Did the old “Godzilla” have robots, those were before my time. Sorry to say Pacific Rim: Uprising should have waited a bit longer, for somebody to come up with a proper story for a great idea I think. Pacific Rim: Uprising Or Something
Maybe uploading, up to something, upchucking but the movie wasn’t that bad, was it; usually, you give me a hero I can root for, John Boyega as Jake Pentecost. A pretty spunky brunette Cailee Spaeny as Amara Namani and plenty of Jaegers and Kaiju and you would think I’d be a happy camper, but not happy, not wowed, but okay another big monster movie. I feel like John Boyega is trying to distance himself from Star Wars, so let me say that this is not the way to do it, but he makes an effort.
Try harder, and I don’t say this just to him but everybody, the whole time I was sitting there thinking something was missing, short one Charlie Hunnam, one huge chunk of backstory, and yet they have found a reason to make one more of these movies. Somebody had a plan alright, but it wasn’t a great movie. I didn’t think much of the first one, that’s why I didn’t see it in a theater, but it got me to watch this one, if you can get past wanting to be dramatic, your inner child will consider this film pretty decent.
As Fandango is now sated, whatever were they thinking with this, it’s just not there, I mean any of it, one of the things that intrigued me about the first one was the relationship between Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket, where they didn’t go with the love story angle. No worries here, no love story but no story period, we know the Kaiju are coming back, but the excuse is flimsy at best, that’s just what it was an excuse. Honestly, that could’ve been it, making more money from China and Japan but big robots, big monsters, that’s about it, and trying to appeal to women, African-Americans, and Asians all at once.
Let’s not forget about the kids because Power Rangers surely isn’t fitting the bill anymore and some adults need to remember that they were once fans of several anime shows starring robots. Maybe they figured if Independence Day: Resurgence could make a quick buck then this will work, and so it has, and I might even get Pacific Rim: Uprising if it’s cheap on Amazon.
So in the tradition of all monster movies, yes they come back for one reason or another, and it’s up to a few young kids to save us, the NRA might like this movie if they were into building giant robots… I shouldn’t go giving them ideas. Not like this movie had any and maybe I’m perhaps too hard on this film, but anger is one thing, and disappointment is another, and that’s what I was, I hate when people say I have potential, so too this movie had great potential but couldn’t make it.
Okay Jake Pentecost who was never mentioned in the first movie, even though his dad won the war, even kid in Independence Day: Resurgence had a bit of a tale, anyway Jake and his adopted big sister Mako are trying to lead the fight with the return of the Kaiju. That right there was a significant plot hole, but I’ll save that for spoilers, like the reason “Gipsy Avenger” was fighting “Obsidian Fury,” I told a friend if I went into porn I am so stealing that name. Speaking of relying heavily on or straight up taking, did Scott Eastwood as Nate Lambert try to give us some of that Fast and the Furious family speech, tugging on our heartstrings?
It’s all the movie had to go on since the story again just wasn’t there, if you cut out the Kaiju entirely and went straight to Jaegers fighting Jaegers; oh right, Transformers or who remembers Robot Jox which is doing worse than Pacific Rim: Uprising, seriously people? Besides not having any real story or backstory and relying on tired clichés, visually it’s stunning if you like your CGI and there is plenty to go around and the battles, well I did fill like a kid again. Though unlike when I was a child, and I missed an episode of Power Rangers, I wouldn’t have been too upset if I skipped this but yes I’m glad I saw it. If only to be reminded that if they do make a third one, I think I’ll wait just a little bit longer.
It’s not dull, it’s entertaining but maybe don’t get your hopes up and try not to overthink it much like the Jaeger names. Do they only pull two names out of a hat, with the following exceptions of Gipsy Avenger the hero, Obsidian Fury the evil Jaeger and spoiler alert Scrapper which was truthfully the most realistic name? I can’t remember any of the names on the soundtrack of this, but I still remember the trailer music was a mix of songs, and that was badass, saying for the record.
Using the Fandango rating system, I’ll give Pacific Rim: Uprising a three out of five because I liked it, disappointed, maybe a bit sad but by no means would I say I hated it, it’s an easy way to kill time and I wouldn’t pull out my phone. So as you go to buy your tickets for this, I’d advise you not look any further for there will be spoilers ahead but this movie does have my blessing but oh why couldn’t it have been better for Pacific Rim one.
Charlie Day as Dr. Newton Geiszler and Burn Gorman as Dr. Hermann Gottlieb were back again and while I deny most of this lack of a story, there is a great twist with Dr. Geiszler, which kept me in the movie. Was Mako Mori so replaceable that they just found Tian Jing as Liwen Shao and flipped her from villain to hero so quickly, and you knew Mako wasn’t going to make it, robots, helicopter yeah, how much did this movie take from Independence Day: Resurgence? As for my favorite scene, probably Amara Namani, and not just because I have a thing for brunettes this is the first thing I’ve ever seen Cailee Spaeny in and all her scenes with John Boyega or her in Scrapper were good all around.
So that plot hole and maybe it’s dumb, even if you have no wars to fight you still have a military, but that’s just it. The Kaiju were gone, but you still need an army of Jaegers, and you’re building even more than were in the first Pacific Rim, taller or more does not always mean better. Then you want to take this army and put them under the sole control of one corporation, when has that ever not spelled trouble in something like this. Then we have the smart guy that turns into the bad guy and the bad guy suddenly becoming all good and what not, I guess, and of course, you had to throw Scrapper into that fight to only show-off some.
I wouldn’t cut this off if it were on TV, I just wanted to know, and the sad thing is I still don’t know enough like maybe I need to look for a book or a comic. Only if I don’t do it for The Walking Dead, I won’t do it for this movie. Take your kids to your couch, but if you have money to burn and want some fun movie experience well know Pacific Rim: Uprising Or Something.