Every Guillermo Del Toro Movie - Ranked Worst To Best
4. Pacific Rim
By the time Pacific Rim hit theaters in the summer of 2013, three Transformers films had already been released. Tackling such a similar subject to a wildly successful franchise- large robotic creatures fighting other large creatures- sounds like a foolish plan doomed for failure. Rehashing such similar themes to something so popular should never work, but del Toro's take on the kaiju film is distinctly his own.
Pacific Rim manages to be a cinephile's ideal popcorn film. It's big and loud, but has quiet, somber moments. It's dumb and silly, but wisely takes itself serious enough that it's not too dumb. It strikes a perfect tonal balance, and del Toro is a smart enough filmmaker to imbue the movie with some gorgeous shots and stellar action.
The existence of a lackluster sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, aids in demonstrating where the original film could have gone wrong. The action is less riveting, the inter-character relationships are lacking and the film overall feels sterile and generic. Seeing this, the original film feels even more powerful. It may have its critics who denigrate it as a piece of disposable action, but its a stylish and memorable romp through the guts of big metallic behemoths. What could be better?