Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim is essentially a Japanese Monster Movie on a Hollywood Mega-Budget. Director Guillermo Del Toro's mammoth production should please both sci-fi fans and everybody else.

In the very near future, gargantuan monsters roam the Pacific. Referred to as Kaiju, they come out of a portal in an ocean crevice to pound on coastal cities. Humans come up with giant robots, the Jaegars, to beat them up. Each Jaegar is piloted by two or more people who mentally bond with each other.

The Jaegars beat back the next few years of Kaiju attacks until the monsters suddenly get tougher. In response, World Leaders decide to scrap the Robots and build a wall around the Pacific.

Commanding Jaegar Officer Pentecost (Idris Elba) has a plan to win the war. His plan is to drop a nuke into the portal, thus closing it up for good. He brings former Jaegar pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunman) and his machine, Gipsy Danger, out of retirement. Raleigh's former co-pilot and brother, Yancy, died fighting a Kaiju. His new co-pilot, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) survived a Kaiju's attack on Tokyo. They have to overcome their trauma to link-up with their machine and "cancel the apocalypse."

This is definitely a film to see on the big screen. Its visual effects, as well as Guillermo Navarro's cinematography, accentuate the size of the Kaiju. They, especially in their first appearances, really look towering and menacing. The Jaegars themselves are wonderfully rendered CGI machines.

Its human characters, meanwhile, are noteworthy. Its lead characters are compelling individuals and Ron Perlman makes a great impression as a shady Black Marketeer. The environments they live in, both practical and CGI sets, are amazing creations.

Its goal is to beat giant monsters in the face. Pacific Rim succeeds in that goal, which is why it's a real winner in either 3D or Flatscreen.