But I Digress…, Episode 14: My Review of ‘Pacific Rim’

“But I Digress…”

Hosted by Nathan Marchand

“Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse…again!”

After it seemed like everything was keeping me from posting this video, here it is!

I “meet” a famous monster and nearly fire my brother/cameraman/sometimes co-host today before I review the under-appreciated summer blockbuster, “Pacific Rim.” Surprisingly, it’s more than just a series of giant monster vs. giant robot fights. Watch to learn more.

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What ‘Pacific Rim’ Can Teach About Marriage

You probably read this blog’s title and wondered what planet I was from (FYI: it may or may not be Gallifrey). “What can a monster movie tell us about marriage?” you ask.

A surprising amount.

First, if you haven’t seen the film, do so! It’s the most fun you’ll have the theatre this summer.

A poster for 'Pacific Rim.' Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
A poster for ‘Pacific Rim.’ Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Now, the movie is set in the near future, where a dimensional rift opens at the bottom of the ocean and gigantic creatures called “Kaiju” emerge and attack cities. Humanity constructs towering robots called Jaegers to combat the beasts. These machines are too massive and complex for one pilot to drive, so they are built to be operated by two. These pilots link their minds using a neural interface, each controlling one-half of the Jaeger. It’s stated that “the stronger the bond, the better you fight.” These pilots must already have strong relational ties or build a rapport in order to sync up and operate their machines.

As the film progressed, I couldn’t help but see how similar to marriage this was (at least in the biblical/Christian sense). Two people, wholly separate, “become one” through a unique bond. Their memories—the essence of who they are—mingle in order to perform a great task. Only once they are bonded are they able to do this. It is a relationship unlike any other, a grand and beautiful mystery (Prov. 30:18-19). One pilot can’t operate the Jaeger alone, unless he is exceptionally gifted, and even then, he’s under deadly strain. Likewise, man was not meant to be alone (Gen. 2:18). A marriage can’t work without transparency or mutual submission (Eph. 5:21). As soon as one person decides to run the whole show himself, it all falls apart. Only when both the husband and wife work together can they accomplish the tasks God has set before them—only then can they “face (and slay) the monsters that are at [their] door.”

But it goes further than that.

Raleigh (right) and Mako (left) piloting their Jaeger.
Raleigh (left) and Mako (right) piloting their Jaeger.

The movie focuses on Raleigh Becket, one of the Jaeger pilots. Early on, his brother/co-pilot dies fighting a Kaiju. Becket quits the Jaeger program until five years later when his CO recruits him again for a crazy plan that may save the Earth from the Kaiju. But in order to do that, Raleigh will need a new co-pilot. Enter Mako Mori, a Japanese technician who aspires to be a Jaeger pilot. Unfortunately, her inexperience coupled with her vindictive rage against the Kaiju for the death of her family hinder her potential as a pilot. She gets lost in her memories as she interfaces with Raleigh, and he must pull her out of them. In battle, Raleigh leads. He gives her commands about which weapons to use and where to attack, and she defers to his leadership. This leads to a subtle romance that, in the end, saves the world.

In marriage, the husband is the head of the household (Eph. 5:23). The wife is to defer to his leadership (Eph. 5:22). Yet, at the same time, the husband and wife are partners. Raleigh didn’t lord anything over Mako. He was simply the more experienced of the two of them, so he helped direct her attacks during a battle, though she was quite talented. The wife is the husband’s “help meet” (Gen. 2:18 KJV), or ezer kenegdo in the original Hebrew, which means “lifesaver.” She comes along and complements the husband, helping him fulfill the calling on both their lives. This is what Mako does for Raleigh. He was already a great pilot, but he needed a partner in order to operate his Jaeger and fight the Kaiju. Without her, he couldn’t do that.

I bet you didn’t expect a big-budget homage film to the low-budget B-grade monster flicks of yesteryear to be a poignant illustration of marriage.

Never underestimate the power of story, True Believers!

All I can say now is I look forward to finding an amazing woman to fight monsters with.

Mel Gibson I’m Not

In my spare time, I volunteer for a Christian internet-based radio station called Remedy Live that ministers to youth. They have a chat room that teens can access through their phones or computers to talk about anything. I’ve been working with them for several years. I’ve helped students deal with relationship issues and cutting, among others. Some of them just want to chat about silly things. Some weeks when I volunteer, no one jumps online. I’m just happy I was there in case anyone did.

Tuesday, though, was a first for me. I had to prevent a suicide.

I logged on around 5pm, and after only a few minutes, someone chimed in saying he wanted to kill himself. Not only that, he said he had a gun next to him and he was ready to pull the trigger.

I immediately contacted the radio station via Facebook and phone and told them what was going on. As the chat progressed, they observed and sent me coaching messages.

At first, I thought this chatter was a girl, but then he started talking about an ex-girlfriend who cheated on him with his best friend, so I thought he was a guy. By the end, though, I wasn’t sure. Regardless, I learned that he was 17 and his family—especially his stepfather—was verbally and emotionally abusive. He thought everyone except his grandparents hated him.

By this point, the radio station was tracking his phone number and attempting to call the local police, so I did my best to keep him talking. This kid was smart, though, and suspected something like this might be happening, but I was able to persuade him I wasn’t doing that.

I’ve known people who had martyr complexes, but this kid took it a step further. He honestly believed that by killing himself he was being like Jesus. He thought everyone would be happier if he was dead, so by dying, he was doing them a favor just as Jesus “died for the people.” I told him Jesus didn’t kill himself, he was executed, and that what he was doing was selfish.

I used several other arguments against suicide. One was that only God had the right to decide when someone died. This chatter then seemed to start power tripping. He said he was the one who holding the gun, not God. I said God could keep the gun from firing. The chatter then said he was putting the gun to his head as we spoke. He wrote something about how the tables had turned and how he held all the power. I managed to calm him down.

In the end, after an hour-long chat (which included two disconnects), he asked to speak with a female volunteer, so I passed him to a fellow volunteer.

I don’t know what happened afterward.

I was kinda like Mel Gibson, except without the mullet. Mullet were stupid.
I was kinda like Mel Gibson, except without the mullet. Mullets were stupid.

Remember the famous scene in the first Lethal Weapon film where Mel Gibson handcuffs himself to man threatening to jump off a building? He does this after distracting the guy with cigarettes. Then after getting irritated with him, he jumps, taking the suicidal man with him, and they land on a huge air mattress. While I didn’t have to do something that crazy, I can tell you trying to keep someone from killing himself isn’t nearly that easy (or fun). It was nerve-wracking. I held a person’s life in my hand, in a way. I was concerned that one wrong word would push him to pull the trigger. What was worse was it seemed like this kid had a retort for every argument I typed. He refused to be encouraged. It made me wonder why he even bothered starting a chat in the first place. If he was so determined to commit suicide, why drag random strangers from the internet into it? Either he wanted to be talked out of it or he wanted attention. (I could be wrong on those. Feel free to tell me and elaborate on other explanations).

As I said: Mel Gibson I’m not.

It’s made me think about my own life. I haven’t had the best of times for several years, yet I’ve never seriously considered suicide. Sometimes I wonder why. Regardless, I do know I can be just as stubborn about being encouraged. When I’m at my lowest, I refuse to hear anything good. Yet I don’t want people to agree with me in my misery. There’s this part of me that wants to argue. It’s the weirdest thing. No wonder I sometimes drive people crazy.

I’d like to think I helped save the kid’s life. That he went on and did great things.

I may never know.