By Matt Molgaard
This is an interesting review for me. I just saw the premiere of this movie last week in order to post my review on Best-Horror-Movies.com (you can check it out here if you’re interested), so I feel like I’m about to write a rip-off of an article. It doesn’t feel good.
Alex Irwin’s novel tells the same story that unfolds on the screen. After plates shift and form a strange opening in the ocean floor, giant monsters known as Kaiju rise to the surface. These beasts are as big as skyscrapers and extremely destructive. To combat this threatening force, humans create Jaegers, giant robots that can be operated by humans. What follows is a battle for Earth, which is kind of hilarious.
The live-action film is – admittedly – a disappointment. Director Guillermo del Toro is known for creating highly imaginative films, mesmerizing visuals, and great on-screen performances. OK, Pacific Rim has some great visuals (sadly, even the explosive fight scenes become redundant after a few battles… every one is exactly the same as the one before), but that’s about it. The novel is similar in that it’s pretty good overall and has some thrilling moments, but ultimately the story falls a little flat and feels repetitive by the time the reader reaches page 336.
Owen does a decent job in the transition from screenplay to novel, but he’s nothing special in any way. The moments where Owen deals with technical issues are rewarding, but when those complications are cast aside and the focus starts on small things like humans and their problems, Owen falls short. This is unfortunate because there’s a perfect opportunity here to improve on the characters introduced in the film. It just doesn’t happen.
Is Pacific Rim worth reading? Of course. It’s entertaining in places, and the plot moves along fairly quickly. However, it’s not a remarkable work by any means. It’s not terrible, but it’s not amazing either; like the movie, this one just slides into the rough zone of mediocrity.
You can order it here to try it out.
grade: 3/5
