Surprisingly Pacific Rim keeps many of its characters deepest convictions close to heart. To go into any more detail with the story would spoil some of the films best moments. Rest assured that performances all around are fantastic and even more so the connection between the characters thematically and on screen.

Humor can be the death of an epic film or its saving grace as things become apocalyptic and heavy. Without it we end up with Matrix 3, and with too much of it, we get the Lone Ranger. Pacific Rim gives Charlie Day’s character significant story weight as well as opportunity to use his signature brand of humor to great effect. With surprise roles from Del Toro’s rogue gallery, you are sure to see a surprisingly funny character you didn’t expect.

Battles with the Kaiju are what is going to bring the masses to the film and they do nothing to disappoint. I thought I had seen the pinnacle in robot battles with Transformers 3 but Pacific Rim blows it away both on a visual and kinetic level. If there is one complaint with the film, the battles at times become overwhelming with action that left left me nerve wracked (most especially if you don’t like heights; yes the 3D is that good). One fight scene was excessive in length. With four massive battle scenes, they absorb a large chunk of the screen time. However the live action segments use every second of screen time to provide story, theme, character and humor. Despite the lengthy battle scenes, not for one millisecond does Pacific Rim become boring.

With an amazing visual style and the revival of a long dormant genre, Pacific Rim weaves a new mythos we hope to see carry on as a franchise. Surely to be the biggest film of the summer, this epic sci-fi thriller, learned in the style and form of Joseph Campbell and the Greek mythologies, is one very BIG block buster you want to see in a theatre in 3d.

Max Romano