Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters Review
By Casey Douglass
Books that explain the
process of creating a particular film don’t usually appeal to me.
Maybe on some level I am afraid of seeing the wizard behind the
curtain or the strings manipulating the puppets. What went through my
mind when I picked up this hefty Pacific Rim book, I just can’t be
sure. I think it was largely the desire to find out more about the
creatures and creations, and to see a little bit more of the world
that was created (and partly destroyed), with the hope that nothing
would be “ruined” for me.
On first noticing the
cover, I was a little put off. I felt it had a childlike quality: the
yellow hazard markings akin to something seen on the box of a toy
bulldozer for a three year old. The rest of the artwork looked fine,
but this just made it look a little cheap. Thinking about it more
deeply, Pacific Rim was very much formed from the films that the
young Guillermo del Toro watched as a child, so maybe it isn’t such
a bad thing.
No...it still looks
cheap. When you open the book for a browse, you will probably find it
falling open at the middle pages which have sandwiched between them a
small collection of stickers. Yes. Stickers. While nice to have I
suppose, they do little to shake my notions above.
Casually flicking
through, you will find other things stuck to the pages, little slips
of paper or bits of cardboard. The cardboard is in the form of two
I.D badges, which while nicely presented, also add to the childlike
air of the book.
I’m glad to say that this is where the childish
stuff seems to end. Other inserts are in the form of Guillermo del
Toro’s notebook pages, and blueprint designs for the various Jaeger
machines. These are very nice to look at and are the only things
included in the book as a novelty that I genuinely think add any
value.
The book itself is a
great read. It feels high quality with lots of images and information
to digest about the characters, Jaegers, Kaiju and other aspects of
the film, with plenty of specs and charts to mull over while having
your tipple of choice. I can’t go into too much detail as that will
just devalue the book should you choose to buy it. Just suffice to
say that there is a lot of material contained therein.
It probably goes
without saying that you need to have liked the film to really get
anything out of the book. If you were indifferent or disliked the
film, I don’t see why you would be even thinking of getting the
book anyway. If you enjoyed it, I think you will enjoy the book as
well. Even if it’s a book which you just flick through now and then
to enjoy the artwork, I think you will get your value from it. The
book sells for £29.99 RRP which is what I paid. I don’t feel
ripped off, but if you see it for around the £20 mark I think you
would have a proper bargain on your hands.
