Pacific Rim

Or… A Story of Lost Shoes.

Yes, Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) is the monolithic leader holding back his lithe yet formidable protégé, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi).  Sure, Chuck Hansen (Robert Kazinsky) is his father’s son, and a hot-headed one at that.  The film is loaded with G.I. Joe-named characters played by actors whose parents were far less creative, e.g. Yancy and Raleigh Becket (Diego Klattenhoff and Charlie Hunnam, respectively), the latter being the proverbial washed-up pilot given a second chance.  There’s even narrated exposition which sets the stage: In 2020, seven years have passed since alien monsters named kaiju (Japanese for “strange beast”) attacked Earth from another universe.  To combat the threat, the nations of the world have collectively established the Jaeger program (named both for the German word meaning “hunter” as well as Alex Jaeger, the film’s art director).  Jaegers are mechanical colossi piloted by humans who share the “neural load” of controlling the robot giants.

Surely, the film has its share of narrative clichés and plotholes.  But it’s so goddamned fun!  The adult in me might wonder how beings from another universe don’t blink out of existence entering one with entirely different cosmic constants, or why the Jaeger pilots wait to use that one critical weapon until the chips are completely down… but, then the kid in me says to myself, “Shut up, brain!  Giant robots and alien godzillas!”

I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed an action film this much. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that one of the opening lines, in our introduction to the brothers Hansen, is big brother Yancy quoting Han Solo, “Hey kid, don’t get cocky!”

For a meat-and-potatoes, us-versus-them flick with obvious inspirations from World War II (the bomber-like Jaegers with their body art; scenes of post-apocalyptic Japan; and global unity against a common scourge), Pacific Rim is densely packed with detail, owing as much to the production design’s motif (decay) as to applied fundamentals of scene composition.  In my review of Man of Steel, I argued that the third act was filled with unintelligible action, like a Michael Bay film.  When the American Jaeger, Gipsy Danger*, defends Hong Kong harbor from a “Category 4” kaiju, the edits assemble a sequence of properly oriented blow-by-blow coverage that always returns to a master shot to convey a very clear sense of where every object/character is in relation to one another.  All the action sequences are shot in this rudimentary, effective manner, punched up by Ramin Djawadi’s throbbing, monosyllabic score—still bouncing around in my head as I drove home from the theater.

Ron Perlman’s black-market hustler of kaiju innards, Hannibal Chau, adds to the depth of Pacific Rim’s world.  I’m convinced that Guillermo del Toro repeatedly casts him because of  Mr. Perlman’s role in Jean Pierre Jeunet’s 1995 haunting fantasy, City of Lost Children. He brings some of his sardonic Hellboy charm into the movie in places where a lesser director would insist on the story taking itself too seriously only to have the opposite effect.

If you can get past Charlie Hunnam’s Garrett Hedlund-esque delivery, this is a well-paced film driven by characters in whom you become easily invested.  Mr. del Toro refused to cast brand-name Hollywood action stars, opting instead for an ensemble that embodies the narrative’s theme of shared struggle against  a common foe.  The casting has another effect, however.  The film circumvents Roger Ebert’s Law of Economy of Characters, in which the casting choice can foreshadow a seemingly peripheral character’s importance or, alternatively, telegraph the probability of their demise.  Because there are no big action stars, we really have no idea who might get killed off in the story, resulting in genuine tension—anyone could buy the farm at any time.

It’s not a great, deep film but it succeeds in almost every aspect of its modest aims. I would have liked to see more females in the otherwise diverse cast but it’s worth noting that the caricaturesque Russians played by a pair of Canadians (we Texans call them “commies” anyway… so, close enough) is commanded by a female Jaeger pilot (Heather Doerksen).  Is there anything more fun than a caricaturesque Russian who pilots a twenty story Rock-em Sock-em Robot in fire engine red lipstick?

* Footnote:  All the Jaegers are given callsigns–e.g. Crimson Typhoon, Striker Eureka–and some grossly underpaid genius at Warner Bros. probably knew that the “Create Your Own Jaeger” app would inspire mass hilarity.

Pacific Rim• Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 • Running Time: 131 minutes • MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language.