The original Pacific Rim struggled to tell an effective human story, but made up for it with exhilarating battles between giant monsters and mechs called “Jaegers”. Towering beasts rose from a breach underneath the Pacific ocean, and when these monstrosities began to attack human cities, the humans fought back. Guillermo Del Toro had a good vision when he directed the original movie, and despite its flaws, it was an enjoyable time. Pacific Rim: Uprising takes place 10 years after the first movie, as civilization attempts to rebuild in the wake of the destruction. With a (mostly) new cast, new director, and wholly different tone, this sequel attempts to recreate some mech-magic. Pacific Rim wasn’t a movie I felt I wanted a sequel to, but I enjoyed the first one enough to give the sequel a shot. It’s bigger and brighter, but does Pacific Rim: Uprising capture the same excitement of its predecessor?
Pacific Rim: Uprising follows Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), the son of a man who gave his life to turn the tide of previous monster war. Jake doesn’t follow in his father’s footsteps, though. Instead of a decorated military man, Jake is content using the recent destruction for his own benefit. He spends his days looting parts from factories that once produced the human-piloted jaegers, and squats in abandoned luxurious homes. Generally speaking, Jake is a bit of a sleazeball, using other people’s misfortune to his advantage.
Early in the film, Jake has a chance encounter with Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), a young girl who is quite handy at repairing the aforementioned giant mechs. Without spoiling anything, Jake and Amara find themselves forced into the Jaeger army. Amara winds up in cadet training, where she trains to become a Jaeger pilot. Jake finds himself a bit higher up in rankings, guiding the cadets alongside Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood). Jake and Nate have a bit of a history together, and they are constantly at each other’s throats. There’s a bit of backstory for each of the characters, but their motivations often feel tacked-on and repetitive. Each character usually comes off as angsty and brooding, blaming others for their issues and failing to properly display their emotion. Characters from the original Pacific Rim also play a decent role in the story, such as Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) and Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day). Unfortunately, the story mishandles these characters to laughable ends. We meet plenty of other characters throughout the story, but more often than not, they act more like scenery than functioning pieces of a story. By the film’s climax, you should be able to tell who will live and survive purely based off character development alone.
The narrative in Pacific Rim: Uprising is far weaker than the first, which is incredibly disappointing, considering just how by-the-numbers the first film actually was. Attempts at drama were often met with laughs from myself and my surrounding audiences, and although the action looks cool, it’s one of the only redeeming qualities about the movie. Uprising also struggles here as well, with the first half of the film feeling incredibly slow and drawn out. There’s occasionally a quick action scene to distract you from the monotony, but as soon as the gears of the story start back up, you’ll find yourself just as quickly bored.
The second half of the movie makes up for the lack of action by bombarding its viewers with nothing but fight scenes. Once the monsters finally return, the movie settles into the familiar Pacific Rim mech versus monster action we remember. However, the tone between the first movie and Uprising couldn’t be more different. The original Pacific Rim felt like a mix between an action and horror movie, throwing in cool special effects to add some weight to the punches. Pacific Rim: Uprising trades in the darker atmosphere of an exceptionally bright and colorful one, looking more like a modern Transformers movie than anything else. I’m usually a fan of bright colors over grim shadows, but Pacific Rim: Uprising comes off plastic and fake. Don’t get me wrong, the visual effects are truly top-notch, and I was continuously impressed by them. However, the fights feel hollow and can even get a bit boring themselves.
In the end, Pacific Rim: Uprising struggles to find its voice, attempting to be a follow-up to the original while presenting new ideas. It all feels like an attempt to turn Pacific Rim into a brand, and it kind of spits in the face of the Guillermo Del Toro’s original vision. Most of the performances are a bit rough, although both John Boyega and Scott Eastwood do a decent job fighting their way through the odd dialogue. More often than not the script is the issue, not the actors. The action is fun to watch and shot well, and the special effects are exceptionally well done. Unfortunately, the story wrapped around the action is as predictable as it is boring. Pacific Rim: Uprising is the very definition of a popcorn movie. In order to have a good time, you’ll have to be willing to completely shut off your brain, accept wild leaps in narrative and character building, and try not to notice the obnoxious attempt to make Pacific Rim into a brand. Complete with a “we’ll see you in the third movie” ending, Pacific Rim: Uprising is best suited to show off your new 4K TV or Blu-Ray player when it leaves theaters. Otherwise, the only redeeming qualities here are 40 minutes of action and some impressive special effects.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BAhwgjMvnM”]
Movie Rating: 2 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream
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