Pacific Rim, worked into magic by director, Guillermo Del Torro, is a fantastic piece of science fiction set in the deeper future. A crack has opened - a portal in the ocean's floor - that serves as a wormhole where giant, alien-engineered creatures (Kaiju) are sent through to destroy humankind.
For any kid or any adult that is feeling that she/he is, still a kid, this movie is a blast. A full-blown rush of warfare between our own, human capacity to adjust to that age-old battle of (man) vs. nature as we are pitted against an alien force from another world. This film is fun, scary, and hits on all notes of excitability.
I heard critics of the scenery conveying that it looked phony. I read critics complaining that the acting was terrible. None of this is, at all, accurate. This joy ride was spot-on. The scenery was amazing....the actors were perfect.....and Guillermo Del Torro adds just enough film-magic and raw horror to put this film in a class of its' own.
How can a movie, you may ask, be so much fun with all this bad criticism? Del Torro has taken the original, Japanese genre of giant monsters in monster movies and lifted them to the next level - a modern, up to date, current pinnacle that kicks (excuse my French) Godzilla-ass all over the screen.
Sure, this has been done so many times before. But, I found myself eating popcorn much faster than I normally do. Crunching and munching, I had a mess of a sweatshirt by the end of the film - for, as this has been done before, there has been plenty of time since the last Godzilla for us to see some more. It brought me straight back to my childhood, sitting too close to the television, immersed in an episode of Ultraman and loving it.
The monsters that our heroes face were very original. Of course, there was the awful, deep footstep sound - much reminiscent of Jurassic Park when the T Rex is approaching and the room vibrates and the items in the room wiggle a little more as each massive, approaching footprint is planted into the pliable earth. There is bloodshed, there is violence....and it gets scary.
However, both conceptually and visually, it is the Jaegers(our massive human-run robots built to fight the beasts) that are even more impressive. Think giant Terminators driven by nuclear reactors that know Kung Fu. They fly, they have blasting lasers, raging fire weapons, switchblade swords.....they come to the rescue and brawl, hard with these evil beasts. What a blast!
There is one wine and one wine, only, that I can pair with this film. Very appropriately, I recommend the Zinzilla Zinfandel from Mendocino County. On the label, a huge caricature of Godzilla to represent this wonderful genre of monster movies. On the palate, the best zinfandel on the market that is under $10! Deep and full of dark, berry fruit and spice notes with a touch of forest floor and perfect acidity, this wine stands up to plenty of 'em that are priced much higher! Enjoy-
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