The sci-fi thriller Pacific Rim hits theaters today and already the review are starting to roll in. The big-budget summer blockbuster tells the story of a former pilot in tandem with an up-and-coming trainee as they desperately attempt to save the world from utter annihilation as a war between humans and colossal robot-like sea monsters forces them to combat the attackers through massive mecha of their own.

The $180 million budget flick features Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Green Street Hooligans, Children of Men) in the lead role, supported by Idris Elba (Prometheus, Thor, Rock N’ Rolla) and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Online, the movie is already garnering decent reviews, posting a 76% approval rating by critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive 98% approval rating by viewers.

Check out the official trailer for Pacific Rim:

Here’s what the pros think of Pacific Rim so far:

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: “Even if you smirk at the plot conceit of mind-linked humans inside skyscraping robots fighting blockbuster sea beasts, the technical prowess on display can’t help but impress. You don’t just see and hear these frame-filling behemoths — as they smash and bash each other in coastal cities across the globe — you also feel them.”

Claudia Puig, USA TODAY: “For those who like their alien-invasion movies to bludgeon the senses, Pacific Rim fits the bill. This is Godzilla meets Transformers, with elements of the lesser Star Wars movies, all awash in thunderously loud, non-stop demolition.”

Soren Anderson, Seattle Times: “Director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy) brings it. He holds nothing back in this sci-fi epic set in the near future where big beasts from the oceans’ depths called Kaiju are romping and stomping across the globe trailing rubble in their wake from Sydney to — gulp! — Seattle and San Francisco, where, yep, the Golden Gate Bridge gets it … again. (No self-respecting monster epic can leave that iconic span standing.)”

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: “In an end-of-the-world movie, that aura of playfulness suggests a child inventing war games for his G.I. Joe figures as his parents argue in the next room — a way to escape real anxieties by creating a grander fantasy peril — and gives lift and life to the Kaiju-Jaeger mano-a-monstruo conflicts. But the rest of Pacific Rim is inert. You get 45 minutes of awesome encased in 90 minutes of yawnsome.”

Now that you’ve heard from both sides, what do you think? Are you planning on seeing Pacific Rim? Do you think it will be a smash hit or massive bust? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.