Pacific Rim Uprising - the Perfect Example of a 50/50 Film
Davis Smedley
Davis Smedley
Pacific Rim Uprising is in theaters now and is directed by Steven S. DeKnight, with this movie being his debut in the world of filmmaking. The first Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Torro, was an instant hit with many fans of monster films, myself included. While it was not perfect, it still gave people great visuals (which are del Toro’s specialty) and fantastic action sequences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a fairly decent percent while the consensus among critics is “It may sport more style than substance, but Pacific Rim is a solid modern creature feature bolstered by fantastical imagery and an irresistible sense of fun” (taken from rottentomatoes.com). When DeKnight was announced as the director of the second movie, fans of the original were skeptical in terms of how this film would compare with the first. After seeing it myself, I can safely say that this movie is…...complicated.
Right now, I would usually go into detail about the plot of the movie, but the problem is that this film has one of the most bare-boned and cliched plots I have ever seen in a movie. There's a main character who would rather be a rebel than follow his destiny, check. There’s a kid character that learns to be more mature throughout the film, check. There’s a boot-camp subplot with a cliched jerk character that learns to respect the other main character, check. A person close to the lead dies and prompts him to do what’s right, check. Just to add sprinkles on the sundae, there's also a “surprise reveal” about the true villain of the film that is so overused it gives Pixar a run for its money.
So yea, the story is definitely one that many of us have seen thousands of times before, and it is definitely the film’s main problem. While the first Pacific Rim’s story had its predictability, it still had its own flavor and added twists to certain plot elements that gave it the edge it had (I mean, come on, it had Ron Perlman!). With this movie, a lot of the plot just feels extremely formulaic and lazy. The only three things saving it are John Boyega (who, so far, can do no wrong), the girl character he meets who does actually get some really good moments and development, and the two scientists from the first film played by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, who provide some very good comedic banter.
However, to the film’s credit, I don’t believe that the time and effort was meant to go into the plot and its characters, but rather the bucket loads of fight scenes with the Jagers and Kaiju. Hillgrove student Barry Fraser even admitted about the first film that his favorite part was “Killing monsters with robots as opposed to human drama and plot.” And oh boy does that effort pay off, as the action scenes in this film are the absolute highlight, and more than worthy of the price of admission. From the cinematography, to the designs, to the creative attacks, these scenes are eye-candy to any fan of anime and giant monsters. Speaking of cinematography, the film also looks very nice, particularly in the color department (I mean, seriously, the movie is just bursting with it).
In the end, is it stupid? Yea. Is it cliched? Absolutely. But it is also insanely fun when you get to the action scenes. If you are a fan of giant robots and giant monsters fighting one another with tons of destruction like something straight out of Voltron, this film is definitely for you. Just do not expect to be particularly impressed by anything else.
Final Verdict: B-
Right now, I would usually go into detail about the plot of the movie, but the problem is that this film has one of the most bare-boned and cliched plots I have ever seen in a movie. There's a main character who would rather be a rebel than follow his destiny, check. There’s a kid character that learns to be more mature throughout the film, check. There’s a boot-camp subplot with a cliched jerk character that learns to respect the other main character, check. A person close to the lead dies and prompts him to do what’s right, check. Just to add sprinkles on the sundae, there's also a “surprise reveal” about the true villain of the film that is so overused it gives Pixar a run for its money.
So yea, the story is definitely one that many of us have seen thousands of times before, and it is definitely the film’s main problem. While the first Pacific Rim’s story had its predictability, it still had its own flavor and added twists to certain plot elements that gave it the edge it had (I mean, come on, it had Ron Perlman!). With this movie, a lot of the plot just feels extremely formulaic and lazy. The only three things saving it are John Boyega (who, so far, can do no wrong), the girl character he meets who does actually get some really good moments and development, and the two scientists from the first film played by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, who provide some very good comedic banter.
However, to the film’s credit, I don’t believe that the time and effort was meant to go into the plot and its characters, but rather the bucket loads of fight scenes with the Jagers and Kaiju. Hillgrove student Barry Fraser even admitted about the first film that his favorite part was “Killing monsters with robots as opposed to human drama and plot.” And oh boy does that effort pay off, as the action scenes in this film are the absolute highlight, and more than worthy of the price of admission. From the cinematography, to the designs, to the creative attacks, these scenes are eye-candy to any fan of anime and giant monsters. Speaking of cinematography, the film also looks very nice, particularly in the color department (I mean, seriously, the movie is just bursting with it).
In the end, is it stupid? Yea. Is it cliched? Absolutely. But it is also insanely fun when you get to the action scenes. If you are a fan of giant robots and giant monsters fighting one another with tons of destruction like something straight out of Voltron, this film is definitely for you. Just do not expect to be particularly impressed by anything else.
Final Verdict: B-