Trailer review

The trailer for Pacific Rim begins with a dramatic voice over stating that humanity always expected alien life to come from the stars. This line is accompanied by a crowd of people looking up into the sky expectantly. This highlights the fact that this film is trying to be unconventional by introducing a new spin on the classic Aliens invade earth trailer because in this film Aliens emerge from the pacific. The swoosh noise then indicates that tension is increasing. An underwater portal is then revealed giving the audience some context as to where the Aliens came from. The deep voice over then begins giving the viewer a sense of drama because of the harsh and powerful tone that the narrator is using. Several scenes of destruction and dramatic CGI then follow showing the viewer the scope and budget of the film, convincing them that the production values are significantly higher than other major films available. Then the trailer fades into several characters wearing motion capture suits and moving technological interfaces to signify that the film is a science fiction movie.
The next shot is that of a mech being lifted out of a dark hanger. This could perhaps be considered symbolic of the fact that humanity has been able to lift themselves out of the darkness and that they now have a fighting chance. The next shot is that of a little girl standing alone in the middle of a highway as fighter planes fly past. This shot portrays a number of things. Firstly the girl is alone and in a dangerous area, this makes the audience feel fearful for the little girl as she appears vulnerable and delicate. Secondly the fact that a highway is normally a busy place but now has been completely deserted shows that there has been some form of catastrophe in the area. Finally the image of the fighter pilots juxtaposed with the little girl is shocking to audiences because it highlights that no one is safe from the conflict that is now occurring. As if to confirm this the next shot is that of a giant mech wrestling with an Alien in the middle of the ocean. The stormy background of the fight also adds to the sense of conflict and tension. The shot then quickly cuts to a mech falling out of the sky and into earths atmosphere this angelic image indicates that the robots in this film are humanities protector. Then large bold metallic text appears saying 'or go extinct' the metallic effect on the text is not only synonymous with conflict and action but it is also symbolic of the mechs themselves perhaps indicating that they are all that stands between humanity and extinction. The text is also sans serif indicating that the battle between good and evil is simple and righteous. This is supported by the fact that the text is against a totally black background which is perhaps symbolic of the darkness that humanity is facing. More action sequences of robots punching aliens in the face then follow in quick succession, leaving no doubt in the mind of the viewer that this is very much an action film however these scenes  are interrupted by an emotional speech given by Ildris Elba to signify to the audience that the film does contain certain emotional depth.