Pacific Rim pleasantly surprised me. I could list the manifold ways this movie dramatizes how to correctly deal with catastrophic risks, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Gur synfuonpx fprar vaibyivat gur ivbyrag qrngu bs Znxb’f snzvyl jura fur vf n fznyy puvyq, gur oyrnx, qrinfgngrq Gbxlb naq ure greevslvat arne-qrngu nf n tvnag zbafgre gnxrf n cnegvphyne vagrerfg va ure rssrpgviryl fubjf gur uhzna pbfg bs pngnfgebcuvp evfxf ba na rzbgvbany yriry, nf fpbcr artyrpg vf bs pbhefr na vffhr urer.
“Gbqnl ng gur rqtr bs bhe ubcr, ng gur raq bs bhe gvzr, jr unir pubfra gb oryvrir va rnpu bgure. Gbqnl jr snpr gur zbafgref gung ner ng bhe qbbe, gbqnl jr ner pnapryyvat gur ncbpnylcfr!” N zrffntr gung, gubhtu purrfl, cyrnfnagyl fhecevfrf naq vafcverf zr guebhtu vgf bcgvzvfz va guvf ntr bs plavpvfz.
Sorry, who did what correctly now? Do you mean the guys who decided that the best way to deal with big slow monsters coming out of the Mariana Trench is to let them reach coastal cities and then send giant robots to wrestle with them? With pilots inside? And who later figured out that nuking the portal would be a good idea, but decided to use the same giant robots (still with pilots inside) as a delivery system? All the while having perfect undersea radio communication, which we don’t have?
I’d say there was only one sane person in the movie, the guy who was selling kaiju parts as cures for delicate diseases. He’d probably be able to save the world without the military and make a profit in the process.
Indeed, the movie had at least one character who showed how to correctly deal with that particular risk. He’d probably be able to deal with it alone even if the military wasn’t involved. Buy boats, kill kaijus at sea, sell their parts as quack cures for delicate conditions, repeat.
Though more realistically, the military would get involved. They would cordon off a chunk of the ocean and use it for some really fun target practice. On some days they’d invite the CNN over.
Big slow monsters appearing at a monitored spot in the middle of the ocean aren’t a threat to mankind, they’re more like a surprise gift. It would take a special kind of intelligence to let the monsters reach coastal cities, and then send giant robots to wrestle with them. With pilots inside. Yeah.
Pacific Rim pleasantly surprised me. I could list the manifold ways this movie dramatizes how to correctly deal with catastrophic risks, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Plus it is awesome, in both senses of the word.
I’m curious about your line of thought. Would you be willing to post it in rot13?
Good idea. (Note, if you haven’t seen the film, here’s a spoiler-heavy synopsis).
My line of thought:
Gur pngnfgebcuvp (yngre erirnyrq gb or rkvfgragvny) evfx bs gur svyz vf gur svpgvbany bar bs tvnag zbafgref, be xnvwh, nggnpxvat uhzna cbchyngvba pragref, ohg greebevfz hfvat shgher jrncbaf, nagvovbgvp erfvfgnapr, pyvzngr punatr, rgp. pna pyrneyl or fhofgvghgrq va.
Tvnag zbafgref pna jbex nf na rfcrpvnyyl ivfpreny qenzngvmngvba bs pngnfgebcuvp evfxf, nf abg bayl Cnpvsvp Evz ohg gur bevtvany, harqvgrq, Wncnarfr-ynathntr irefvba bs gur svyz Tbwven (gur frzvany xnvwh zbivr) qrzbafgengr. V jbhyqa’g or fhecevfrq vs jr vafgvapgviryl srne ynetr, ntterffvir cerqngbef zber fb guna, fnl, punatrf va nirentr grzcrengher gung nttertngr bire gur pbhefr bs qrpnqrf, be cnegvpyrf fb fznyy jr pna’g frr gurz jvgubhg zvpebfpbcrf.
Tbqmvyyn’f (uvtuyl tencuvp, crbcyr ohea nyvir) qrfgehpgvba bs Gbxlb ercerfragf gur Jbeyq Jne VV Nzrevpna sverobzovat bs gung pvgl naq gur ahpyrne nggnpxf ba Uvebfuvzn naq Antnfnxv. Gur punenpgref bs Tbwven rkcyvpvgyl yrnir bcra gur cbffvovyvgl bs shgher xnvwh (ernyyl jnef, ahpyrne rkpunatrf, naq gur raivebazragny rssrpgf bs ahpyrne jrncbaf grfgvat) jrnevat uhznavgl qbja hagvy gurer vf abguvat yrsg.
Ubjrire, gubhtu Tbwven raqf ba n crffvzvfgvp abgr, Cnpvsvp Evz qbrf abg. Urer, pbbcrengvba vf fhssvpvrag gb birepbzr naq ryvzvangr gur guerng. Gur zbivr’f gvgyr vzcyvrf gur arprffvgl bs vagreangvbany pbbcrengvba, ohg gur vzcebivat eryngvbafuvcf orgjrra gur Wnrtre cvybgf nyfb qrzbafgengr gur gurzr bs pbbcrengvba qbja gb gur vagrecrefbany yriry. Guvf vf rfcrpvnyyl qenzngvmrq ol gur pbaprcg bs Qevsgvat, gur qrrcyl crefbany, pnershyyl rkrphgrq, OPV-ranoyrq flapuebavmngvba (ba nyy yriryf: zragny, rzbgvbany, naq culfvpny) arprffnel gb cvybg Wnrtref naq guhf qrsrng gur xnvwh.
Jura uhznaf nggrzcg gb svtug tvnag zbafgref (naq pngnfgebcuvp evfxf) nybar, gurl ghea bhg rvgure qrnq be onqyl qnzntrq, obgu culfvpnyyl naq cflpubybtvpnyyl. Nf gur qverpgbe, qry Gbeb, chg vg va na vagreivrj: (ersreevat gb bar bs gur pbasyvpgf orgjrra gur Wnrtre cvybgf): “Gung thl lbh jrer orngvat gur fuvg bhg bs gra zvahgrf ntb? Gung’f gur thl lbh unir gb jbex jvgu svir zvahgrf yngre” naq (zber trarenyyl) “Rvgure jr trg nybat be jr qvr”.
Ng svefg gur uhznaf qb fb jryy ntnvafg gur xnvwh gung, bs pbhefr, gurl trg birepbasvqrag naq pbzcynprag, naq gura gur gvqr bs jne gheaf ntnvafg gurz nf gur xnvwh nqncg gb uhzna qrsrafrf. Vafgrnq bs vzcebivat gur nyernql rkcrafvir Wnrtre cebtenz be nggrzcgvat bgure npgvir nccebnpurf gb gur xnvwh ceboyrz gung zvtug cbffvoyl snvy, srneshy tbireazrag ohernhpengf pubbfr gur “fnsr” cnffvir bcgvba naq ortva pbafgehpgvba bs znffvir jnyyf nebhaq nyy gur znwbe pvgvrf bs gur Cnpvsvp Evz.
Jura vg orpbzrf pyrne gung guvf fgengrtl jvyy abg jbex, fbzr crbcyr qrfcnve, fbzr svtug rnpu bgure, fbzr ergerng gb nabgure ynlre bs jnyyf pbafgehpgrq shegure vaynaq, naq fbzr ernpg jvgu nccebcevngr, gubhtu qrfcrengr, npgvivgl. Nf bar punenpgre, Fgnpxre, chgf vg: “Unira’g lbh urneq? Vg’f gur raq bs gur jbeyq. Jurer jbhyq lbh engure qvr? Urer, be va n Wnrtre pbpxcvg?” Guvf vf gur pbeerpg erfcbafr gb pngnfgebcuvp naq rkvfgragvny evfxf.
Gur synfuonpx fprar vaibyivat gur ivbyrag qrngu bs Znxb’f snzvyl jura fur vf n fznyy puvyq, gur oyrnx, qrinfgngrq Gbxlb naq ure greevslvat arne-qrngu nf n tvnag zbafgre gnxrf n cnegvphyne vagrerfg va ure rssrpgviryl fubjf gur uhzna pbfg bs pngnfgebcuvp evfxf ba na rzbgvbany yriry, nf fpbcr artyrpg vf bs pbhefr na vffhr urer.
Hygvzngryl, jung’f yrsg bs na haqrefgnssrq, haqreshaqrq Wnrtre cebtenz (n snzvyvne ceboyrz sbe rkvfgragvny evfx betnavmngvbaf) fhpprffshyyl chefhrf abg bayl na npgvir qrsrafr ohg na bssrafvir fgengrtl vagraqrq gb raq xnvwh nggnpxf bapr naq sbe nyy. (Erzvaqf zr bs gur Sevraqyl NV nccebnpu gb abg bayl HSNV ohg gb pngnfgebcuvp naq rkvfgragvny evfxf va trareny). Gurl qb fb va bccbfvgvba gb gur pbairagvbany jvfqbz, jvgu pbbcrengvba, jvgu pbhentr, jvgu zngurzngvpf, naq jvgu fpvrapr naq grpuabybtl.
“Gbqnl ng gur rqtr bs bhe ubcr, ng gur raq bs bhe gvzr, jr unir pubfra gb oryvrir va rnpu bgure. Gbqnl jr snpr gur zbafgref gung ner ng bhe qbbe, gbqnl jr ner pnapryyvat gur ncbpnylcfr!” N zrffntr gung, gubhtu purrfl, cyrnfnagyl fhecevfrf naq vafcverf zr guebhtu vgf bcgvzvfz va guvf ntr bs plavpvfz.
Sorry, who did what correctly now? Do you mean the guys who decided that the best way to deal with big slow monsters coming out of the Mariana Trench is to let them reach coastal cities and then send giant robots to wrestle with them? With pilots inside? And who later figured out that nuking the portal would be a good idea, but decided to use the same giant robots (still with pilots inside) as a delivery system? All the while having perfect undersea radio communication, which we don’t have?
I’d say there was only one sane person in the movie, the guy who was selling kaiju parts as cures for delicate diseases. He’d probably be able to save the world without the military and make a profit in the process.
Yes, and it’s kid safe. My 8-year-old loved it.
Indeed, the movie had at least one character who showed how to correctly deal with that particular risk. He’d probably be able to deal with it alone even if the military wasn’t involved. Buy boats, kill kaijus at sea, sell their parts as quack cures for delicate conditions, repeat.
Though more realistically, the military would get involved. They would cordon off a chunk of the ocean and use it for some really fun target practice. On some days they’d invite the CNN over.
Big slow monsters appearing at a monitored spot in the middle of the ocean aren’t a threat to mankind, they’re more like a surprise gift. It would take a special kind of intelligence to let the monsters reach coastal cities, and then send giant robots to wrestle with them. With pilots inside. Yeah.