The first “Pacific Rim” from 5 years ago, originally directed by Guillermo Del Toro, was a colorful movie. I’ve enjoyed the colorful lights, the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot battles, and the casting of Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Ron Perlman. And my favorite lines from the movie are: “1. Don’t you ever touch me again. 2. Don’t you ever touch me again.”
“Pacific Rim: Uprising” offers some nice special effects, but a lot it goes wall-to-wall, like it wants to be an even bigger splice of “Transformers” and “Godzilla.” You watch the battles between the Jaegers (robots) and Kaiju (monsters), but with all the destruction, it’s gets excessive-a bit too much for me to handle.
As you recall, Idris Elba’s character Stacker Pentecost gave his life to save the world. Now, we meet his sorry excuse of a son Jake (John Boyega, also a producer), who could have been a great pilot, if he made better choices. And he meets a youngster named Amara (Cailee Spaeny), who creates a small Jaeger, and the two get busted by the law. Jake is assigned as a ranger with his rival (Scott Eastwood), while Amara has to train with the other cadets.
Most of the time, we see Jake and Amara arguing, telling each other to “Shut up,” and to me, it gets annoying. When they argue, it gets better, but the movie still ends with their bantering.
This might be giving away the story, but it’s what I liked in the movie. Charlie Day as the nerdy scientist Newt has been brainwashed by the Kaiju, due to an experiment, and now, he wants revenge on the world. So, he hijacks some drone Jaegers, and unleashes a few monsters in our world.
Why did I like Day as the bad guy? I always imagined him as a villain’s sidekick, instead of just playing the same old “Horrible Bosses” routine. But seeing him as just the villain, makes me feel so good. He’s the star of the movie, in my opinion.
But the rest gets crazy. All the cadets, including Amara, are aggravating with their fights and one-liners; Boyega lacks the spark Idris Elba had, especially when he argues; and again, this should have been just a “Transformers” meets “Godzilla” wannabe, instead of an even bigger “Transformers” meets “Godzilla” wannabe. Sorry if I confused you.
I liked the first “Pacific Rim” with its surprises and characters, but once we got to know the robots, it’s not so special anymore.
⭐️⭐️
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