Pacific Rim Uprising

Pacific Rim was one of those films that should've been a smash. But it wasn't in the States. It owed much of its success to the international box-office. It now has a sequel thanks to that international success. Pacific Rim Uprising is that sequel and it is surprisingly fine.

The first film ended with the Kaiju and their Creators defeated. Ten years later, the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps and their Jaegers keep the Pacific Rim safe from trouble. Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of the first film's Stacker Pentecost and a former Jaeger pilot, sells Jaeger parts on the black market. Jake fights over a part with street urchin Amara (Cailee Spaeny) and they're both arrested. They're drafted into the PPDC.

Jake is reunited with his rival co-pilot Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood). Amara has to deal with being the greenhorn. There's also a rogue Jaeger, Obsidian Fury, on the loose. The Shao Corporation threatens to render Jaegers obsolete with its drones. CEO Liwen Shao (Jing Tian) is unaware that her drones are part of a conspiracy to bring back the Kaiju. A surprise attack leaves Jake, Lambert and the Cadets to fight the Kaiju. They'll have to work together to stop them from igniting Mt. Fuji.

It's the directorial debut of Spartacus showrunner Steven S. DeKnight. He's one of four writers credited with the screenstory and screenplay. The film elaborates on its predecessor's plot points in acceptable ways. The mastermind's identity is one case. It's disappointing since he was likable, but it made sense considering what happened to him in the first film. A few plot points go by so fast and may confound a few viewers.

The human cast is OK. They make the best of this screenplay. Jake and Amara make for good co-leads. Lambert was a decent rival, though the center of his and Jake's rivalry, Jules, is barely there. Amara's co-cadets get some development, but not enough. It's a pity because one of them bites it during the final battle. The returning cast had a few highlights, though Ron Perlman's presence was sorely missed.

The film's visual style deeply contrasts the first film. The two follow different principles, but they still work. The Kaiju and Jaegers are both wonderfully designed and realized. Their designs are unique even if their names go by too fast. One of the best was Amara's personal diminutive Jaeger, Scrapper. The environments they inhabit, both real and CGI, are great feats of production design. The sound design was good as was Dan Mindel's cinematography.

Pacific Rim Uprising is a nice depiction of fighting robots and monsters. Its 111 minutes are paced well and make for an easy matinee. Its human cast is likable and the giants are still impressive. I thought the first film ended conclusively and it didn't necessarily need a sequel. But it was worth the wait. My screening was seventeen minutes late; hope yours is on time.