Release Date: October 15, 2013
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 131 minutes

In “Pacific Rim,” legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, have started rising from the sea, beginning a war that takes millions of lives and consumes humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes – a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) – who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Pacific Rim is everything you hope it will be and more. A million times more. I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best films of 2013. But that’s to be expected with Guillermo del Toro. He never disappoints. Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to monsters and action but this…this is the ultimate love letter from him that anyone can see, whether they are familiar with del Toro’s work or not. His passion for this project bursts from every angle of every scene and everything comes together brilliantly. The characters are full of depth, the actors perfectly cast, the sets and visual effects detailed more than even the biggest fan can fully appreciate, and the story…what a story it is.

The action and creatures will grip you but so will the journeys these characters go on. So will the fight the world takes on to save the world. Pacific Rim is just as entertaining as it is touching. This film is so much more than robots fighting monsters. If you understand and appreciate Guillermo del Toro’s love and passion for this piece and are willing to see what’s underneath the action surface, there’s no denying how magnificent this movie is. Guillermo del Toro shows viewers what they want to see but he goes above and beyond what we could have ever thought we wanted to see. It’s just that good. See for yourself and buy this on Blu-ray because you will want this film in the best quality there is. Enough with me gushing about it, I don’t want to spoil all the fun. Buy Pacific Rim if you haven’t already.

Bonus Features:

DISC ONE

*Commentary – The commentary is conducted by director, writer, and producer, Guillermo del Toro. If you buy Pacific Rim for your home collection, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not checking out the commentary (and essentially every other special feature). Pacific Rim will make a Guillermo del Toro fan out of you if you aren’t one yet and a Guillermo del Toro commentary is just icing on the cake.

*Focus Points (Option to play all or individually):

A Film by Guillermo Del Toro (4:47 minutes) – This is a very quick feature giving viewers a general idea of Guillermo’s touch and why that’s so important on a film like this. I’d say it’s a skip though, there are better features on here.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Cast Members, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi, Ron Perlman, Idris Elba, Burn Gorman
Producers, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni

A Primer on Kaijus & Jaegers (4:09 minutes) – Guillermo del Toro and the cast and crew give us the history behind Kaijus and Jaegers. Seeing Guillermo gush about the history which he loves so much will bring a smile to your face.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Cast Member, Rinko Kikuchi
Producers, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni

Intricacy of Robot Design (4:53 minutes) – Guillermo del Toro and the crew give us a more in depth look at the robot design process which I found to be way more interesting than I initially thought it would be. The work that was put into this film is clear while viewing it but seeing it broken down to the concept and design is fascinating.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Conceptual Designer, TyRuben Ellingson
Production Designer, Andrew Neskoromny

Honoring the Kaiju Tradition (4:30 minutes) – Guillermo del Toro starts this feature out by saying that during the making of this film, he made it clear to the crew that he wanted the movie to stand on its own and not be a homage to what’s been done before. Honoring the spirit of the Kaiju tradition and maintaining originality looks easy but it’s hard work and it paid off. Job well done Guillermo.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Cast Member, Burn Gorman

The Importance of Mass & Scale (5:45 minutes) – As significant as the matter is, I never even considered a feature about mass and scale so to see one just gives me another reason to appreciate all the hard work that was put into every single detail of the film. Guillermo’s attention to detail is mind blowing and at the same time, so completely understandable – thank God someone like him is in the movie business. He wants to see the things most people in his position don’t bother to include. He’s not one to throw away. Everything matters. God bless him.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Visual Effects Supervisor, Jaime Price
Modeling & Texturing Supervisor, Dave Fogler
Art Director VXF, Alex Jaeger
Animation Supervisor, Hal Hickel

Shatterdome Ranger Roll Call (5:39 minutes) – Making a movie about “the world saving the world” as Guillermo put it, is significant in more ways than one and it takes a lot of work to get the right cast members to portray hope and action. In this behind the scenes feature, Guillermo breaks it down and it’s marvelous. Guillermo puts just as much care and attention to his characters as he does his world. I can’t tell you how much I love this feature.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Cast Members, Rob Kazinsky, Idris Elba, Max Martini, Heather Doerksen, Robert Maillet, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi

Jaegers Echo Human Grace (4:01 minutes) – Based on the shots in the film, it’s clear just how much work the actors put into their own fight and action scenes. These stunts are genuine which is not easy to find in Hollywood but these actors…they worked out for this part. Talk about demanding. Just thinking about all of the work these actors did preparing for filming makes my legs turn to jelly. Grueling. And well worth it.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Stunt Coordinator, Branko Racki
Effects Supervisor, Shane Mahan
Cast Members, Diego Klattenhoff, Charlie Hunnam, Heather Doerksen, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Max Martini, Robert Maillet

Inside the Rift (4:36 minutes) – I’d be very proud of the scene Guillermo del Toro puts the spotlight on in this feature too if I envisioned it. It’s beautiful. Watch this feature. Fall in love with this scene all over again.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Writer, Travis Beacham
Makeup Dept. Head, Jordan Samuel
Cast Members, Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi

Goth-Tech (4:39 minutes) – If you’re a fan of the tone and look of the world and film, this is the feature for you. This film is visually stunning, so I’m sure everyone agrees that this is a feature worth watching.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Production Designer, Andrew Neskoromny
Cast Member, Burn Gorman

Mega Sized Sets (8:54 minutes) – Practical elements are always better than special effects and in a movie that has both, it’s important to make the movie appear as real as possible and the crew did a phenomenal job creating the sets to make this possible. What an incredible amount of work the sets alone were. Wow. Seeing Guillermo say the set was like an amusement park for the actors with a smile on his face…priceless.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Cast Members, Charlie Day, Heather Doerksen, Idris Elba, Rob Kazinsky
Production Designer, Andrew Neskoromny
Executive Producer, Callum Greene
Supervising Art Director, Elinor Rose Galbraith
Producer, Mary Parent

Baby Kaiju Set Visit (3:07 minutes) – Again, another piece of the film that is appreciated when you see it but even more when you see the set before the finished product came together.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Cast Member, Burn Gorman
Visual Effects Supervisor, Jaime Price
Executive Producer, Callum Greene

Tokyo Alley Set Visit (3:17 minutes) – Replicating the textures of a real place on a set is challenging but seeing it on set…magic happens.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Executive Producer, Callum Greene
Cinematographer, Guillermo Navarro
Special Effects Coordinator, Laird McMurray

Orchestral Sounds from the Anteverse (4:04 minutes) – If you’re a lover of scores and right away thought, “I love this score,” when Pacific Rim began, they didn’t forget us in the special features! Round of applause for the music.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Composer, Ramin Djawadi

DISC TWO

*The Directors Notebook – Want to get inside the mind of a visionary? This feature is an interactive presentation of Guillermo del Toro’s notebook. Jackpot.

*Drift Space (9:24 minutes) – This feature is a gold mine for people who want to know the characters better. Character profiles share information that’s nowhere near mentioned in the film. Whatever you may have been wondering about a certain character’s past (like how Mako ended up alone in the street as a child)…the answers just might be in this feature.

*The Digital Artistry of Pacific Rim (17:10 minutes) – Now this is the behind the scenes feature I was waiting for. The creative minds at the table. Putting the pieces together. Crafting and planning and getting ready to bring your vision to life. Viewers are flies on the wall to the first VFX meeting among other meetings and it’s just glorious. For me anyway, I was a huge fan of this feature. Yep. This is my kind of feature.

Appearing in this feature:
Director/Writer/Producer, Guillermo del Toro
Visual Effects Supervisors, John Knoll and Eddie Pasquarello
Art Director VFX, Alex Jaeger
Modeling and Texturing Supervisor, Dave Fogler
Digital Model Supervisor, Paul Giacoppo
Animation Supervisor, Hal Hickel

*The Shatterdome – This feature is an archive of the key art generated to shape the film via video and stills, organized by animatics, concept for Kaiju, concept for Jaeger, concept for Costume, and concept for Environments. Talk about time well spent on a special feature. Click away.

*Deleted Scenes (Approx. 4 minutes) – There are four deleted scenes, three of which are not worth viewing as they do not advance the plot or add anything special to the story. The final scene, “Catch You in the Drift, Dad” is awfully heavy though and adds a bit of backstory to a certain character so I’d advise viewing.

*Blooper Reel (3:52 minutes)

Own Pacific Rim on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and HD Digital Download today.