Why is Pacific Rim's Soundtrack so damn good?
The Last days of war has left Earth battered and almost defenseless. Set in the future when the Kaiju, colossal sea monsters have emerged from an interdimensional portal on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Rim explores the Jaegar program, which was made to combat the monsters. Humanity united to create the Jaegers, gigantic humanoid mechas, each controlled by two co-pilots whose minds are joined by a mental link.
But away from all the onscreen awesomeness that follows, what made this film stand out in our eyes was the music. There is just something about the music which makes it sound so damn good. The film's soundtrack is made by German composer, Ramin Djawadi. Del Toro selected Djawadi stating: "His scores have a grandeur, but they have also an incredible sort of human soul." This soundtrack has appeared even on the US Billboard at the spot of no. 7.
Focusing on the war's later days, the story follows Raleigh Becket, a washed-up Jaeger pilot called out of retirement and teamed with rookie pilot Mako Mori as part of a last-ditch effort to defeat the Kaiju. This is Del Toro's most commercially successful film to date. Regarded as an homage to kaiju, mecha, and anime media, and has gained a cult following. The film's soundtrack just makes it all better. But how?
By this curated list, we will see the truth of the statement by letting the tracks speak for themselves.
Mild spoilers ahead.
When Humanity is at its last stand, resorting on one final strike, one final move to finish, it looks upto hope, and tries to find courage within himself. This track can be looked at as the manifestation of Marshal Stacker Pentecoast's bravery, and stoic leadership in times when everything is uncertain. The slow and somber notes give rise to determined ones, and then, a hopeful violin picks up. It goes amazingly well with Pentecoast's speech, which is the track's namesake:
"Today. Today... at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other. Today there is not a man nor woman in here that shall stand alone. Not today. Today we face the monsters that are at our door, and bring the fight to them. Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!"
Newt is the more or less what the average audience member was, while watching the movie. He has a lot of love about the whole thing going on in the world, although he may not understand fully what is going on, he tries his best to, and cares deeply about Humanity's defense against these monsters. He isn't afraid to go where others haven't been, or to express his curiosity, even if it endangers him. As he says:
1. Pacific Rim Theme
Perhaps the most iconic in the film, the main theme is a statement to the exciting and dangerous world that Raleigh, and the rest of Earth will go through. The metal guitar strings at the start denote how popular Jaeger pilots have become, and just how much the people around them see them as saviors. This track is made more awesome by the scene it takes place in, notably, the start of the film itself, with the sight of the Gipsy Danger being assembled and getting ready for battle. This track also goes well for Raleigh himself as he narrates:
"Years before, you wouldn't have picked my brother Yancy and I for heroes. No chance. We were never star athletes, never at the head of the class. But we could hold our own in a fight. And it turned out we had a unique skill - we were drift compatible."
Eventually, the track takes a somber tone, an indication of the war between the two dimensions- and we are losing. However, the track, like Humanity's spirits, is not disheartened, and is not going to go down without a fight. Kaijus may attack the Earth, but this track's energy combined with Raleigh's narration gives it strength:
There are things you can't fight - acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you get out of the way. But when you're in a Jaeger, suddenly you can finally fight the hurricane. You can win.
2. Cancelling The Apocalypse
We couldn't describe it better than the man himself. And while in the film it refers to Kaijus, you can take the 'monsters' as your own personal demons, and let this track help you rise up to your problems and tackle them head on. You can cancel your apocalypse.
3. The Shatterdome
The Shatterdome in Hong Kong remained the last Jaeger base, housing the last remaining four Jaegers, the program being shut down by World Leaders after being deemed ineffective. Largely however, the focus is on Gipsy Danger, and the famous Russian Jaeger as described by Marshal Pentecoast:
"That tank, last of the T-90s. Cherno Alpha. First generation Mark 1. The heaviest and oldest Jaeger in the service. But make no mistake, it's a brutal war machine. Piloted by Sasha and Alexsis Kaidonovsky. Perimeter patrol, Siberian wall. On their watch it stayed unbreached for six years. Six. Years."
The Track also has a Viking aesthetic to it, which fits perfectly with the Russian chanting:
"Послужи щитом всем против зверя.
Победи чудовище, защити Россию!
Защити её, сохрани!"
"Serve as a shield against the beast.
Defeat the monster, protect Russia!
Protect her, save her!"
Djawadi has created a track that symbolizes the shared strength of Humanity while maintaining the feeling of desperation, which would come into play as Gipsy Danger's vengeance.
4. Call Me Newt
"Fortune favors the brave, dude."
5. Physical Compatibility
Gipsy Danger needs a new pilot, to go alongside Raleigh. But it can't be anybody- they need to be Drift Compatible, as well as have Physical Combability, so the fight can be coordinated effectively. As Raleigh and Mako try to answer the question whether they are drift compatible, the film pulls out this track. Mako's background as survivor of a Kaiju attack on Japan is reflected, as the track picks up pace. This track also has a Japanese vibe to it, almost as a nod to the Samurai and the culture. The entire track like a carefully coordinated clash of sounds, against each other- and yet in the end, for each other.
7. Hannibal Chau
Desperate times require desperate measures, and Newt soon finds himself in the Hong Kong Black Market. Here, he comes across the largest display of Kaiju harvested parts, which startles him, and then, he comes across the dealer himself: Hannibal Chau.
Chau takes no nonsense, and is purely there to make himself richer, having taken opportunity of the whole war. This is one of the reasons why this film's worldbuilding was so good, which the track exemplifies. It is shady and malicious, carrying a foreboding sense of greed. Just like Chau himself.
8. Deep Beneath The Pacific
This is the finale, what Raleigh and Mako have been preparing for. They have only one chance to finish the war, by severing the Pacific Rim's connection. Anxious faces watch over them from around the world, rooting for them, awaiting their return. They face dangers, but when was any of this without any danger? This track's notes clash between the Kaiju's malicious intents and the Jaegers' Heroism. The drums and the strings go on to orchestrate the dire situation- where a glimmer of hope remains.
Diving deep below the waves of the ocean, Gipsy Danger once again finds itself on the verge of death, and its the pilots who have to give their wall. The atmosphere of being underwater is also portrayed well through the sounds. The main theme's metal makes a small appearance, just to remind you, despite all that is happening, this track is just damn good.
Bonus: Drift - RZA (feat. Blake Perlman)
Using the same 6 chords as most of the soundtrack, This song by RZA and Blake Pearlman still manages to feel new. It is a great takeaway from the film, with amazing vocals done by Pearlman, and while it didn't feature in the official Film OST, we think this is a grave injustice. There is a lot of emotion and strength within the song. The lyrics by themselves are just worthy of mention.
We feel it all, we feel the rise before the fall
No dividing us
We feel it all, We feel it-
We feel it all, the rise and fall
We drift inside each other
All we have is one another
United we can never fall.
Conclusion:
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Pacific Rim is one of the best films of 2013, and a love letter to the Mecha Genre. We at The DXR Script have had a lot of fun discussing the film's soundtracks, and we'll try to put out a review of this film some day, as this is a great film that captures nearly everything the 13 year old inside us would have loved to see onscreen. Ramin Djwadi's work here has been one of his best ever, (See our curation of best of Djawadi's work!) and if you have listened to the tracks we listed, you'll know why Pacific Rim's Soundtrack is so damn good.
As always, these are just what The DXR Script liked. Share this post with others if you liked it! Which ones are your favorite or have something to add? Tell us in the comments!
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