I swear to God, Guillermo del Toro is my hero. I saw PACIFIC RIM the other day and the nerdgasm hasn’t yet stopped. This film is damn near perfect. It’s like a two-hour love letter to some of the greatest things you grew up with, assuming you grew up with Godzilla flicks and giant robot shows like, say, GIANT ROBOT. Truth be told, it’s a nearly-flawless live-action version of an anime film, in every good way such a thing is possible (as opposed to JOHNNY MNEMONIC, which was like an anime film in every bad way it could be).
Quick anime checklist:
- Giant, sweet-ass robots? Check.
- Giant, sweet-ass monsters? Check.
- Large crowds of screaming people running and dying? Check.
- Hot Asian chick with blue highlights? Check.
- Nerdy sysop guy with suspenders, a bow tie, and an Elvis haircut? Check.
- Driven scientist, whose love of science/the monsters almost eclipses his duty? Check.
- Math nerd with an impossibly bad haircut and a limp he can run with? Check.
- Owen from TORCHWOOD? Check (these last two items are basically the same thing, and this one isn’t actually a requirement for anime films, but it is a good sign).
- An American mobster wearing gold-plated shoes and silly eyeglasses? Check.
- Silly haircuts? Check.
- The “Iceman” character telling the “Maverick” character he’s too dangerous to work with? Check.
There are others, but it’s supposed to be a quick checklist. Everything about this movie screamed anime, down to the way the hot Asian chick with the blue highlights, dressed entirely in black, walked on deck, concealing her face under an umbrella. It was great.
Anyway, PACIFIC RIM was amazing because it’s about these giant robots who fight these giant monsters. A movie with that premise clearly doesn’t need the other things one normally finds in great movies, like back story or character development, but they’re there all the same. There was a great bit of back story where this one giant robot fought with this one giant monster. Also, there was a fantastic subplot where this woman was traumatized by the time she witnessed a giant robot fight with a giant monster.
You could argue that the film should’ve taken the opportunity to comment on the human condition, but you’d sound like a fucking asshole making that argument about a film where giant robots fight with giant monsters. Also, if they’d done that, it probably would’ve distracted from all the fighting between the giant robots and monsters and that would’ve sucked.
Also, this movie has Idris Elba in it, as the commander of the giant robots. Idris Elba is a god and I want to have his babies and I’m not ashamed to admit it. And anyone who’s seen LUTHER feels the same way or they’re lying to themselves. This is something like the thousandth time I’ve mentioned LUTHER and still most of my friends haven’t seen it. You should see it. Everyone should see it. It’s on Netflix, what the fuck is wrong with you? LUTHER LUTHER LUTHER. WATCH LUTHER.
Also, PACIFIC RIM. Watch that too, it’s fucking great.