Pacific Rim: Uprising





Director - Steven S. DeKnight (Daredevil, Angel)
Starring - John Boyega (Attack the Block, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Scott Eastwood (The Fate and the Furious, Suicide Squad), and Cailee Spaeny (Backseat, On the Basis of Sex)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Sci-fi/Action
Tagline - "Rise up"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     It's difficult for me to dislike a movie but if I like a movie I really like it.  With that being said, I rarely revisit a movie.  If I watch something and I like it I may not rewatch it for a couple years.  There has been a few movies that I watched over and over again.  When I was in high school I would leave Return of the Living Dead and Halfbaked playing in the VCR.  When I would start a cycle I would watch them for days before switching them out.  As an adult I've found myself doing that with very few films.  In 2013 or 2014 I bought Pacific Rim and check it out.  I was hooked.  I watched it so many times that week that my wife hid the DVD from me.  Honestly, it's a god damn masterpiece in my eyes.  I loved it.  When a sequel was announced I was on cloud 9 but that quickly changed when I heard Del Toro was no longer attached.  I was still excited but I knew it wouldn't be the film I was waiting for.  The film recently got a physical release and I was lucky enough to get a review copy. 

     The film picks up ten years after the first film.  Stacker Pentecost's son Jake (Boyega) is a troubled youth and often finds himself in trouble with the law even though he is a gifted Jaeger pilot like his father was.   After an incident that ends him in jail he is offered pardon if he returns to the Jaeger program thanks to his adopted sister.  He doesn't believe the world needs his skills since there hasn't been any Kaiju sightings in 10 years but that changes when bigger Kaiju break free.  Now he must put his beliefs to the side and stop them from destroying the world.
     I went into this one expecting everything and only getting a little.  The first film is a love letter to kaiju fans but Pacific Rim: Uprising missed it's mark.  The film is still great but it just didn't capture what the first film did.  The acting in this one is great.  I've never noticed Scott Eastwood in a film but he does a fantastic job in this one.  His character is very clichéd but he does a fantastic job in his role.  He truly makes him his own.  I also enjoyed Boyega's performance.  His character is cocky and arrogant which seems to come natural to Boyega.   The supporting cast is solid as well.  It's always great to see Charlie Day in anything.  The story for this one took what was established in the first film and combined it with Sentai like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Big Bad Beetleborgs.  This time the film focuses mostly on teenagers fighting the Kaiju.  I like where they took the story but it felt a little too much like MMPR over Pacific Rim.  Finally, the film is gorgeous.  Almost every scene is full of visual and practical effects.  Both compliment each other resulting in a visually stunning sci-fi film.  Overall, Pacific Rim: Uprising is a solid sequel but just doesn't flow like the first film. Fans of the first need to check it out but don't expect the perfect film you see in the first.