Throughout my years reviewing movies (I say that like I’m a 75-year-old war veteran when in actual fact I’ve only been writing about movies for 5 years) I’ve made it abundantly clear that the whole giant robots-Kaiju-explosion orgies aren’t my kind of party. Besides the first Transformers that came out in 2007 of course, which was so batshit crazy that it blew my brains into micro pieces. In fact, I still have brain particles delivered to me via mail every month from the theatre chain.
Which is why I walked out of 2013’s Pacific Rim feeling rather normal. I didn’t run out of the cinema and scream about it like most people did. What stood out to me then and still stands out to me now is the sheer amount of detail that oozed out of every frame. Not that it’s surprising. After all, the first Pacific Rim is helmed by Guillermo del Toro — now officially known as MOTHER EFFING ACADEMY AWARD WINNING GUILLERMO DEL TORO. Del Toro’s world always feels real and lived in, as if they exist before the film’s opening and will continue to exist for a long time after the end credits roll. Dude’s a genius.
It isn’t just the way Pacific Rim looks and feels stylistically. Even from a storytelling perspective, there’s meat and there are stakes. But let’s be real here. The true MVP of Pacific Rim isn’t the masterful Guillermo del Toro, nor is it his co-screenwriter, Travis Beacham. Rather, it’s composer Ramin Djawadi and his eargasmic score, which is easily (and I mean this without a tinge of hyperbole) one of the best musical scores of the decade.
This is the story of how the sequel, titled Pacific Rim: Uprising — because the standard I, II, II doesn’t cut it anymore — took everything good from the first movie and diluted it down to your standard, throwaway, popcorn flick.
I may have had a slightly different train of thought yesterday. When people asked me for my quick thoughts when I exited the cinema, I said, this is a popcorn flick and in that regard, it is good for what it is. But then I thought about it more and allowed it to marinate at the back of my head. The term ‘popcorn flick’ shouldn’t equate to, nor be an excuse for mediocrity. Because that’s exactly what Uprising is: mediocre.
Uprising opens with a voice over from Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of war hero Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) from the first movie. “I am not my father,” he says. He isn’t. Instead in this post-war era, he chooses to drink, party and steal parts from decommissioned Jaegers and sell it on the black market. We’re then introduced to a brave young tech genius named Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny) and her homemade Jaeger, Scrapper.
What follows is a chase sequence that involves Amara and Jake, in Scrapper, trying to outrun another Jaeger. These sequences are awesome. Everything else is not nearly as memorable. The story is exactly what you expect it to be. Jake has to clean up his act and become a Jaeger pilot when more Kaijus invade the world. Boom. Bang. Boom. Bang. fin.
Even mindless blockbusters need to have something more to offer. The “Fast and Furious” franchise comes to mind, a franchise that is the very epitome of ‘mindless popcorn blockbuster’ to the point that it literally has a SUBMARINE VS CARS chase sequence in which The Rock uses his BARE HANDS to push a missile away. A f**king MISSILE. I’m not going to lie, I’m a fan. Because underneath — holy shit, am I going to attempt to make a case for “Fast and Furious” — the nonsensical physics-defying action sequences are characters that I genuinely enjoy. Uprising does not. It is but an empty shell. The shell is gorgeous, though. I’d give it that.
There are no emotional beats in the movie whatsoever. No ups and downs. No change of pace. It just chugs along in third gear from start to finish. Director Steven DeKnight tries to increase the stakes by killing off certain characters. Some might say it’s a bold move. Is it, though? Character deaths do not matter if we’re not invested in these characters in the first place. Steven DeKnight doesn’t give us time to hang out with the characters, which is a shame because certain characters show real potential.
The reason why the Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe films standout is because they tell epic stories that also manage to feel human. While del Toro’s Pacific Rim doesn’t have the depth of The Last Jedi or Nolan’s The Dark Knight, it still puts some emphasis on telling a human story. We don’t get that here. Even when certain characters die, we don’t see how it affects the other characters. We don’t feel the implications of these deaths. As a result, despite buildings crumbling and thousands of people screaming, we don’t feel a looming threat. It’s like watching your little brother play with his Legos.
I can sense some of Y’all reading this thinking, “enough with your horse shit! Just tell me how the action sequences are.” Let’s just say there is a line in the movie where the people in the command centre say, “Everyone has been shifted to underground bunkers. You’re clear to engage.” It is silly and is only forced into the movie because Steven DeKnight doesn’t want to deal with people tweeting at him asking if thousands of people died when his Jaegers and Kaijus are out there laying cities to waste.
The movie is banking on wowing us with its spectacular visuals. And yes, the visuals are spectacular, especially when you watch it in glorious IMAX 2D. Steven DeKnight takes a page out of del Toro’s book when it comes to the handling of the Jaegers. Unlike in Transformers these robots feel heavy and you feel it. The ground shakes and your seats vibrate with every step they take and that’s great.
But this isn’t the early 2000s. Merely having giant robots and creatures decimating buildings isn’t going to get our panties wet anymore. We have seen it all. Buddy, if simply slapping Batman, Superman, The Flash and Wonder Woman on the big screen together didn’t make people care, what on earth makes you think that colourful robots crashing into buildings will? Bombastic action sequences are only fun if there’s substance to go with it. Had Pacific Rim: Uprising come out in 2007, we would have all died of cardiac arrest due to overwhelming awesomeness. But it’s 2018 and the landscape has changed.
I don’t know if I should feel happy or sad for John Boyega. On one end, it’s a shame that he’s in a movie with a middling screenplay. On the other, he shines as Rihanna would put it, bright like a diamond. John Boyega has a certain charm and charisma to him that many do not have. He’s a STAR and it shows as he elevates every scene that he’s in. The same can be said about the young Cailee Spaeny who brings a fiery spirit to her character. I can’t wait to see her in more movies going forward. Even Scott Eastwood, who is generally stale, gives it his all and elevates the mediocre material he’s working with.
Watching the kickass trailers, we knew Uprising was going to be very different from its predecessor. Many expected this to be the Power Rangers film we’ve always wanted (sorry actual Power Rangers movie that came out last year), with fun characters we get to hang out with, each with distinct personalities, and culminating of course, in a fun and emotional battle sequence between the colourful robots and the vicious Kaijus. That was the vibe I got from the trailer. The movie doesn’t even come close to the trailers’ awesomeness.
But the biggest, most unforgivable sin Steven DeKnight commits is NOT utilizing Ramin Djawadi’s AMAZING musical score. Yes, you read that right. One of the best themes of the decade only plays during the end credits.
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