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Created Mar 20, 2014 08:47AM PST • Edited Mar 20, 2014 08:47AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Guillermo Del Toro, and i am quite honest about this, is one of my favorite fillmmakers. His imagination and energy are nigh unparalleled, and despite never having what many would consider a blockbuster movie (despite having made many FANTASTIC films in many opinions), he is one of the most sought after directors in Hollywood. His filmography has bounced from small, “indie” spanish language films (Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth), to mid-range larger budget Comic book films (blade 2, hellboy, hellboy2: the golden army). He is almost as known for the films he turned down in order to make the films he wanted to (harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban, blade:trinity, and The Hobbit films) and many thought that the original and absolutely bombastic blockbuster endeavor, Pacific Rim, would be that moment where Del Toro went from visually and aestethically pleasing writer/producer/director into the “next major household name”. While that may be debatable (Pacific Rim cleared 400 million worldwide on a 190 million budget and is Del Toro’s first 100 million dollar grossing film domestically), Pacific Rim is most certainly an enjoyable romp through an action packed and aurally pleasing dystopian future complete with amazing visual effects, action set pieces unlike anything seen before, and a tongue in cheek approach that doesnt take itself too seiously.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   Acting for a movie like this can be difficult to judge. Yes, we watch movies to be swept away in spectacle and a movie as gradiose in anture as this one is certainly not lacking for moments like that….meaning that more often than not acting gets swept under the rug in favor of “SPLOSIONS!!!!”. That being said, the cast of this film is across the board better than it has any right to be. Charlie hunnam (sons of anarchy, although i remember him more for green street hooligans and undeclared) plays Raleigh Becket (brace yourself, the names get pretty “Hollywood” sci-fi, a soldier in a jaeger (what we call the big robots of the piece), a man who lost his brother and who is teaming up with a rookie played by rinko kikuchi (i could imdb her but thats just be surprised that i remembered her name and spelled it correctly without having to look it up) and named “Mako Mori”. They both do serviceable and in some cases downright heartbreaking performances without ever going into full on camp (although the earnestness makes it almost get there). Idris Elba plays “Stacker pentecost” (yep, im going to list these names because theyre wonderful) as the man in charge of the jaeger program and he handles the stoic nature of his character as well as youd expect. Idris Elba gets accolades for being a legimtate actor no matter the role and certainly helps elevate the gravitas of the situation. On the slightly more comedic end are Charlie Day and Ron Perlman (in a Del Toro movie, no way!!!) and their scenes were honestly my favorite in the film. They bounced off of each other effortlessly and it almost made me long to somehow go back and retcon Charlie Day as the human agent in the original Hellboy. A movie of this sort should take its actors seriously, and even with some clunky exposition the cast more than rose to the challenge.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

10. Film

    Great 4.0

    This is where this movie truly shines. Not enought to necessarily give it a sterling perfect score, but certainly this was everything i was looking for when i set out to watch a movie starring 2 guys from sons of anarchy, the little guy from horrible bosses, the only black norse God (remember back during Elba’s casting of heimdall for Thor back in 2010 how that was worth debate?), and a foreign actress largely unknown to American audiences climbing inside big robots with a neat name and doing battle with giant monsters operating under their old Japanese name (i remember spending a lot of time trying to get my nephew to pronounce it correctly). The movie was a perfect summer spectacle in that respect. The action? wondrous and imaginative. The special effects? phenomenal. The acting? better that it had a right to be. The writing? a bit heavyhanded and robotic (see what i did there?) in places but when youre designing an entire worod from scratch, a bit of clunkiness can be expected and allowed. all wrapped in a bow and directed by one of the more gifted and creative visual stylists today. The film loses some of its awe in repeat viewings but thiswas everything i was hoping for in a film of its nature.

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Great 4.0

13. Music Great 4.0

14. Visuals Great 4.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 2.8

    This is difficult to judge. Does it have its moments that may be unsuitable for children? of course. And the monsters are downright horrifying in moments. Drifting is a frightening idea in its own right. The the battles are epic in scale and brutal to watch in places (robots vs monsters or not, its still pretty hard hitting). Plus there is something of a romance that may or may not be a non-starter but certainly hinted at, and yes people throw fisticuffs…but this is a 200 million dollar blockbuster about giant monsters from another dimension fighting massive mechwarriors for the right to survive on Earth in the future. Rudeness and violance can take a seat back, because in reality its a movie to be viewed for spectacle. I cant fathom walking out of this movie and obsessing over the graphic nature of the violence or sex.

17. Sex Titillating 2.0

18. Violence Brutal 3.4

19. Rudeness Profane 3.0

21. Reality

    Supernatural 3.3

    giant robots vs giant monsters in a dystopian future. An interdimensional portal in the Pacific ocean opens up and allows massive beasts to destroy the world and we combat them with giant mechanical suits. Our ragtag group of heroes is led by a man named “stacker Pentecost”. I may be mistaken, but im having difficulty attachhing to real instances in the histories of any body, alive or dead.

22. Circumstantial Surreal 3.0

23. Biological Supernatural 4.0

24. Physical Surreal 3.0