Disney+ Sci-Fi Epic Blockbuster Gets Marvel Star Destroying Monsters
These days, it seems as though Kaiju films are all the rage, with outings such as Godzilla Vs. Kong and Godzilla Minus One raking in tons of money at the box office. Before the latest line of American Godzilla films were released to the public, visionary director Guillermo del Toro revolutionized the genre with the inclusion of a few human-powered giant freakin’ robots. The film Pacific Rim premiered in 2013 to massive audience acclaim, spawning a cult following that seems to only grow as the years drag on.
Pacific Rim Streaming Now
Pacific Rim is currently available to stream through the Hulu section of the Disney+ app. This newly released subsection exists due to the streamers’ split ownership of various intellectual property, including Warner Brothers-produced content such as Pacific Rim.
The section is still technically in beta, and requires a subscription to both Hulu and Disney+ to access, but offers a myriad of excellent programming to reward viewers for their trouble.
In addition to the incredible writing and direction of Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim wowed audiences with an all-star line-up of international actors.
The film touts landmark performances from the likes of Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Ron Perlman, Burn Gorman, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Charlie Day.
The movie also features some of the greatest practical effects ever committed to film, with hundreds of robot mech suits and kaiju suits created for the film, despite only a fraction of them appearing on screen.
Giant Monsters Wreaking Havoc
Pacific Rim begins by showing a massive inter-dimensional rift forming in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, referred to as “the Breach” where terrifying giant monsters slither out to wreak havoc upon coastal cities.
As humanity struggles to contend with these titans, engineers construct giant robots called Jaegers, which require two pilots to control at once due to their hulking frame.
Fighting Off The Bad Guys
In order to control a Jaeger, pilots must connect with one another through a neural linking process called Drifting, which shares the stress of the machine between the two living bodies.
As if it weren’t enough to have one of the most spectacular sci-fi concepts at its core, Pacific Rim also contains some of the most jaw-dropping sequences of choreographed chaos known to cinema, as Jaegers take on the skyscraper-sized Kaijus in extreme conditions.
Worldwide Effort
Most of the film takes place in 2025, after world leaders have decided to end the Jaeger fighting program and invest their resources in defensive walls instead.
With few remaining resources, the final pilots, engineers, scientists, and monster-fighting enthusiasts join forces worldwide to take the monsters down or die trying.
Critical And Box Office Reception
Pacific Rim received favorable reviews from critics, who hailed the film’s inventive thinking and excellent effects. The film brought in over $411 million at the global box office against an estimated production budget of $180 million, marking it as a massive financial success.
A sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, was released in 2018, though the final product clearly shows that Guillermo del Toro was not involved.
Pacific Rim is currently available to stream through the Hulu section of the Disney+ app, for those who have not yet seen the epic adventure.
