Pacific Rim

"As a self-proclaimed fan of anime and manga, as well as cinematic monsters, 'Titans of the Pacific' (‘Pacific Rim’) seems like a logical product within the filmography of its director, Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, even if it seems totally atypical after films like 'Cronos', 'The Devil's Backbone' and 'Pan's Labyrinth'. We are faced with what is simultaneously a crossover and a tribute to the ‘mecha’ genre anime (like 'Mobile Suit Gundam', 'Mazinger Z' and similar ones) and Japanese kaijū cinema (whose most famous exponent is, of course, 'Godzilla'). The result is a movie that may lack, for the most part, the thematic and emotional complexity of previous (and future) films by its director, but in exchange offers a dramatically solid blockbuster and visually spectacular, with the minute attention to detail that characterizes Del Toro, achieving robots and giant creatures that feel heavy, real. It has its flaws (is the fight scene with sticks really necessary?), but when it comes to 2010s blockbusters that do not belong to franchises, 'Titans of the Pacific' is undoubtedly one of the best."