PopHorror Let's Get Scared
To some, Pacific Rim may be a long, silly, robots vs monsters movie, meant to be disposable popcorn fun. Even if you only came to watch the movie for that, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Director Guillermo del Toro (read our recent retrospective on another film of his here) is an obvious fan of the numerous genre inspirations that the film draws from. However, with Pacific Rim, he shares some of his own personal ideologies.
We Are Not Alone…
Guillermo del Toro takes a lot from Neon Genesis Evangelion to make Pacific Rim, and just listing every nod to it could take an article of its own. NGE is often known as the big deconstruction of mecha anime, yet also a necessary part of the genre canon. Unlike the nightmarish nihilism of that series, however, del Toro wanted to draw on some of the iconic tropes without deconstruction. Many Shonen and mecha anime depend on a trope known as the Power of Friendship.
For those who are unfamiliar, the “Power of Friendship” trope essentially substantiates that every person you meet and connect with adds to your life and your knowledge. When the chips are down, you may not have those friends with you in person, but the strength they offer perseveres. As the character Kamina says in another mech anime Gurren Lagann:
Don’t believe in yourself… Believe in the me that believes in you.
The Power Of Friendship
The Power of Friendship is a cumulation of these bonds overcoming any challenge. In mecha anime, it’s usually a dictator or a giant monster. Regardless, it’s a challenge one cannot face entirely on their own, and Guillermo del Toro wants to show that here.
No man is an island. Life is not meant to be done in isolation. You may not get or need romance, as we can see by the dynamic of Mako and Raleigh; but you can connect nonetheless. The apocalypse is not canceled by one, but by many working together. “Drifting”, Pacific Rim’s invention where two pilots are mentally synced to pilot the Jaegers is simultaneously vulnerable and empowering. By coming together, two hearts and minds can power one hell of a kickass mech. As Raleigh Beckett (Charlie Hunnam) says:
In a Jaeger, suddenly you can fight the hurricane, and you can win.
After the opening of the film, which shows Raleigh’s most traumatic battle that led him to give up Jaeger piloting, we can see he is broken, and a loner. He does what he can by assisting in coastal wall construction to keep the Kaiju out, but that’s the roughest of band-aids. The wall is quickly shown to be ineffective. He becomes the warrior he used to be once he’s opened up to Mako, both as a co-pilot and a friend.
Canceling The Apocalypse
Raleigh is not the only one who experiences this. Newt (Charlie Day) and Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) are the primary Kaiju researchers in the film, yet they are polar opposites. Newt is a hyper, messy, extroverted scientist and admitted “kaiju groupie” going off the seat of his pants while he studies kaiju biology with the nuance and reservations of Victor Frankenstein. Meanwhile, Gottlieb is traditional and a germaphobe, using mathematics and physics to predict movements in the Kaiju war. What ultimately allows for both a turning point and saves humanity from defeat is the two of them drifting. This allows them not only to understand each other but the motivation and strategy of the Kaiju’s masters. Neither is forced to be someone they are not, but that moment of mutual trust and motivation saves the world.
When individuals, much less private interests and nations, can work together; any challenges we face can be overcome. That’s what Guillermo del Toro wants us to see from Pacific Rim. Well, that and what he said during the 2011 Comic-Con to announce the film:
It is my duty to commit to film the finest fucking monsters ever committed to screen and it is my duty to create the greatest fucking robots ever committed to screen.
I’d say he succeeded. So please remember to reach out if and when you need help. It may be your own turning point.
You Are Not Alone!
Pacific Rim is available now to rent and own on digital platforms, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD. Watch the trailer below!
