Plot
In 2013, colossal extraterrestrial beasts known as Kaiju emerge from an interdimensional portal called “the Breach” at the depths of the Pacific Ocean, launching assaults on coastal cities. To counter this threat, humanity constructs towering mechs called Jaegers, operated by teams who share a mental connection through a process called “Drifting” to share the immense strain of piloting the machines.
Fast forward to 2020, where brothers Yancy and Raleigh Becket pilot the American Jaeger, Gipsy Danger, defending Anchorage against the Kaiju known as Knifehead. Despite their efforts, Yancy is killed, and Raleigh, traumatized by the loss, quits the Jaeger program after defeating Knifehead alone.
Five years later, as Kaiju attacks escalate and Jaegers are outpaced by destruction, global leaders decide to discontinue Jaeger funding, opting for coastal defense walls. However, these defenses prove futile, leading the remaining Jaegers, under Marshal Stacker Pentecost’s command, to be stationed in Hong Kong. Pentecost plans a risky mission to destroy the Breach with a nuclear weapon.
Raleigh, now working in wall construction, is recruited by Pentecost. At the Hong Kong base, he meets Mako Mori, head of Jaeger restoration. With only a few operational Jaegers left, including Gipsy Danger, they prepare for the mission. Raleigh and Mako prove to be compatible co-pilots. However, during a test, Mako’s traumatic past interferes, causing a near-disaster.
Pentecost reveals Mako’s tragic past and seeks advice from Kaiju experts Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb. Against Pentecost’s wishes, Newton drifts with a Kaiju brain, inadvertently alerting the Kaiju to their plans. Chaos ensues as new Kaiju attack Hong Kong.
Gipsy Danger, aided by other Jaegers, faces off against the Kaiju. In a desperate battle, sacrifices are made, and secrets are revealed about the Kaiju’s origins and the true nature of the Breach. Pentecost, suffering from radiation sickness, leads a heroic last stand alongside Raleigh and Mako.
In a final, daring move, Gipsy Danger destroys the Breach, sealing humanity’s victory over the Kaiju threat. Raleigh and Mako emerge as heroes, embraced by humanity’s gratitude as rescue arrives, marking the end of the Kaiju menace.
Opinion
Okay, I admit it: this is a film I should have watched when it first came out. But as many will know I have a problem with films I think might go overboard on the emotional trauma of blah blah blah. It’s why I can only watch Die Hard after fast forwarding through the first 20 minutes. And then to my horror I found out I never brought a copy of Pacific Rim and Martian Records closed last summer. Luckily a quick search on Amazon and the problem is solved.
So what did I think? Well firstly, giant robots are going to win it everytime for me. Even without the whole drifting stuff it would have been great. That they added in the whole poisonous blood thing giving a reason not to just have walking behemoths with machine guns all over them was a nice touch. There was a good amount of comedy from the secondary characters that helped take off some of the seriousness.
But let’s face it: at the time this movie started the humans were about to lose the war and the Kaiju kept on coming. I just hoped that was the only breach.