Of all the giant fighting robot movies out there, Pacific Rim is the giantest fightingest of them all.
I’ve been looking forward to Pacific Rim for quite some time now. I was excited to see giant fighting robots taking on giant fighting monsters. I was not disappointed as Pacific Rim is filled with epic battles between the monstrous Kaiju and the robotic Jaegers. There isn’t a lot of substance to Pacific Rim but it is extremely entertaining.
Below are some thoughts I had while watching Pacific Rim.
Drifting
Two pilots who are mentally linked to each other control each Jaeger. In the movie the mental link is called “drifting” as each pilot’s memories and thoughts flow with the other’s. Pilots are paired up based upon the strength of connection, with the strongest connection coming between family members. In the movie one of the pilots talks about the deep connection that is made between pilots, as they know everything the other person knows. Connecting to a giant fighting robot seems like a much easier way of getting to know someone than taking the time to build a relationship and develop trust. Until we need to defend ourselves against giant alien monsters, though, we’ll just have to rely on good communication and time to build deep, significant relationships.
The Apocalypse
A line featured in many of the trailers said, “Tonight we are canceling the apocalypse.” If giant, nearly unstoppable monsters were attacking cities along the Pacific Rim, it would be easy to think the world would be ending. I don’t know when Jesus is coming back or how everything’s going to shake out when he does, but I don’t think it’s going to involve alien monsters. I could be wrong, though. Revelation does talk about a great dragon and two other monsters, but I don’t think John had Pacific Rim in mind while sitting on the island of Patmos.
Unity
The epic battles between the Kaiju and the Jaegers only happened because humanity united against its common threat. In the face of giant monsters, the governments of earth unified in order to construct the Jaegers and save the planet. Even in a popcorn movie about robots fighting monsters, we see the reality that we are better together. No single nation could have developed the Jaeger program; it required a unified effort. And if we want to make the greatest impact for God’s kingdom that we can, we need to work together. Like the nations in Pacific Rim, like the pilots in the Jaegers and like the disciples who went out two at a time, we need to work together.
On the surface Pacific Rim looks like a movie about giant fighting robots and monsters. Beneath the surface, though, it’s still a movie about giant fighting robots and monsters. And even though there’s not much more to its spectacle than giant fighting robots and monsters, Pacific Rim is a thoroughly entertaining summer blockbuster.
What did you think about Pacific Rim?
I watched it last night. Here’s the Bible verse that I thought appropriate:
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Perfect verse!