The Best Scripts About Giant Robots

Almost a genre in its own right, films about giant robots that attack the earth or fight for humanity’s survival are a staple of the summer blockbuster. Until recently, traditional or stop motion animation were some of the only ways to depict action on this scale so films like the cult classic Robot Jox were largely scorned for being more corny than awe inspiring.  In Japan however, the “mecha” animation genre became extremely popular and spawned dozens of titles including favorites like Robotech, Voltron, and the Gundam franchise which explored the relationship between the honor of  traditional combat and the devastating power of modern weaponry. Huge mechanical monsters were also featured heavily in another Japanese franchise,  the Godzilla films, which included metal behemoths like Mecha Godzilla and Jet Jaguar . Meanwhile in the US, the Transformers animated series and the often belittled Go-bots series developed passionate following in the form of youngsters who were equally passionate about the series’ corresponding action figures, provoking accusations that the cartoons were essentially 30 minute commercials for toys.

As computer graphics developed, it became possible to depict widespread destruction more realistically and with greater detail than ever before. In 2007 Michael Bay brought the Autobots and Decepticons to the big screen for the first time since Transformers: The Movie, and its astounding commercial success made it clear that more heavy metal slugfests were sure to come. While the quality of Roberto Orci and Ehren Kruger’s writing in the Transformers series is sometimes called into question critically, there is no questioning these films’ technological achievements, or the delight they bring to their fans. In 2013 Pacific Rim, writers Travis Beacham and Guillermo Del Toro combined many of the tropes of the aforementioned Japanese titles and brought them to eager fans all over the world.  As new generations of filmmakers are inspired by these images and concepts, there’s simply no telling what sort of  mechanized wonder may be yet to come.

Until then, here are some of the best examples of scripts that involve these mechanical titans. 

 

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Pacific Rim Script

Pacific Rim poster thumbnail
Year:2013
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Written by:Travis Beacham (Story), Travis Beacham (Screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (Screenplay)

Script Synopsis:When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed-up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
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