[Movie] Pacific Rim
Finally, an Westernized mech battle. Well, not exactly the first. But I always like a mech movie incorporated both Western and Eastern culture. I do like anime, but I really hate Japanese over dramatizing of things like, the answer to life, universe and everything, and why human is such a piece of shit that polluting the world . It just infuriates me. For example, I was once a fan of Gundam series, but ever since they make the Gundam Seed series into 'more of a drama and less of mobile suits battle', I kinda hate Gundam now. I practically skipped over 60% of the entire episodes (the dialog, reminisce, conversation regarding on the reason of the existence of humanity, bla bla bla) and proceeded to watch the mobile suits battle scenes only.Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to glorify the western movie instead. Even the western motion picture have its flaw. Like the iconography, popular culture, its all just tiring. For example like, in every western motion picture, there will be a woman. Who is strong, equal to man bla bla bla something like that but end up being a sex object. Yeah, hey, remember Transformers the movie? With its sequel the Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon? Did you remember how awesome was Optimus Prime? Don't lie to me, I bet the only thing you remember was Megan Fox bending on a sports car. And she was not even involved with the story line at all!
The robot in the picture above is called Betsy Danger and you would know even if you only had watched the trailer. The story revolve around in some alternate universe (its not exactly something in the far future because the story background starts somewhere in 2013, which is this year) where the human world is invaded by some xeno not from space, but from the depth of the Pacific Ocean (hence the title 'Pacific Rim').
The story goes that a portal or dimensional gate formed in the tectonic crack deep beneath the Pacific ocean, and spit out a colossus creature called the Kaiju (means 'strange creature' in Japanese but a direct translation in English is 'monster'), it pretty much have the same meaning like aliens or xenos, which proceeded to attacked human coastal cities started from San Francisco, and later Manila and Cabo. It becomes abundantly clear that the human's conventional weaponry and defense systems proved to be useless against this monster and at first, nuclear was the only solution.
But as the humanity desperately tries to repel this monstrous creatures, it comes to light that this creature is not only toppling down buildings and squashing people, but the very existence of this monster is actually damaging the earth environment. And no, its not like this monster is throwing around plastic bags. But their blood, bodily fluids, even their excrement is highly toxic. Contaminating the air, acidic and eroding anything that it touches. So basically using a nuclear weapon is making things even worse that it already have.
Thus brings up the humanoid, 25-stories tall, full of awesomeness called the Jaeger (German word for 'hunter'). Core of the project code-name as the Jaeger Project, this human-made titan is the humanity 'most environmental-friendly' solution and answer to Kaiju's invasion, if not the most awesome. The man and machine combo however, was not without its price. During the first prototype field test, it appears that the titan cannot be piloted by a single person as it would overburden the pilot's mind (its like piloting a gunship, controlling the gun system, reading and analyzing battle statistic at the same time, with a titanic scale) hence leading to the creation of the Drift tech (Mind Meld technology) that allow 2 or more pilots to be connected together to reduce the mind's burden. One will control the 'left hemisphere' and the other would control the 'right hemisphere' for the machine operation.
At the height of this movie, out of 30 active Jaegers, only 4 remained in service. Most of the Jaegers are either destroyed by the Kaiju or decommissioned by the politicians that suspiciously probably a pro-Kaiju... Nah, I'm just pulling your leg. Around 2024-2025, the occurrence of Kaiju attack increased in frequency causing most of the world government to opt for more.. permanent solution, called the Wall of Life, to keep the Kaiju out and the human population safe. The reason was that the Kaiju started to destroy more Jaeger faster than they could build a new one. Not to mention the staggering cost of building one. Yeah, that what you get when you ask politicians for a solution, its all about the money. Really? A wall? The monster is spewing around highly toxic and acidic contaminants, destroying the environments, and you think building a wall is the best way to go?
Well, back to the movie, good thing some people are still sane where the Jaeger force's commander named Stacker Pentecost devised a plan that is really permanent compared to that stupid wall idea. Pentecost, unsatisfied with wall constructions, call in and regroup all 4 of the remaining active Jaegers to the Pan Pacific Defence Corp in Hong Kong. The wall idea was really sucks by the way, because when one of the Jaeger in Australia was due en route to Hong Kong for its final journey, the Wall of Life in Sydney broke open by a Kaiju. Good thing the Jaeger was still around and pound that monster to submission, and by submission I mean dead. This event causes panic throughout the world, because it seems that the wall is completely and utterly useless. The only good thing about the wall was building it is cheaper than a Jaeger.. urgh.. politicians..
Pentecost, also felt the pressure because with the wall's down so easily, means they got to go with everything they got without the hope that the wall would at least buy them some times. His plan was to drop a nuclear weapon except this time within the inside of the dimensional portal to collapse the whole thing thus ending the Kaiju's invasion (See, permanent solution). Easier said than done. Thanks to whoever come up with that 'making the walls is better than Jaeger', Pentecost only had 4 Jaegers under his command. Good thing he still had one and the only one Mark 5 Jaeger, callsigned Striker Eureka, the most advanced Jaeger in the world. (The same one that save Australia when the Wall of Life in Sydney fell). The rest was Mark 1 (Cherno Alpha), Mark 3 (Betsy Danger), and Mark 4 (Crimson Typhoon) Jaegers.
I won't tell you the final battle or how it ended, because its too much to write. The scene was so awesome at the same time fulfilling every science-fiction fan's fantasy of a live-action robot battle. If only The Transformers was more robot battle and less Megan Fox...
I watch some videos in the Youtube where the robot's concept makers said that they try not to be influenced by other mecha or anime in popular culture, but I guess sometimes there are something you just couldn't help but being influence by. When I first watched the robot appearance with the Mind Meld tech, it reminds me of the Titans from where Warhammer 40k, where the Titans also have this neural uplinks with its crews except the Titans are more bulkier and bristle with weapons.
And also Betsy Danger's hand cannon and chest weapon output which kinda looks like the Iron Man. While later Betsy Danger was equipped with chainsword. Yup, the only thing Betsy was missing is a bolt gun. Hahaha
Anyway, for me the movie was great. If you are not a science-fiction fan, then it still be good for you. There are some dry humors here and there, and the storyline was not really that heavy (I wrote that long because I am really interested in the back story), no over melodramatic of the reason of existence and human purpose of the world or some lady bending over the.. urghh.. all there is, is that they all are going to punch the Kaiju in the throat for ever threatening the humanity, so its a must watch.
Humanity, punching the Kaiju in the throat or build a wall and go extinct.
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