charlie Hunnam before seeing him in Sons of Anarchy and he did not disappoint in one of his many cases as a leading man. Raleigh is a standout of his array of roles because his arrogance vanishes after the trauma of losing his brother, yet he still maintains his compassion in wanting to save the world. He knew he’d be with the right people to do it with where guys like Tendo are always on their toes, as played by Clifton Collins Jr., he really wasn’t expecting anyone to be so compatible with. Enter Rinko Kikuchi who blew me away as Mako for making her so reserved yet disciplined when it mattered most. Simply put, these two did get on the same page due to sharing similar traumas since she lost her parents when she was a kid. Off of that, they both understand how hard it is to be focus long enough to put the past behind them and together, they get to pull that off with each battle they shared. Of course, this pairing would’ve not been possible had it not been for such a mentor. Call it exaggerative, but I always identify Idris Elba too awesome of an actor for his own good because even he can command every given role with ease and Stacker is no exception. This role is no exception because you relate to him being pragmatic yet stoic enough to get things done. He reached out to Raleigh because he knew he’d had the will to fight until the end, as they share the fact being the only ones to survive sole piloting Jaegers. He chose to die fighting alongside, because he knew it’s better to die hiding. And his short speech to tell everyone how much they believe in each other makes me smile each time. It did suck to see him die the way he did because any war hero deserves to live a long life, yet I respect he went on his terms. And when you look back, I wouldn’t doubt Mako values that and did her best to live to the fullest until the sequel said otherwise. Moving on, Charlie Day was his own highlight as Newt because while abrasive, he had too big of a mind to control. He knew that you can’t discover the truth without trying the theories first. Drifting was a big gamble since it became the domino effect for Uprising, but it was still worth it at the time because he wanted to help however he could. And had he not had an analytic friend out of Herman the way Burn Gorman plays him, he would’ve not been so driven to do so. I also got to give a shoutout to Ron Perlman here because Hannibal Chau may have been the most cynical of figures, he was still willing to own up on a deal for something he wasn’t sure would work. Whatever he did after surviving a kaiju’s wrath, I’m sure he’s still enjoying the wealth he’s maintained since. Last but not least, the dynamic of the Hansens were still interesting in their own way due to how they lived to be polar opposites. Max Martini showed Herc to be one who matches dedication, while Robert Kazinsky portrays Chuck as one who tries to be a perfectionist, which makes him have a big chip on his shoulder. He’s like that towards Raleigh & Mako because he wants the mission to succeed and doesn’t trust succeed who can’t focus like him. Having said that however, that doesn’t excuse his attitude, hence being taught a lesson twice over by Becket who not only kicks his ass for his disrespect, but also saves his life. It did still suck to see him die alongside Pentecost because he had just realized the world don’t revolve around him and it would’ve helped him a have a better relationship with his dad than he already did. Nevertheless, the world still kept on thriving thanks to his sacrifice. This movie is hella fun, but fun doesn’t always excuse stuff that doesn’t make a lot of sense upon rewatching. For example, am I the only one wondering why the Becket brothers go to Gipsy while wearing their bomber jackets? They look good, but there is no point walking with it when you know you’re gonna take that off. And while it’s obvious at least someone is gonna have a chip on their shoulder, Herc should’ve told Chuck in advance to be respectful towards a traumatized veteran like Raleigh. Also, I refuse to believe how quiet Gispy’s station is while it’s getting a touch-up. I know it’s neat for Raleigh & Mako to have a heart-to-heart, but there ain’t no way it’d be silent like a library for a military base. And if the defense walls have proven to be useless, they should’ve set up missiles right behind it the way they arm some of the Jaegers. I then wonder whether or not Raleigh knew about the sword equipped of Gipsy because if he didn’t, Mako should’ve told him sooner since I don’t think he would forget of a specialty like that. Another thing, Newt should’ve tried radioing in or calling Herc that the plan won’t work rather than fly back in at the last minute. Lastly, they did not need a dozen choppers to pick up the protagonists. Thats an over search for two people if you ask me. Ignore this, then you’re still in for a blast in the long run. In conclusion, Pacific Rim is a top tier sci fi blast that deserves more recognition than it already does. If you enjoy a good old monster mash, see this now.