5 Reasons Why I'm Seeing Pacific Rim Again

RantMovie by Mick Joest

 Pacific Rim was hands down one of my favorite movies of the Summer (still battling in my head for the top spot against Man of Steel), and the first I will be seeing again in theaters. A fact I myself found shocking, having gone with a friend on a whim on a Sunday afternoon. We both loved it, and while I can't speak for him, I'm for sure getting tickets for a second showing, and here's why.

5. The Action  Was That Good.

You would think that after 3     Transformers films we'd have seen every possible choreographed scene you could have with a robot. For those of you thinking that, you're wrong. Every fight scene in this film is full to the brim with fresh action that always looks engaging and is never redundant. Literally every time there was a Kaiju/Jaeger throwdown on screen I was smiling and loving it. It wasn't your average, quick throw, you fly, and all the sudden I'm up on you combat. There were close quarters punches, headlocks, and for lack of a better term, brawling! This isn't to say the action at any point felt slow-moving or sluggish, but it felt like you were watching a giant robot fight a giant monster. They don't have to move fast to cover ground, they're already enormous. Throw in a plasma cannon and a sword??? Dude. It's a party.

4.  The Jaegers Look Like Actual Robots. 

I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder at human ingenuity (albeit fictional) in the first scene where we see all the Jaegers in base. Hundreds of crewmen scattered about welding, working, and tweaking the small features on these humongous robots to save humanity. It looks believable, and when the Jaegers jump into action it looks real. Gears spin and pistons pump as a punch is delivered and it gives me a different feeling than when I watched old episodes of Gundam. Unbelievable as the concept is, these look like robots we actually build. It's one of those little things that I wouldn't have even noticed unless they included it, and now that I've seen it it gives me a greater appreciation.

3. Style. 

From countries' customized Jaeger designs to the gold plated shoes of Ron Perlman, this film has a distinct style that can't be denied. Lots of little things you may miss the first time around that I want to revisit. For example, the logo of Gypsy Danger screams that old school WWII-era design meets post apocalyptic Fallout that has really caught on here lately. The suits, the bomber jackets, the gold chains. This film has a real camp to it that makes it almost infectious! Speaking of camp...

 

2. Campiness

Most of the strong performances in this film came from the well-established actors who had minor side roles in the film. The rest? While it did leave a little something to be desired, if you can't beat em, join em. Most of the cheesy dialogue in this film is incredibly quote worthy... 

"We should check the pulse." 

"One, don't you ever touch me again. Two? Don't you ever touch me again."

"Today at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time. We have chosen to believe in each other. Today we face the monsters that are at our door, today we are cancelling the apocalypse."

Not to mention, you have guys with names like Hannibal Chau, Stacker Pentecost, and Yancy Beckit. It's not too early to call it, this film will be a sci-fi cult classic, if not an eventual major success. Given its great reception overseas, I'm inclined to say the latter which makes me want to go again in preparation for...

1. The Sequel. 

We already interviewed the author of the novels and know that a trilogy is the intended plan for this, and I'm hyped to say the least. l definitely would like more of the same, but if I had to point out some things I'd personally love to see more countries' robots in action. New actors? Nah...it'd take away from the awesomeness of the first. The flaws in this film make it more enjoyable to be honest, and when you get down to it...most science fiction is pretty damn cheesy. So I'll be watching again (this time in 3D, which many of our writers attest to being "better than Avatar") and likely purchasing on Blu-Ray because this film really was that good, and you owe it to yourself as a geek to watch it.

 

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