5. The Kaiju
The term Kaiju, derives from the Japanese word to describe monsters in Japanese cinema; unnatural creatures of immeasurable size, and it is also used to describe the monstrosities tearing apart cities worldwide in
Pacific Rim. Kaiju movies have always been extremely popular with cultists and Japanese enthusiasts, and therell always be some form of gratuitous destruction in them. Of course, its evident that del Toro has always loved the genre, and that
Pacific Rim is his genuine love-letter to the genre. The Kaiju that appear throughout
Pacific Rim all resemble many of the famous monsters in Japanese cinema, and every Kaiju that emerges from the inter-dimensional rift is wonderfully designed with a unique appearance and dangerous skill-set. Its entertaining to see the Kaiju learning and adapting to the human defences, as it provides some truly shocking surprises for viewers throughout. Del Toro puts an interesting spin on the Kaiju in
Pacific Rim though, which is a neat difference to the monster movie genre. Even when the movie incorporates radioactive Kaiju faeces and luminescent blue blood, its still does a remarkable job at defining Kaiju for a Western audience. The resemblance to some famous Kaiju in Japanese cinema is uncanny, such as Godzillas famous rivals, the crab-like Ebirah, and to a lesser extent, the giant pteranodon, Rodan. However, one of the stand-out Kaijus in
Pacific Rim, is the first one we encounter in the movie; Knifehead. It has a tremendous onscreen presence, and thankfully that is the case with all of the monsters throughout the movie. The Kaiju are difficult enough for the Jaegers to fend off, but when there's two of them at once? That's when it's time to start worrying.