No matter how much you have seen of the marketing campaign leading into Pacific Rim. You just won’t be ready. Guillermo Del Toro and Travis Beacham (writer) have taken their love for Japanese pop culture and monsters into uncharted territory. My brain wasn’t able to compute the amount of details in those beautiful and frightening titans, the Jaeggers (robots taller than buildings) and Kaijus (Godzilla-like creatures). It is remarkable what the filmmakers and Industrial Light and Magic (plus other FX houses) did to create so many complex sequences in one movie: Colossal fights on the surface of the ocean, underwater, in a city, …on the skies!

Not since Avatar (2009) we have experienced such a revolutionary piece of entertainment in regards to the audiovisual spectacle. The illusion of being surrounded by these creatures is completed with amazing sound effects and a catchy music theme. Just when your appetite for awesomeness has been fully satisfied, a new clash tops the previous one.

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What makes these fantastical warriors realistic, beyond the digital and practical magic, is the mythology built around them. Specially the invaders, who are provided with a level of purpose and complexity far higher than previous cinematic beasts like King Kong or the nameless thing in Cloverfield. The film also explores an alternate future where human society has been shaped by this war, going into deeper science fiction territory than the usual “weird event in a normal world” dynamic seen in blockbusters like Transformers, The Avengers, etc.

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Del Toro has stated that this is his “lightest film” but I believe that tonally Pacific Rim is heavier than Hell Boy II: The Golden Army. Yes, there are colorful characters like Charlie Day’s “Woody Allen-esque” scientist and Ron Perlman’s mafioso, and also an innocent, almost childish love story in the center. But the stakes are unbelievably high, the duels against the alien force are brutal and the core characters struggle with either psychological or physical issues. Still, comparing it with a recent Warner Bros release, it is more kid-friendly and inspirational than Man of Steel. Like an adventure from the 80’s it shows an old-fashioned hopefulness, a sense of communal strength and altruistic sacrifice.

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Make no mistake. The main protagonists here, like in a heavy-weight box match, are the over-sized contenders. One human steals the spotlight though, Idris Elba. After sensational TV shows (The Wire, Luther) and small film roles (Thor, Ghost Rider 2) this charismatic actor can finally show to the world what he can do. Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi are fine but they lack the spark and intensity of their fellow cast members. Their respective characters don’t help with predictable developments and some cheesy lines of dialogue.

Those are tiny issues compared to the epic cocktail of action, arresting special effects and fascinating world building. How tiny? Like a petrified kid next to a monumental robot.

Pacific Rim is out in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX on July 12.