PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING. A Predictable One-Time Spectacle

“Pacific Rim” was a film filled with relentless pathos and a ridiculous sense of humor. The story followed well-trodden paths, and the characters didn’t offer anything particularly interesting. However, it was a conscious film that maintained a reasonable distance from itself. It was meant to be a visually stunning spectacle full of memorable moments—a show where impressive CGI wasn’t the only focus, but also the creative staging of the entire conflict. Guillermo del Toro presented an extraordinarily intriguing vision of the world, and his remarkable creativity resulted in fascinating battle scenes and fantastic shots. Thanks to its excellent direction, “Pacific Rim” avoided joining the ranks of completely forgotten blockbusters and instead gained a loyal following. Unfortunately, its sequel won’t share this success. The change in director led to visual monotony and a lack of skillful tension-building. Despite a few cool ideas, the fights aren’t surprising, and the whole film feels more like a corporate product than a passionate creation. Thankfully, watching the technically impressive battle scenes still brings a lot of enjoyment, and the main duo deserves more attention than the previous cast.

Well, at least the female half of the duo—teenager Amara is quite an unusual choice for a protagonist in this type of production. Much younger and less experienced than her partner Jake, she quickly becomes the most distinctive character in the entire film. It’s a pity she wasn’t given more screen time, with a reduction in Jake’s completely derivative dilemmas. Despite John Boyega’s talent and charm, his character fails to evoke much emotion, and tropes like brotherly rivalry or grappling with a father’s legacy have been seen hundreds of times before. In such situations, I often defend films by pointing out that clichés become clichés because they’re effective and work—provided there’s great execution. However, this requires a fresh script, interesting dialogues, and engaging interactions.

Apart from the well-written and well-acted relationship between Amara and Jake (in the “older brother and younger sister” dynamic), the rest of the cast falls flat. Without human emotions, tension, or a sense of seriousness, the obligatory tragedy as motivation for the hero, the obligatory temporary stripping of someone’s role, and the obligatory cadet conflict that ends in mutual respect all become predictably tiresome. It’s hard to get excited about a film that offers virtually no surprises or characters you care about (besides Amara and Jake to some extent).

Of course, I understand that no one in their right mind would expect emotional depth or M. Night Shyamalan-style plot twists from this film. When going to “Pacific Rim”, you expect impressive fights between giant robots and even bigger monsters. However, it’s worth noting that the spectacle engages the audience only if they care in some way about what’s happening. “Star Wars” and Marvel films enjoy such immense popularity thanks to their characters and the flawless presentation of the scale and stakes of the conflict. We care about these characters, fear for their safety, and feel the drama of their situations. This is what’s missing from the chaos and destruction in this production. As a result, watching all the destruction is like eating at a fast-food joint—it’s fun during consumption but leaves little lasting impact an hour later. I saw “Pacific Rim” nearly half a decade ago and still remember more scenes from that film than from the freshly-watched “Uprising”.

However, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments when I enjoyed this loud spectacle. The battle in the snowy setting, the nighttime fight with strange hybrids, and the final fusion (I won’t say what it is, although it’s shown in the trailer) all feature some great scenes that justify a trip to the cinema. However, be prepared for the fact that each satisfying moment is balanced by a few snickers and awkward smiles. Even the prologue and much of the first act are hard to get through—it’s been a long time since you’ve seen such a clunky exposition. It’s natural that a sequel has to remind viewers of the original events in some way, but “Uprising” does this with the subtlety of a rampaging Hulk. A true gem here is the dialogue between two scientists: “Remember when we saved the world 10 years ago?” “Yes, we did this and that, and then this happened!” “Well, if we hadn’t done that, something else would have happened!” By the way, both characters unintentionally add comic relief (and bad jokes) to the film, and one of their storylines is just dramatically bad, despite having potential during its conception.

This last point, in particular, makes me wonder whether giving “Pacific Rim: Uprising” a score of 5 is justified. It’s one of those films that you think less of the more you reflect on them. On the other hand, I had a pretty good time during the screening, and overall, I wouldn’t call it a waste of time. “Uprising” will certainly appeal to kids and fans of carefree destruction, but it will disappoint fans of the first installment and anyone looking to be even slightly emotionally invested in the movie. Nevertheless, if you can laugh at the script’s absurdities and tolerate clichés in bulk, the spectacle of giant robots and monsters should bring you plenty of enjoyment—even if only for a short while.