Pacific Rim: Uprising

While 2013’s “Pacific Rim” wasn’t the greatest thing to hit the silver screen, it was still renowned by audience members everywhere for director Guillermo Del Toro’s vision, passion, and creativity in the action sequences and the established world. However, the ingenuity and imaginative passion that was ever present in the original is noticeably more absent in director Steven DeKnight’s “Pacific Rim: Uprising.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean the film isn’t fun whatsoever.

10 years after the events of the first film and the loss of his father Stacker Pentecost, former Jaeger pilot turned thief Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) relies on his wits and charisma to trade parts and survive the streets. But after meeting up with local Jaeger-building genius Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), they are enlisted by Jake’s sister Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) into the Jaeger program to train younger pilots, resulting in his reunion with former partner Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood). In time, however, it becomes clear that a resurgence in Kaiju activity will once again put the world, and all of humanity, in jeopardy.

If there’s one thing that this film does much better than the previous film, it’s introducing a likable, charming, engaging lead protagonist in John Boyega. While Charlie Dunham was a little wooden and bland in the original film, Boyega adds a level of wit and humanity into the overall storyline, providing some of the funnier moments of the film and also some of the more convincingly emotional segments as well. He’s the primary reason for why the film can get as engaging as one would like. And he’s only made better with the relationship he forms with the character of Amara Namani, whom Cailee Spaeny brings to life with enough heart and grit to make her an equally compelling and engaging character. Their back-and-forth banter and on-screen chemistry keep some of the story afloat and makes the film that much more enjoyable to watch.

The rest of the supporting cast is a lot more hit-or-miss. While there are some characters who bring enough life to the film to make them enjoyable, including Burn Gorman as the always eccentric scientist Hermann, other characters seem to fall off the deep end in terms of their characterization. Newcomers such as Tian Jing as Liwen Shao, head of Shao Industries, and Scott Eastwood as Boyega’s former partner Nate are given enough gravitas to make their characters worthwhile, their characters are given little development and depth to make them as engaging as Boyega and Spaeny, Eastwood especially. Charlie Day once again returns as the skittish scientist Newt, but the direction of his character in the film was simply dreadfully written.

The cadets Spaeny is partnered up with in the film are also never given a chance to fully flesh out. While there may be a scene or two here and there that gives hints of their motivations and character, they are not given nearly enough screen time nor are they well-written enough to make them a pleasant entry into the franchise.

The one thing that continues to stay consistent (for the most part) in the franchise are the action sequences. Director Steven DeKnight expertly uses wide shots and carefully panning of the camera to allow every frame of the sequences to be shown, giving the audience the fully experience. Whether is Jaeger vs Jaeger or Jaeger vs Kaiju, the action sequences continue to be the highlight of the films and bring out the inner 8-year-old in you. The Jaegers themselves continue to impress with the ingenuity and creativity put into their designs, each and every one of them given a unique set of skills and weaponry and it’s really fun to experience each of their abilities. The Kaiju were a little underwhelming not necessarily because of their design, but because of their screen-time as they aren’t seen very much for the majority of the film, and for some, that may be a bit disheartening.

But while the fun is ever present throughout, there isn’t quite as much of the magic in the film as there was in the original. In the original, director Guillermo Del Toro exceptionally depicted the scope, size, and weight of both the Jaegers and the Kaijus. You really get a sense of how massive these things are. This sense of enormity is felt throughout the original whether the Jaegers were fighting or not. In this film, the Jaegers are much more fluid and much sleeker than the Jaegers in the previous film. Consequently, that does remove some of the scope of the original and, in some ways, felt less “robotic” than they should’ve been.

Overall, “Pacific Rim: Uprising” is a perfectly enjoyable, albeit frequently time at the movie theater. Steven DeKnight never quite captures the imaginative, passionate essence that made up Guillermo Del Toro’s film, focusing more on the battles themselves rather than the world in which they exist. But he was still able to incorporate enough exciting action sequences and a few engaging lead characters that make this a worthwhile experience. While this is in no way a great sequel, at the very least it’s better than any of the “Transformers” sequels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVsJtCjVGnA&t=1s&w=585