For most of my life as a kid, I was a huge fan of the big monster and giant robot movies.  Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, King Kong, Ultraman, you name it.  You see them now and they look kind of cheesy, but back then, it was really cool stuff.

The Godzilla movie in 1998 with Matthew Broderick was just not the same.  I left that movie feeling a little deflated.  I wasn't sure if it was the story line around the monster or the monster itself.  It will be interesting to see what comes out of the new Godzilla movie to be released in 2014, but I digress.

In Pacific Rim, monsters have entered our world through a dimensional rift in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.  The creatures continued to get stronger and slowly began to appear more frequently.  Soon, mankind's conventional weaponry can't handle them.  So, the Jaeger program began.

Let me stop there.  I am a big Rifts roleplaying fan, as well as Robotech and Battletech.  The idea of developing hundred plus ton robots or powered armor with human pilots is just freaking cool.

Now, the movie's plot is not deep and for a summer action movie like this, it doesn't have to be.  It was made for one reason; ENTERTAINMENT.  Trust me.  For an old monster/robot movie fan, this movie had that in spades.

I really liked the idea that the invaders were sending clones of the monsters or Kaiju through the rift.  It was really interesting to learn the clones were mentally linked.  They helped future monstrosities learn and adapt to the human tactics. The Kaiju were intelligent and they were sent through with a purpose. I thought the idea that the would be invaders were colonists and had tried to come over before using the dinosaurs was also a fun idea.  I give the writer kudos for the back story.

Now for the Jaegers.  Wow.  I liked the Drift.  In my own writings, I have employed the uses of neural interfaces with machines.  I could easily understand the impediment on the human mind if a solo pilot tried to control one of those huge mechs.  For me, I would love to be one of those who sign up just to try.  I have a twin brother is who is a six degree black belt in Okinawan Karate.  Hmm.. Drift compatible for kicking butt..  Heck yeah!!!

I loved the idea of this movie and want to see more.  If the rift continues to be a problem and budgets aren't too much, I could see this being made into a TV series.

I give it an 8.5 out of 10 for its butt kicking monster bashing action.  The Jaegers were awesome.  Also, I took my kids to this movie.  Nine year olds, who like their dad, love big robots and hulking monsters on the big screen.  Gotta love it.

My family and I had waited a long time for Christopher Nolan's Man of Steel.  To be honest, there had to be something to redeem the Superman story line after Superman Returns.  There just had to be.  I have several friends who have been dogging this movie.  Too much of an action sequence here, not enough depth here, these characters didn't work....  I'm sorry.  I liked the movie.  It was good representation of who DC plans to portray Superman for the near and hopeful future.

Characters..  Amy Adams did a good inquisitive Louis Lane.  I liked her in this and the red-hair was a nice change of pace too.  Now, I have heard all kinds of grief about Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner.  I don't know why.  "They didn't offer anything!" is a claim I heard a lot.  My two cents, here.  They are not the main character!!!!  However, they did provide us the unique boundaries of Clark/Kal's personality.  What they valued, what they believed in, and how much they loved their son.  What lengths should someone go or even sacrifice themselves to save others whom they have never known.  Jor-el and Jonathan Kent showed their son the value of life.  In doing so, it made it so much harder for Superman to take the Zod's life in the end of the film.  Zod gave him no other option.  That choice that Superman makes will undoubtedly haunt him to the end of his days.  All through the film we really begin to see the depths of Superman's humanity.

Now with Zod gone, Kal-el is truly the last of his race.  That is unless a new way can be made to reopen the phantom zone.  But if the Kryptonians there are freed, would they listen to Clark and try to find a new life for Krypton?  Or would they continue the course Zod had already put on?

There are a few nitpicks on dialogue and some confusing character interaction, but they didn't overly detract from my enjoyment of the story.  I did like the idea that all Kryptonians are essentially clones that are generated from the same codex.  It also makes sense that Jor-el, the rabble rouser (if there is such a thing on Krypton) that he is, would break with society and have a naturally conceived child.  I give it a 7.5 out of 10.  It was good, but not quite the wow.

I do think this film is a good starter that can make more inroads into other films for DC and ultimately to a Justice League movie.  Marvel has done a fantastic job integrating story lines for its characters involved in the Avengers and I would truly like to see DC step up and bring us something worthy of the World's Mightiest Heroes.