The movie is conceived as a throw-back to the Kaiju (monster) films of postwar Japan.
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The story takes place in the near future, when a alien species emerges from under the ocean floor. These are called Kaijus, and they haven't come in peace. The nations of the world come together to work out how to repel the invaders. Thus we meet the Jaegers, the solution adopted. Jaegers are giant robots basically, controlled neurally by teams of two pilots.
The plan suceeds for a while, but the Kaijus gradually evolve to outpower the humnan forces. Here we meet our main character, Raleigh Becket (Hunnam). Following a personal tragedy, Raleigh is recruited into a team of Jaeger pilots set for one final mission attempting to rid Earth of the Kaiju threat forever.
Over the course of the movie, Raleigh must form a close connection to his new copilot, Mako Mori (Kikuchi). She's carrying her own past and the leader of the team, Stacker Pentecost (Elba) acts as her father figure.
Supporting characters include the other Jaeger Pilots, including teams from Australia, China and Russia, as well as a duo of scientists who explore the nature of the alien beings as well as some unsavory business involving an alien black market.
Several large fighting set-pieces punctuate the story, each more complex than the one before, and the design of the Kaijus keeps the action gripping.
During the climax of the movie we get to see some alien landscapes and an earned, if predictable, happy ending.
Best part of story, including ending:
The story does a mostly good job giving the characters motivation and helping us empathize during the epic fight scenes
Best scene in story:
My favourite scene was the flashback into the past of Mako Mori, explaining her own demons related to the Kaijus. It gave the story and added meaning and rounded out the character. Such scenes are not plentiful in modern blockbusters.
Opinion about the main character:
The main character was fairly grounded and provided a stable counterpoint to the more extreme characterizations of the side characters.
In 2013 a portal to another dimension opened at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and from that portal sprang giant creatures. These creatures known as "Kaijus" began attacking major cities all across the world. And humanity responded by developing giant robots they named Jaegars to combat the ever growing monstrous threats to humanity. The film takes place in the year 2025 and the Jaegar program is on its last legs. Only a handful of pilots and Jaegars are left to combat the hostile invaders that seem to be coming into our world at an ever increasing rate.
Best part of story, including ending:
It's a simplistic story that is low on cynicism, and instead of focusing on the dire circumstances humanity is facing, it focuses on how people ultimately come together to fend off a possible extinction level event.
Best scene in story:
The fight scene that takes place between a jaegar and a kaiju in Hong Kong. The scene sticks with you because it's so vibrant,colorful, and a robot uses a shipping vessel like a sword.
Opinion about the main character:
The main character was hit or miss mostly. He served as a non offensive avatar that the audience could relate to. He wasn't memorable but he also wasn't god-awful.
