Spoiler Alert
From the movie trailer, you’d expect Pacific Rim to be a combo of Transformers, Power Rangers, Mech Warrior, and maybe even a little Star Wars, as the suits the Jaeger pilots wear remind me a little bit of Storm Troopers. So when my family wanted to go see it, I didn’t expect much other than cheesy fun. Was I surprised? Yes!
Pacific Rim at its core, is a love story. Let me break it down for you….
Raleigh Becket never wants to pilot a jaeger again, because the last time he did his brother died horrifically, but if he doesn’t millions will die.
Mako Mori’s dream is to pilot a jaeger, because her family was killed by the kaiju and she wants vengeance, but her only chance is emotionally scarred Raleigh.
And like in any good romance, they must heal each other by drifting together to pilot the jaeger. Drifting is a mental connection to share the neural load necessary to control the giant machines. The black moment comes when Raleigh flashes back to his brother’s death during their drift and sends Mako chasing her own dark memories. Their drift almost ends in catastrophe and they are ordered to stand down.
But some things are worth fighting for. And when the moment comes, Raleigh and Mako know their connection is strong enough to overcome all obstacles and they are the only hope of defeating the Kaiju.
Despite the obvious cliches, abundance of cheese, and my urge to yell, “It’s morphin’ time!” at the screen, I wanted to jump to my feet and applaud at the end when (spoiler ahead), a seemingly dead Raleigh said, “You’re squeezin’ me too tight.” So they didn’t kiss. Oh well, they hugged, and I know there are kisses in their future. Can’t wait for Pacific Rim TWO!
I also blogged about Pacific Rim. For me, what makes this movie special is that Raleigh and Mako’s story isn’t about romantic love. It’s about mutual respect for each other. Both of suffered and lost family to the kaiju. They need each other’s support and understanding. Any love between them is love borne out of respect, not lust. How unique is that for Hollywood? A kiss at the end of this movie would have ruined it for me.
I wanted them to kiss, but smart that they didn’t because it left me wanting more. I definitely felt the sizzle with these two.
This sounds like fun, Jan. I haven’t seen it but will definitely rent it. I loved the ‘It’s morphin time’ comment!
I loved the movie as well, and I wanted the “kiss”. I’m just a hopeless romantic. Can’t help it!
I haven’t seen it, but I like suggestions. It sounds like a good one to watch over popcorn.
I loved this recap of the movie! When it comes On Demand we will popcorn up with M & M’s, fort up in front of the wide screen and enjoy!
I really enjoyed reading and scanning the rest of your website! What are these editors reading your work thinking? They should be hungry for your work and snapping it up!
Thanks, and I hope they start snapping very soon.