When you venture online to ask about the greatest film ever made, expect a myriad of answers. Before discussions potentially devolve into less mature exchanges, you might hear mentions of classics like “Pulp Fiction,” “Inception,” and “The Shawshank Redemption,” among others.
However, a new contender has emerged among Netflix’s recent offerings, hailed by some fans as the ‘greatest movie of all time.’ The excitement around this film is palpable, with viewers eager to grab some popcorn and dive back into the experience for repeated viewings due to its sheer entertainment value.
The movie sparking this enthusiasm is Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim,” originally released in 2013. For those unfamiliar, “Pacific Rim” is essentially a giant robot enthusiast’s dream come to life, featuring epic battles between enormous robots and monstrous creatures. The film boasts standout performances from actors like Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, and Charlie Day, contributing to its blockbuster success.
Following its addition to Netflix on February 1, fans have been vocal on social media about their joy. One user exclaimed, “The greatest movie of all time (Pacific Rim) is now on Netflix so I’ll be watching that a few times this week.”
Another shared their affection for the film, saying, “‘Today we are cancelling the apocalypse!’ Love love love this movie, despite a few criticisms. Apparently some of it was shot on 16mm! It’s one of those movies I can watch again any time and it instantly brightens my mood.”
Others echoed these sentiments, with one noting, “Watched it on Saturday night, haven’t seen it in years so it was great to revisit, solid 8/10 movie, perfect weekend popcorn flick.” Another fan reminisced, “MAAAN Gotta rewatch my childhood classic. Saw this as a kid and my EYES are WIDE OPEN and AMAZED.”
One more added, “Y’all ready for a binge? Don’t snub Pacific Rim ’cause it’s mainstream, it’s lowkey a futuristic masterpiece! Who needs sleep anyway?”
“Pacific Rim” enjoys a 72 percent critic score and an even more impressive 77 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film did receive a sequel in 2018, “Pacific Rim Uprising,” directed by Steven S. DeKnight. Despite Guillermo del Toro being credited as an executive producer, he admitted to never watching the sequel, likening it to “watching home movies from your ex-wife.” He explained to Collider, “I didn’t see the final movie because that’s like watching home movies from your ex-wife. It is terrible if they’re good and worse if they’re bad, or the opposite. You don’t wanna know,” adding that he had read the final script, which he found to be significantly different and not as appealing as the original.