Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s epic sci-fi movie Pacific Rim is currently being showcased at the city’s popular movie theatre Star Cineplex. Originally released on July 12, the movie sees mankind fighting giant alien monsters called Kaijus, derived from Japanese lore, with giant human-operated mechanical robots called Jaegers, and taps into Del Toro’s own childhood fascination with Japanese movies and robots.
“I think that the awe we felt as kids watching giant monster movies was lost,” said Del Toro. “They were so big, so crazy, that they were unreal. I wanted to bring it back.”
Rooted in the epic battle scenes are 10 characters connected to the Jaeger program, exploring relationships that include a father-son team, brothers-in-arms and a romance, all of which Del Toro says give the film “heart.”
The director selected actors best known in cult television shows, such as Charlie Hunnam from FX’s drama Sons of Anarchy, Idris Elba from HBO’s gritty drug series The Wire and Charlie Day from FX’s comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Day particularly impressed the director, stepping out of his eccentric, dim-witted character that he is known for on Always Sunny to play the intelligent, fast-talking alien enthusiast, Dr Newton Geiszler.
The movie opens with giant lizard like creatures coming out of the ocean and attacking every city killing millions. All the nations come together and build giant robots called Jaegers.
They are piloted by two individuals who are linked up to them mentally. While they are able to defeat the creatures whom they call Kaijus, eventually they adapt and even the Jaegers can’t stop them.
So all the heads of the nations decide to stop the program and to try other tactics. But Pentecost the man in charge of the Jaeger program decide to continue the program. He recruits Raleigh Becket, a former Jaeger pilot, who left after his co-pilot, who’s also his brother, died.
He tries to find a compatible co-pilot and when he finds no one, he gives Pentecost’s assistant, a girl named Mako a chance. When she proves to be the best, he wants her but Pentecost doesn’t think she’s ready. They try to hook up with their Jaeger, he sees what she’s been through, which is what Pentecost was worried about.
In the meantime, one of the scientists working on how to defeat the Kaijus thinks he found a way but he needs an actual Kaiju brain so Pentecost sends him to see a man who uses Kaiju remains to make a profit, so that he could get a Kaiju brain.