Trailer Trashin’: Get Ready for the Monster War in Pacific Rim

We’re halfway through January, and the hype machines for many of the big films of 2013 are already chugging away. And after Star Trek Into Darkness a few weeks ago, it’s time for another movie to get a surprisingly quick revisit. This week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’ examines the new CES trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim.

Premise: Giant monsters identified as “Kaiju” arise from a crevice in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a war which takes millions of lives and quickly consumes humanity’s resources. To combat this new threat, a special type of weapon is designed: massive robots known as Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. As time passes, even the powerful Jaegers prove almost defenseless in the face of a relentless enemy. On its last stand and on the verge of defeat, the remaining defending forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes – a former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) – who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the early trials of the mechanical titans. Together, they must stand as the human race’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

My take: In case the previous column I wrote about it didn’t make it clear, I am ridiculous excited about director Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming sci-fi epic Pacific Rim. With that in mind, you can expect me to be examining and analyzing every single trailer that gets released. At the International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas last week, a new trailer for Pacific Rim shown which featured some new footage, and it’s only helped to further build my excitement for the film.

In terms of the cast, most of the focus is still on our two leads, Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh Beckett and Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori; they’re both very talented and it’s about time they got some real mainstream exposure. I still absolutely love Idris Elba as General Stacker Pentecost; he’s a great actor and it’s good to see him in another big blockbuster besides the Thor films. We also get a brief shot of Robert Maillet, who you might remember as the Uber-Immortal in 300 (2007) and Dredger in Sherlock Holmes (2009), and Heather Doerksen, who has played small roles in numerous TV shows and the accountant in The Cabin in the Woods (2012), as two more Jaeger pilots. We still haven’t gotten to see del Toro’s frequent collaborator Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau, and I’m curious to find out what role he plays in the proceedings. And I still love that the filmmakers actually got Ellen McLain to do the voice of the Jaeger AI.

I love all the sci-fi technology featured here. The Jaegers look really cool, and they are exactly the kind of things I would’ve wanted toys of when I was a kid. There’s a shot where it looks like the pilot’s suits contain some kind of yellow-orange fluid, which is probably a nod to the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. I still love that at least one of the Jaegers has a rocket-powered punch, but I’m eager to see what other weapons and abilities the robots will show off.

The action on display here is really impressive. The moments of the one monster attacking the bridge and then being attacked by the fighter jets is like something out of the old Godzilla movies. The shot of a Jaeger punching a monster and knocking it off its feet is cool. The moment where a Jaeger gives a Captain Kirk-style double overhead punch to a monster is awesome. And just like I did with the first trailer, I love that final shot of the Jaeger being thrown through the air, smashing an elevated bridge, and sliding along a highway as it stands back up.

As should be abundantly clear by now, my excitement for this movie is off the charts. If this film had come out when I was a kid, I would have been bouncing off the walls with anticipation in the run-up to its release. Right now, if I could only see one new movie in summer 2013, this would be it. I’m chomping at the bit to see Pacific Rim, and I will definitely be watching it at the theater on opening weekend.

ANTICIPATION: Guillermo del Toro? Giant robots? Giant monsters? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.

Release Date: July 12th, 2013

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Ron Perlman, Clifton Collins Jr., Diego Klattenhoff, Robert Maillet, Heather Doerksen, and Ellen McLain
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writers: Travis Beacham and Guillermo del Toro

P.S. Did anyone else watch the Golden Globes on Sunday night? I have to say, I really enjoyed them, both the award winners and the actual ceremony. And I’m also pretty happy with the Academy Award nominees announced last week, so I’m looking forward to those, too.