Mako Mori (Pacific Rim) -- Exclusive 3/24 (Patreon)

I saw this movie in theaters back in the day, and I still love it. I just rewatched it a few months back for the first time in a long while, and I had forgotten how much I loved Mako. Mako's characterization is such a great example of what I think is missing in a lot of recent, big-budget films such as those produced by Marvel. She strikes this incredible balance of depth; she is an exceptional fighter and pilot, and she even bests the other male protag, Raleigh, in a sparring match. And yet, at no point does the film, or the character, go out of their way to put him down, in order to lift her up -- she is elevated due to her accomplishments, and as a result, the two characters form an intimate friendship, that helps them both cope with their pasts of familial loss.
Too many modern films nowadays think that, in order to create interesting and "cool" female protags in action movies, the protag needs to act like a curt, brutish, arrogant asshole. Ironically, these traits often make for unlikeable protags, whether they are male or female -- or, at the very least, those negative traits need to be recognized as negative, whereas with these "strong female characters", those very traits are, somehow, framed as indicators of "strength". Mako blasts all those lousy characters out of the water, and I believe that more filmmakers need to look at her for some enlightening perspective on how to create an endearing, inspiring, sympathetic, and cool female character.

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Do you have any under-appreciated female leads in film? Mako Mori is my own, I'm curious to hear about yours. c: