Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)

Directed by: Steven S. DeKnight | 111 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Burn Gorman, Charlie Day, Tian Jing, Jin Zhang, Adria Arjona, Rinko Kikuchi, Karan Brar, Wesley Won, Ivanna Sakhno, Mackenyu, Lily Ji, Shyrley Rodriguez, Rahart Adams, Levi Meaden, Dustin Clare

What do you get when you throw ‘Top Gun’, ‘Transformers’ and ‘Neon Evangelion Genesis’ in a blender? The answer is ‘Pacific Rim’. This robot franchise ostentatiously borrows from the aforementioned ‘Neon Evangelion Genesis’. However, this Japanese anime series is not that well known to the Western public. The similarities won’t bother them that much. Anyway, part two of this series created by Guillermo Del Toro picks up where the first part left off. With different faces and enemies.

In ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’, the world has been (temporarily) freed from the alien monsters that attacked our planet. The Jaeger program has been put on the back burner. These Jaegers are huge robots that must be controlled by two pilots. These directors must put their differences aside and work together as a duo. Not so easy. So far, so good. Then a rogue Jaeger suddenly attacks Earth and the program has to be restarted. Do aliens have anything to do with it?

In the sequel, John ‘Star Wars’ Boyega plays the lead role. He does a great job, but can’t put any depth into the cardboard hero. The same goes for Scott Eastwood and other cast members. ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ lacks an identity. Something the predecessor also suffered from. This mishmash of genres and ideas from other films does not stick for a moment. Too bad, because the sets and special effects look good.

In contrast to the ‘Transformers’ saga, the battles in ‘Pacific Rim’ look clear and convincing. However, without a strong story and empathetic characters, the film does not stick. The biggest pain point is the almost one-to-one copying of ‘Neon Evangelion Genesis’. Unwilling heroes have to control a robot (often still teenagers), aliens threaten the earth and can only be stopped by the robots, double agendas: check, check, double check! ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ feels like ordinary stealing. If you are not familiar with this series and are not averse to CGI robots and clichés, then you should give this film a chance. However, don’t expect to be surprised.