That Pacific Rim was enjoyable surprised no one - this is a film about giant monsters fighting giant robots, directed by Guillermo Del Toro! There are few premises that promise that much fun. However, one thing that the trailers managed to hide excellently behind the scenes of CGI city destruction was the brilliance of Mako Mori, the co-pilot of the film's main Jaeger. A more than competent pilot, Mako also shoulders the central character arc of the film, which involves her coming to terms with childhood trauma in order to prevail in the oncoming Jaeger/Kaiju showdown. She butts heads with the like of Idris Elba and Charlie Hunnam throughout the course of this picture, proving that earnest determination can be greater than an intimidating height. Far from being a dull caricature of a "strong woman," she displays many key flaws of a rookie - overeagerness, inexperience, and lack of emotional control. It's her struggle to overcome these weaknesses that allows her to rise up with one of the most satisfying character arcs put to screen in 2013. It's easy to overlook Mako as a character in favor of Mako as a role model for screenwriters: "An independent action movie heroine with no love interest? Progress!" - but Rinko Kikuchi's performance does an equally effective job of nailing Mako's relative emotional immaturity, as well as her burgeoning strength. She proves that even a movie about giant robots fighting giant aliens can include thoroughly memorable characters. Were you paying attention, Michael Bay? Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
