McG’s Netflix adventure-comedy film Rim Of The World serves as the director’s tribute to the “friendship films” of the 1980s. These include films like The Goonies, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, and Stand By Me. Each story centered around a group of young misfits who bond with each other while embarking on an adventure of their own. Rim of the World, similarly, takes place in the context of a summer camp that witnesses an alien invasion.
With most of the planet in jeopardy, four children depend on each other’s strengths to survive the onslaught and preserve humanity. Much like the aforementioned films, not all friends have the same skillset in Rim of the World. So, while Alex relies on his immense scientific knowledge, Dariush lets his mouth gets in the way of his smarts.
8 Dariush
Outspoken, foul-mouthed, and overconfident, Dariush’s mouth often lands him in trouble. He’s not the smartest when it comes to saving either himself or his friends in the face of extraterrestrial danger. For instance, when the antagonist and its alien “dog” attack the gang, Dariush focuses more on screaming and running away, rather than stealthily escaping to a hiding spot.
Even towards the third act, he tries to display his bravery by seeking a launch key that they left in a car, all on his own. This again doesn’t prove to be a wise decision, as he ends up getting injured by the aliens.
7 Lou
While Lou tries to act intimidating, he hardly succeeds at his goals. Even after his Hannibal-like monologue in the jail prompts the lead characters to set him free, he’s evidently bad when it comes to stealthiness.
Despite being aware of the alien attack, Lou is hellbent on selling the key on the black market, not considering the possibility that there might not even be a black market left in the first place. He shouts at the kids, demanding the key but forgets that the aliens can detect sound. His patronizing attitude might be understandable if he was indoors. But as he is outside, his voice can easily be detected by the aliens and they instantly kill Lou in a second.
6 Carl And Logan
An instructor at Camp Rim Of The World, Carl comes off as not a very bright character. Despite being given the responsibility of supervising hordes of children, he hardly seems to keep any order and is instead seen spending his time chatting with his fellow instructor, Logan. In fact, none of the instructors in the camp seem adept at their job.
However, Carl is quite the thinker when it comes to film interpretations, as is evident from his analysis of Toy Story. Instead of just thinking of the Pixar classic as a children’s film, he looks at it from a socio-political lens. He finds an underlying metaphor of racism in the narrative, equating Andy as “the white man,” while the toys represent Black people.
5 Gabriel
Gabriel’s analytical and mathematical skills might be weak, but otherwise, he’s a team player who can figure out contingency plans in times of need. He’s overtly enthusiastic to help out the camp kids while wishing to prove his worth. Unlike Dariush (with whom he has several conflicts), Gabriel relies on stealthy moves and is often alert to detect any threats.
In this way, he’s the perfect friend to tag along with in dangerous times. A boy of few words, he also speaks as and when required. The fact that he escaped from a juvenile detention camp might add to his skill of never blowing his cover.
4 Major Collins
Major Collins has prior experience as a skilled astronaut. It’s Collins who hands over the key to the four children, asking them to find the coordinates to the alien mothership. While her character arc isn’t that developed, as she is killed off early in the film, Major Collins is a quick thinker who can make last-minute decisions, even in moments of crisis.
When her space capsule crashes back to Earth, Collins is certain that she doesn’t have long to live. And yet, she tries to make do of the situation and succeeds at instructing the children to carry out her plans to prevent the extinction of the human race.
3 The Alien
The main villain in the film is an alien that seems to physically resemble the creatures in A Quiet Place. Much like the latter, the alien has a heightened sense of hearing, although it also possesses infrared heat vision (much like “The Predator”). Its cranial capacity is uncertain as all through the film, viewers just find it combating other humans that have a different level of intelligence.
At the same time, it’s evident that the alien is quick to adapt to Earth’s surroundings and it goes on a hunting spree right from the start. By the final scenes, its intelligence gets clearer, as the alien chases the kids on the road and subsequently in a military laboratory. Another aspect to be noted is that the alien often tails its prey silently. Only when it is at a close distance does it make a shrill screeching sound and picks up its pace. This proves that the alien is very aware of targeting its victims without giving them any prior warning.
2 ZhenZhen
A Chinese foreign exchange student, ZhenZhen’s strength lies in the fact that she’s a fast learner. Even though her English is not perfect, she picks up the language from hearing other Americans and watching films like Gladiator. In fact, she even memorizes the iconic speech from the film delivered by Maximus (Russell Crowe).
She’s the planner of the team, laying emphasis on thinking first rather than acting. And at the same time, she harbors an impulsive nature that mostly works in her favor. Despite her young age, she has also figured out driving a car and this skill proves to be crucial in a particular scene in the film. Compared to her peers, she’s the least panicky in front of the alien. While Alex is probably the brainiest member of the team, his lack of physical prowess is made up for by ZhenZhen’s multi-skilled persona.
1 Alex
In terms of physical activity, Alex doesn’t have much to flaunt. He can rarely run, doesn’t know how to ride a bicycle, and often feels squeamish with heights. However, despite these drawbacks, he has nurtured his brain to genius levels. Whether it is figuring out the alien’s motivations on Earth to deciphering the key’s function in driving the creature away, Alex is quick to arrive at logical conclusions.
As shown at the beginning of the film, he is usually cooped inside his room and spends his time either reading about outer space or closely studying and observing space missions. As expected, he also a pop culture geek (particularly when it comes to science fiction). His knowledge in physics and other general branches of science proves to be quite useful in the team’s mission. In general, too, Alex seems to have a highly proficient skill f memorizing and recollecting information.
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