On Pacific Rim

I don't get to the movies as often as I like.  And when I do, the movies I see tend to be on the tail end of their cinematic run.  So any review I put up for the film tends to be significantly later than bloggers who stay current and get out more.  However, there is a pro to this, and Pacific Rim is a prime example of this.  

Movie trailers have one job.  They are designed to sell the movie to the consumer.  Pacific Rim, with it's cast of Sons of Anarchy actors, with Guillermo Del Toro at the helm, with it's premise (giant robots fighting giant aliens) was a pretty easy sell for me.  I had HIGH expectations of this movie, and was eagerly anticipating its release.  

But time passed and the stars never aligned with the availability of babysitting, movie schedule timing, etc. to allow us to get to the movies.  In that time the blogosphere (did I just write that) filled with review upon review of the movie.  And for certain things, I will try to avoid spoilery content, but this didn't fit into that paradigm seeming a pretty straight-forward concept.  So, I indulged in the opinion of others, and in doing so, learned that perhaps the movie would not be all I had hoped it would be.  However, that would not stop me from seeing it.  Giant robots fighting giant aliens.  I'm not turning that down.  So, we saw Pacific Rim, but with significantly reduced expectations.  And it was everything I wanted it to be.  

Sure, the acting wasn't top notch, the fighting...  I just don't understand why they need all this martial arts, ninja fighting training when the robot fighting is the equivalent to WWE Friday Night Smackdown (I lift things up and put them down).  But I grew up with Voltron, Tranzor Z, Power Rangers, Neon Genesis: Evangelion, etc. and Pacific Rim is a throwback to the robots of old.  An homage.  It needn't be perfect.  It wasn't perfect.  But it certainly was entertaining.  Hell, some of those scenes (particularly Mako's flashbacks) were so intense I had flashbacks to U-571 (seriously, one of the most tense, edge-of-your-seat, I'm going puke I'm so stressed, movies ever made).  

The musical score was phenomenal.

And so I wish to thank my fellow bloggers at cinematic corner, two dollar cinema, and whoa, this is heavy (amongst the many others) for reviewing this closer to the release date of the film.  You've tapered my expectations thereby creating an awesome movie-going experience.

EDIT:  5 hours later

Re-reading this, I understand there is very little review in this review.  It has been a rough couple of days in the Szever household and the old language formulation center is not fully operation.