Pacific Rim: Uprising (Review)

Pacific Rim: Uprising Might Not Be Great, But It’s Everything We Want from A Sequel

Let’s get something clear from the get-go, you are not going to see Pacific Rim: Uprising expecting high art. Heck, you’re probably not going to go see it because you’re looking for a heartfelt story with plenty of emotional depth (there are plenty of other movies out now you could see instead). You want to see Pacific Rim: Uprising because it has giant robots punching giant monsters. Hey, I get it. There’s no reason to be ashamed of wanting a little mindless action from your blockbusters. So, let me say that Uprising is going to give you exactly what you’re hoping for in a sequel to Pacific Rim. That being said, there are certainly more than a few issues with this film, luckily they have very little to do with the real reason fans will be flocking to theaters for this flick.

Pacific Rim: Uprising is nothing short of epic. The visual effects are outstanding and I honestly wish I had spent the few dollars more to see it in 3D. Everything that fans loved so much about the first film is back in full force. There are plenty of new giant robots featured in the film, including the return of Gypsy Danger (now called Gypsy Avenger). While the first movie mostly featured Jager on Kaiju beat downs, Pacific Rim: Uprising raises the bar with a few Jager versus Jager brawls. Of course, all the fanciful moves are still there, but when these giant robots clash they manage to get a few moments of good old-fashioned “ground and pound” in. While Uprising might not be better than its predecessor, I would say that it gives fans everything they’re hoping for with its action sequences.

The biggest downfall with Pacific Rim: Uprising is that the editing is absolutely atrocious. Quick cuts barely let scenes sink in before the film is racing off to the next sequence of events, giving it an impatient, rushed feeling. The exception is when it comes to the action sequences, where the movie suddenly decides to really take its time. However, the editing makes the film feel cobbled together in an almost Frankenstein-esque fashion. There’s no flow to keep the audience constantly engaged, and the lack of time devoted to scenes without giant monsters or robots lessens the emotional impact of the movie overall.

I’ve got to hand it to John Boyega and Scott Eastwood in this one. Of course, Boyega has proven that he’s a rising young star that we should all be keeping a close eye on, but Eastwood finally gets a chance to prove himself with a major role in a blockbuster film (his few minutes of screen time in Suicide Squad certainly don’t count). These two play former partners turned rivals turned partners again, and despite the cliched character arcs they go through, their chemistry on screen makes it easy to swallow. Boyega especially does a terrific job considering his role is the son of Stacker Pentecost, previously played by Idris Elba. He’s got some big shoes to fill considering Elba was the soul of the original Pacific Rim, and while Boyega might not yet be the same caliber an actor as his on-screen father, Uprising gets around this by joking about Elba’s reputation for rallying speeches.

Destruction is the name of the game when it comes to Pacific Rim: Uprising. The first film certainly had its fair share of big city battles, but Uprising takes it even further by destroying half of Sydney and Tokyo. In fact, one of Gypsy Avenger’s newest weapons seems to only be useful if there’s exceptional collateral damage from the battle (it’s a gravity ray that pulls up debris to form a high powered mace). As I said before, the fights are brilliant this time around. The downside is that the Kaiju seem to lack that Guillermo del Toro flair that the first movie had. They’re all a little too indistinguishable from each other, with the exception of the last baddie the film pits our heroes against. Instead, Uprising decides to focus on the Jagers and their special abilities. While I’ll admit the energy whips, medieval maces, and giant swords are cool. The designs are a little-uninspired considering just how amazing the likes of Crimson Typhoon and Chernobyl Alpha looked in the first movie. Still, what Uprising lacks in design, it makes up for by giving the robots plenty of sweet moves to use against the monsters and surrounding city structures (there is a lot of collateral damage).

In spirit, Pacific Rim: Uprising is a worthy sequel to the original film. While it might not be as good as the first, there aren’t too many sequels out there that are. Still, it manages to give geeks exactly what they want, plenty of Jager on Kaiju violence. It even manages to set itself up for another sequel. Something I wholeheartedly hope happens (though with maybe with a director who has a little bit more experience when it comes to feature films). It’s definitely not a perfect movie, but it’s a lot of fun and a blockbuster well worth the price of admission. My advice would be to spend the extra few bucks to see it in 3D. After All, Pacific Rim: Uprising’s strength lies in it’s larger than life action sequences, which is pretty much the real reason to see this film in the first place. Like I said, it might not be as good as the original, but it will definitely fill that giant robot versus giant monster hole in any geek’s heart.