'Pacific Rim' a harebrained good time

In a summer packed with sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes, you have to appreciate a little originality.

Sure, maybe “Pacific Rim” isn’t an entirely new concept. You have the good-guy robots in the same vein as “Transformers” tossed in, plus a smattering of Japanese “Godzilla” inspired monsters to fight the robots. But it’s the rare tent-pole film this season that doesn’t exactly have a built-in audience waiting for it. In harsher words, it’s a real risk.

The story and characters are surprisingly fleshed out for a monster/robot flick. In the not so distant future, war has broke out between mankind and monsters called Kaijus that rise up from the pacific to desolate entire cities. Mankind fights back with giant, badass robots called Jaegers. After a lengthy introduction and heartbreaking accident, retired Jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) is pulled back into the war by his former boss (Idris Elba) in order to prevent the war from bringing about the end of the world.

Okay, so maybe the end of the world crisis is not an entirely original concept either. But hear me out, because “Pacific Rim” is actually the big and brash, CGI-driven action fest audiences deserve in this summer of Smurf sequels and superheroes.

If you come for the battles between robots and monsters, then rest assured you will get your money’s worth. There are countless fight sequences that left my fanboy heart a flutter. In one such clash, the lead Jaeger, Gipsy Danger, takes a giant sea vessel and smashes it into a Kaiju. It left a smile on my face that lasted until the credits rolled. But there’s a beauty that director Guillermo del Toro infuses into every shot, be it a Jaeger vs. Kaiju showdown or two humans engaging in a martial arts match. Sure, it’s fun and it’s silly at times. But del Toro sees the artistry in battle without taking it too seriously. It’s that fine line “Pacific Rim” rides, and it mostly works.

The battle in Hong Kong towards the middle of the film ends up being much more exciting and climatic than the final encounter under the Pacific, which causes the third act to seem a little tiresome. Thankfully, the human drama comes to forefront and the film truly becomes a meditation on family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we create. It’s this human touch that wraps up “Pacific Rim,” but not before we get to watch some more robots desecrate monsters from another dimension.

It’s loud, it’s fun and it’s occasionally rather harebrained, but that isn’t to say it’s not a summer film worthy of your attention.