Like all much anticipated sequels, “Pacific Rim: Uprising” was plagued with misfortune once it went into production. Although we did get a movie about giant robots fighting giant aliens as tiny humans watch helplessly… it’s a completely different beast from the first.
The sequel to “Pacific Rim”, “Pacific Rim: Uprising” sees humanity attempting to protect itself from aliens so very desperately, that it inadvertently endangers itself again. I may have given away the plot, but really, that’s the crux of the film. In their zeal to create the ultimate defense for Earth, the Jaegers are sort of the reason why we get to see the Kaiju again. It’s like the “Suicide Squad” problem, where the formation of the protagonists is also what leads to the antagonists arising.
In a world where we’d believe that humanity would spend billions of dollars creating giant robots for a threat that has disappeared for quite a long time (at least, in comparison to human memory), it’s still a bit of a stretch to find out that the villains have returned because of one person’s folly. You’re left wondering how this was possible in the first place.
In a nice but absolutely creepy touch, the antagonist of the tale has a questionable relationship with the Precursors, to the point where it’s almost fitting that this character ends up being the villain. In the entire film, this may be the only dramatic decision which is closest to the storytelling style of the original film. It sends goosebumps up your spine while still managing to be both a grittily logical action for the character to take.
In fact, that might be the only aspect of the film which even vaguely resembles the original. Understandably, there will be some tonal shifts between both films since they have somewhat different creative teams. But if you caught “Pacific Rim: Uprising” hoping to get the same action and chills from the original, you’re going to be in for a surprise.
“Pacific Rim: Uprising” offers decent action and a whole new style to the fight scenes (which take place mostly outdoors in bright daylight, as compared to the darkness of the previous film). It’s mostly Jaeger vs Jaeger action until the last Act, when the Kaiju finally make their appearance. For someone like myself, who prized the Jaeger vs Kaiju fight scenes very much, this was a little disappointing. I didn’t want to see robots fighting other robots (we have Transformers for that, after all) – I wanted to see mecha battling massive aliens.
Action is still action, you might say – and that’s not entirely wrong. The Kaiju do have some surprises up their collective, non-existent sleeves, and the film manages to check off several items from the wish list of “Pacific Rim” fans. But they didn’t quite live up to expectations.
On its own, “Pacific Rim: Uprising” is a pretty good action film. And if it didn’t serve as a sequel to a much better film, it would probably have garnered a fair bit of recognition. The shadow of “Pacific Rim” looms large though, and any film would be hard-pressed to match the original, let alone surpass it.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Okay.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you really like the super robot genre.
Score: 3.5/5
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 111 minutes (~1.75 hours)
“Pacific Rim: Uprising” is a science fiction action film that’s the sequel to 2013’s “Pacific Rim”.
The film is set ten years after the first film, and deals with humanity’s actions after the attacks of the Kaiju, giant alien monsters, have ceased. Their giant robots of war, the Jaegers, are still being manufactured. But when a new incursion begins, will the Jaegers be able to stand up to the Kaiju?
“Pacific Rim: Uprising” is directed and written by Steven S. DeKnight; with additional writing credits for T. S. Nowlin; and screenplay credits for Emily Carmichael, and Kira Snyder. It stars John Boyega (Jake Pentecost), Scott Eastwood (Nate Lambert), Cailee Spaeny (Amara Namani), Rinko Kikuchi (Mako Mori), Charlie Day (Dr Newton Geiszler), Burn Gorman (Dr Hermann Gottlieb), Jing Tian (Liwen Shao), and Adria Arjona (Jules Reyes). It is rated PG-13 for violence.
“Pacific Rim: Uprising” opens in cinemas:
– 22 March, 2018 (Singapore)
– 31 March, 2018 (Philippines)
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I’m a Singapore television scriptwriter who’s written for Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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