Is there a better way to come back home from a few weeks of internetless Scotland than to see a film about giant mechs fighting giant monsters? I highly doubt it. This post is less of a review and more a brief look into some details of the film, whilst also stating how bad-ass it was.
Pacific Rim was never going to be a masterpiece like Pan's Labyrinth was: there's only so much subtext you can read into a blockbuster action movie, yet instead of degenerating into some kind of Transformers-esque cesspool, del Toro impressively manages to create a film that would be normally be expected of the cartoon or anime worlds. Hideo Kojima, creator of the 'Metal Gear Solid' series praised the film for being rather otaku, a Japanese word for something obsessed (a rather strong word) with anime or manga, something almost completely unexpected of a major production studio like 'Legendary Studios'.
Subject matter in del Toro's creations usually involves an oppressed peoples set against tyrannical enemies, and this is no exception. To combat the great beasts (Kaiju) that threaten Earth, the world unites to create mecha (Jaegers) which are piloted by two people linked by a neural bridge to beat the crap (which sells for a high price in Hong Kong) out of them with metal fists. A more effective weapon could probably have been built, but where would the film be half as fun if they did?
The influence of Godzilla and King Kong is clear to see, from the theme of humanity overcoming great adversity to the monster design, with one of the Kaiju looking and fighting just like a gorilla. Aside from the fluorescent head tendrils. Thankfully Pacific Rim doesn't go completely down the road of, "But are WE the monsters!?" and focuses more on the genuinely intense theatrical grandeur feel of the film, alongside the psychological and emotional repercussions that war leaves with all humans. Raleigh and Mako's relationship is not a physical one, but psychological, personified through the neural bridge. They never kiss. It's love sub-plot that isn't bogged down in redundant romance diatribe. Another instance of these relationships is when another Jaeger pilot tells his son that he wished he'd told his son that he loved him, the son says he doesn't have to since he knows the words already. Exposition is redundant, so del Toro does away with it in a refreshing fashion.
As much as I want to leave out the dire Neon Genesis: Evangelion (I think I need to watch it again considering I had no idea what I was getting into when I first started it) whilst discussing influences, it would be in bad faith to continue without it. Although I am unsure that the anime directly influenced the film's creation, whereas the Gundam/mecha genre certainly did, distinct parallels can be drawn. In Evangelion, children must be linked physically and mentally into living mecha to fight hostile aliens. Much like Pacific Rim, the psychological strain is the real struggle with which the characters must contend; yet I feel that Pacific Rim lacked when attempting to convey true emotional depth of character. During the films opening scene, the Jaeger 'Gipsy Danger' loses an arm, which in turn causes Raleigh to feel the pain since his mind is connected through the Jaeger. In later scenes, damage done to Jaegers is not felt in the same way by their plots. Whether this shows great resolve and determination is unclear, yet it seems to me that this idea was retconned in favour of continued action, which is understandable. As Mako and Raleigh deal with their traumatizing pasts, they seems to resolve their own deep-seated difficulties rather abruptly: after Mako nearly plasma cannons the main base while reliving her first encounter with a Kaiju, she seemingly forgets any of what happened. Evangelion's characters are continually haunted by their pasts, alluding to deep psychoanalytical motifs and theories that evolve over time. Then again, persistent character development is one advantage a series has over a feature film.
Following on from del Toro's desire to not make the film into a cynically dark allegory, there are many instances of cheesy comedy to break up the apocalyptic destruction of the planet. Normally over-the-top stereotypes are a heavy detriment to a film, yet including it ensures absolutely nobody thinks that this is a serious film in the slightest. According to one recent podcast from 'The Game Station', del Toro's sense of humour is varied and ever so slightly self-deprecatory and humble. I agree with the hosts of the podcast when they say that he has no reason to be humble, after creating some amazingly well-received movies. Seeing such humility is endearing, even though I'm already enamoured with the man and his filmography. Well maybe not Hellboy. In fact yeah, not Hellboy. Still, Pacific Rim may be the most fun film I've seen in many years: rocket powered punches, plasma cannons, three armed glaive wielding robots, everything appeals to the ridiculous, action-seeking teenager in all of us. There damn well better be a five hour sequel to help me forget my miserably robot devoid life.
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