DVD review | Pacific Rim - Giant fighting robots tackle alien monsters in Guillermo del Toro’s epic slugfest | Movie Talk | What's on TV

Transformers versus Godzilla, Guillermo del Toro’s epic sci-fi slugfest Pacific Rim pits giant fighting robots against invading alien monsters after a rift in the Pacific Ocean opens up a portal to another dimension. The action is spectacular, but the thinly characterised humans who pilot the robots in mind-synched pairs - including Charlie Hunnam’s burnt-out veteran and Rinko Kikuchi’s untested rookie - inevitably get dwarfed. And without vivid heroes to root for, after a while the humungous robot-monster smackdowns lose their impact, although things definitely spark up whenever Ron Perlman’s snazzy-shoe wearing black market dealer is around.

Released on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download by Warner Bros.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guMumPFBag

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.