How Hollywood creates a mecha film

As a mecha fan, I love this movie so much. Mr. Guillermo del Toro gave a non-stop robot and monster fighting scene and it was incredible. Although he stated that he wanted to make a gothic sci-fi, I feel that this movie is quite light.

I know he originally wrote the screenplay together with Travis Beacham, but I could feel a lot of elements that come from Evangelion and Gundam. He himself once said that he got inspiration from Japanese mecha story, and you could feel it strongly in this movie. How he divided the Kaiju in categories, like Angels in Evangelion; the way the Jaegers fight the Kaiju, mostly empty-handed like in Eva and with some weapon attached to Jaeger’s body like in Gundam. Although the looks of the Jaegers are like Gundam, I personally think that the function is similar to Evangelion (how the Jaeger seems to feel like the pilot).

I know I compare this movie with Evangelion and Gundam too much, but, that doesn’t mean I like it because of the similarities. I like this movie because the action is real and impressive, it could easily become kids’ favorite mecha character, like how I used to be so attached to Gu ndam when I was a kid. This is possible for a sequel.

The story is not that strong, the character’s background could be made deeper. I like Mana Ashida’s acting, as expected just like in her other movies (especially the one when she acted with Matsuyama Kenichi). I like the cinematography and of course the special effect. Totally! But some details in this movie are quite annoying, like the way Raleigh Becket walks seems too cocky, it should match with Chuck Hansen’s character but not him. And of course, Charlie Hunnam's character doesn’t seem so special. He’s the hero but his acting is not strong enough.

Anyway, it is all saved by Guillermo del Toro’s way in delivering the story, in a way that made me believe this movie only possible because of his wild imagination. He's fulfilling mecha fans’ dream of a real live action of robot-themed anime. Truly entertaining!