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I swear, director Guillermo del Toro never ceases to amaze me with his versatility. This is a funny thought, considering he was also the director of Blade II and Pan’s Labyrinth, two movies from completely different genres. Now this.

Ok, forgive me if I won’t sound coherent to those who are not fans of Japanese giant robots…

I have to admit that I was seriously immersed and totally geeking out during the entire ride. It brought back memories of so many things I’ve seen and played: Godzilla, Voltes V, Daimos, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gundam (choose an incarnation), Front Mission, Shadow of the Colossus and insert any 80s – 90s giant robots here. (I can’t speak up for those who were watching Godzilla in decades earlier than that but I think they can relate, too, haha!) I ended up searching for del Toro’s personal bio, because I’m still amazed at his flexibility, and it turns out that he is a fan of the video game Shadow of Colossus. No wonder his villains, the monstrous Kaiju, are so reminiscent of the organic giants you battle in the game.

My status on this via FB summarizes it:

I am mostly amazed at how real it felt despite me not watching it in a stereoscopic 3D environment. When the pilots attacked with their hands, I felt my hands going up as well. When they landed on drop zones, I’d feel the impact on my feet. Seriously, this is as close to video game playing than any film I’ve ever seen. And again, I did not need 3D glasses to feel the overall impact of the movie.

I like that del Toro did not portray women like Michael Bay (Transformers live action) would. None of those “male gaze” nonsense here. We’re given a brainy and competent combatant who has emotional flaws. I loved the details of the robots, called Jaegers, as much as I loved the quirkiness of each human character.

I wouldn’t want a sequel, though. But if they can’t help it, I would like for there to be a Voltron-like counterpart. Haha!

Anyhoo, if you’re a geek, specifically a mech geek, don’t miss out on this one. Here’s the official trailer to get you started. See if that doesn’t give you goosebumps.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkOy1C8eX6o]

As for the critics, who would I believe? Writers whose jobs are to criticize everything without actually working on something besides criticizing? Or legends like Hideo Kojima and Go Nagai? The former (known for Metal Gear Solid) thought this is the ultimate otaku film, while the latter…hello, this is the grandfather of the Super Robot genre! Heh. I’m just really so glad we share the same sentiments.