Pacific Rim: Uprising movie review (Non-spoiler/spoiler)
(Note: spoilers ahead in spoiler specified areas)
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Music-
The reason that I am going over music first is because I adored the soundtrack in the first Pacific Rim, it was grand, bombastic, and catchy. I left the theater remembering the themes to the movie and listening to them on youtube afterwards, the music seemed to be larger than life in order to accurately present us with the massive beings we were seeing on the screen. The music in the second movie had none of that. Around halfway through the movie I realized that I did not remember any of the music that had played so far, and at a certain point in the film they play a short except of the first film's theme which only served to remind me how great the music in the first film was and how sorely the second one needed it. Leaving the theater, I couldn't guess what any music in the action scenes sounded like, and since the first film had such amazing music, I can't help but fault the movie for not giving us any memorable musical pieces.
Story-
The story of the movie is one that I enjoyed much more than the forgettable music, though it isn't without its gripes. The movie is quick to get through plot points, but each one feeds into the next and the movie doesn't overcrowd itself with too many things going on at once. The reasoning for why Jaegers continue to be built in a world where the Kaiju have been defeated is a little thin beyond, "They may come back," but the way in which the Kaiju come back is very well explained, and a theory that I myself even thought of after the first film came out! The Kaiju's plan is a little rough, and holds little water when previous Kaiju attack locations are thought about, but the story succeeds in bringing back the Kaiju in a believable way, while giving them a goal that mostly makes sense, without too many glaring problems that make you question how things are happening.
(SPOILERS: Going into the movie I was slightly scared of it being overstuffed with new concepts and ideas, but the movie uses them all smartly. Nothing is onscreen at the same time and when it leaves, it has lead into the next thing. The evil Jaeger paves the way for the drones to be released, and when the drones are released they morph into the hybrids that open up the breaches for the Kaiju to return. When I walked out of the first film, I thought to myself, "It would be cool if they way the monsters came back was that Newt was infected by the Kaiju after drifting with them, and he opens up the breaches," and that was exactly what we got, and it felt like an organic plot point and twist that wasn't too telegraphed ahead of the reveal. I do feel uncertain that every Kaiju attack has been heading for Mt. Fuji, because coming from the Pacific Ocean, some Kaiju have ended up at places in the opposite direction of Mt. Fuji such as Australia.)
(END SPOILERS)
Action scenes-
The action scenes are really what the movies focuses on, and is made for, and they are spectacular. They don't hold the same gravity that the fights from the first film did, and everything somehow feels smaller in scale despite everything being bigger, but they are still a delight to watch. The movie gives people two things I know people wanted to see after the first, and besides a multitude of Jaegers and Kaiju all fighting at once, daytime battles were a must have, and we got both of those. I feel in a way the daytime battles reduce the atmosphere of the battles, and make the robots appear more cartoonish, but it was still nice to see the whole thing without being obstructed by rain or night. That said, there are really no spectacular moments in particular the standout in the fight scenes. There are no moments like in the first when Leatherback used his EMP, or when Otachi unveiled his wings for the first time, or Gypsy Danger or slicing Raiju clean in half in the finale. The second has instances of "woah" when a few things happen but nothing really jaw dropping, though they do unsuccessfully try to emulate the moment in the first film when Gypsy Danger punches through a building a taps a desk decoration. The action scenes come fast and they move quick, with CGI that feels less impressive than the first but still stands strong, but nothing truly standout comes from them, and they end up being a delight to watch, but overall generic in the end.
Characters-
What can I say about the characters in this movie? That they're bland? That overall the movie doesn't seem to care about the human characters as much as it does the bots? The last one is probably the most true, as aside from the primary protagonists that we are introduced to in the beginning, Jake and Amara, none of the other characters have much of a presence or lasting impression. That sadly holds true for the returning characters as well, as Mako is a shell of her former character who does not get to do much, and Herman has his moments but overall ends up falling into obscurity by the film's end. Newt is probably the strongest returning character, thanks to his importance to the plot and the natural energy that his actor carries with him. Raleigh is mentioned several times but sadly makes no appearance, and other major characters from the first are absent as well (Herc Hanson, Tendo, and especially Hannibal Chao). Aside from Suresh and Viktoria, I couldn't differentiate between the other pilots and who was driving what Jaeger, and Scott Eastwood's characters doesn't do much besides give Jake a hard time. There is a love interest in the film, who provides nothing and ends up being completely unnecessary by the film's end. Jake is alright, he has a few moments of depth that arrive but mostly makes me wish Raleigh returned. Jake is said to be Stacker Pentecost's son, but the connection never truly feels like it matters aside from a scene or two. Jake gets his own version of the "cancelling the apocalypse," speech though his comes nowhere close to topping his father's. Amara was the strongest character in the film for me, and I wish that it had been focused on her instead of Jake. She has a well conceived backstory that mirrors Mako's from the first film, and proves herself strong willed, determined, and maybe a little headstrong. She had a fire in her and reminded me a bit of Raleigh too, as if they had taken the first film's protagonists and combined them into one compelling character. Besides her, the movie made me miss the characters from the first film.
(SPOILER: If you have seen the film, you know that Mako doesn't live past the first action sequence, and that did not sit well with me. Such a strong character that stole dozens of scenes in the first movie went down in an unceremonious death that existed only to further the plot before being forgotten about. It did not help that before that, she did not seem anything like the Mako we knew, as if the life had been sucked from her, leading me to think that she should have been left out the movie entirely if they were just going to include her to kill her off. Several arcs in the movie feels unresolved as well, like Amara and Viktoria's rivalry which disappears, the romance with a girl with no personality, and Suresh who is forgotten about as quick as he dies. In expanded lore it was said that Raleigh had a little sister, and I feel like it was a missed opportunity to not have him return in this film and bond with Amara because she reminded him of that sister; and I also feel like they missed a perfect scene in which Amara and Mako both talked about losing their families to a Kaiju when they were young)
(END SPOILERS)
Jaegers/Kaiju-
This section of the movie is truly the one that matters most for a movie like this, it is sold on the idea of giant mechs and monsters fighting and so those same beings have to be cool in order to carry the movie...and luckily the movie has no shortage of cool mechs and monsters. Uprising brings in several new designs that make the robots feel new and more streamlined than the mighty mechs of the first one. The best example is Saber Athena, the red, sword wielding Jaeger who is clearly the slimmest and smoothest Jaeger we've had in the two movies. Gipsy Avenger is a far cry from being cooler than Gipsy Danger, but still shines as the lead robot. Out of the new Jaegers however, I would have to say that mine is Obsidian Fury, the chainsword wielding mysterious mech that is facing off against Gipsy Avenger in the trailers. The action scenes including him were nothing short of a blast. The Kaiju/Jaeger hybrids were also awesome in their movements and design, I remember being promised a hybrid in the sequel, and it was delivered ten times over. When it comes to the Kaiju, the franchise's main antagonists, I couldn't be happier. As cool as giant robots are, the monsters are always what capture my attention for their widely varied and alien looks as opposed to always-humanoid robots. The Kaiju in this film: Shrikethorn, Raijin, and Hakuja, all stood out as the film's monsters. Shrikethorn may be my favorite of the three alongside Raijin. They were unique, and seeing them walking side by side through the city was a truly ominous sight. Things only got cooler when they joined together, and the ensuing fight was spectacular, and while the design of the Mega-Kaiju was a bit generic for my liking (similar to Slattern's *okay* design from the end of Pacific Rim 1), the battle scene was phenomenal. The fight scenes do not have moments in them that are very memorable, but in the moment they are a wild ride and certainly do not disappoint when it comes to entertainment.
(SPOILER: My favorite moment of action was probably when the Mega-Kaiju swung Guardian Bravo by his whip through all of the buildings, it was an explosive move that stood out from all the others. Going back to how I mentioned not being able to tell the pilots apart in this film, it really showed when I did not realize that Saber Athena's pilots died until I left the theater, they were so throwaway and forgotten about. Each of the Kaiju had an ability that made each of them special, from Hakuja's mole-like digging (When the first movie came out I hoped for a mole-like Kaiju in the sequel!), to Raijin absorbing energy through his faceplates, and finally Shrikethorn's spike launchers; however, none of them had major moments that truly cemented them as great Kaiju, though that is probably in part to so many bots and monsters fighting at the same time that none could truly get full focus, such as Gipsy Danger's one on one with both Leatherback and Otachi in the first film. The way that they defeated the Mega-Kaiju was really creative too, and I'm glad they chose something so unique, though they repeated the first movie's ending of making you believe the protagonists were not going to make it, along with all the monsters and robots being killed/destroyed by the end, leaving things very close to the ending of the first film)
(END SPOILERS)
Overall thoughts-
I know that I've continuously mentioned the first film, almost to an infuriating degree, but coming out of Uprising I couldn't help but think about the first one. It made me appreciate the 2013 film more because this film was truly not as good as the first, the music was lacking, the human characters were forgettable, and while the action scenes and designs of the titular bots and monsters were more than enough for me to look past the almost boring in-between scenes, they did not top the first film. After a five year wait I was glad I did not walk out of the theater disappointed, I left it pleased with what I saw, and eager to see it again in all its monster/robot brawling mayhem. The movie is a colorful, loud, bigger-is-better spectacle that rushes into every new action set piece head first, never dwelling too long on its weaker parts as it gives you the monumental battles you came to see. The ending of the movie also does its best to set up the sequel, which I do hope comes, and sooner than another five years. Pacific Rim Uprising fails to surpass its predecessor in every way, but when it comes to movies, it is nothing short of a good time, and a movie you definitely have to see in theaters for the scale and sheer awesomeness that it tows between every building leveling battle. This is a movie I feel like I can't talk about enough, and surely after I finish this there will be things that I think of that I did not write, but I encourage you to go see this film, because I had a good time with it.
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