Movie · 2018 · Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure · 1h 51m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.6/10 (141.3K ratings)
Rise up.
Overview
It has been ten years since The Battle of the Breach and the oceans are still, but restless. Vindicated by the victory at the Breach, the Jaeger program has evolved into the most powerful global defense force in human history. The PPDC now calls upon the best and brightest to rise up and become the next generation of heroes when the Kaiju threat returns.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.6/10
IMDb: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Metacritic: 44
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Steven S. DeKnight
Production
Legendary Pictures, Double Dare You
Cast
John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona, Max Zhang, Charlie Day, Madeleine McGraw, Karan Brar, Ivanna Sakhno, Mackenyu, Wesley Wong, Levi Meaden, Rahart Adams, Zhu Zhu, Nick E. Tarabay, Dustin Clare, Daniel Feuerriegel
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, glossy sequel that swaps the original’s sense of wonder for a more generic, studio-assembled action rhythm. There are a few entertaining robot-versus-monster beats, but the character work is thin and the movie rarely feels as distinctive as its premise should.
Best for
Viewers who mainly want big-budget robot/monster spectacle
Fans of fast, uncomplicated action movies
People who don’t mind a lighter, more disposable sequel
Skip if
You want the emotional weight and style of the first film
You need memorable characters or strong worldbuilding
You’re looking for a fresh take on giant-monster action
Overview
Pacific Rim: Uprising has the bones of a crowd-pleasing sequel: bigger machines, faster pacing, and a premise that should practically sell itself. But the movie often feels like it is imitating the shape of a blockbuster rather than discovering its own personality. The result is energetic in bursts, but strangely weightless overall.
Worth noting
The action is the main attraction, and when the Jaegers and Kaiju collide, the movie can still deliver a satisfying blast of scale and noise. Yet the human side is undercooked, with characters introduced and moved around more as franchise pieces than as people. That makes the emotional stakes feel prepackaged instead of earned.
Bottom line
If you’re here for polished effects and a few dumb-fun moments, there’s enough machinery in motion to keep it watchable. But compared with the original, this sequel feels less imaginative, less soulful, and much easier to forget once the credits roll.
Top Letterboxd reviews
SilentDawn (1★) · 1416 likes
20
(Studio Executive Meeting)
Jeff: Hi, everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend. I, for one, discovered the joy of anal beads for the first time. It was quite wonderful. George, how was the wedding?
George: She didn't show.
Jeff: Damn. Pass on some of that leftover catering food to me when you get the chance, will ya? Now, on the agenda today is this new Pacific Rim treatment currently in development.
Linda: I thought we were fucking… more
Matt Singer (2★) · 944 likes
Charlie Hunnam: "There will never be a less interesting incredibly handsome dude in a blockbuster than me in the first Pacific Rim."
Scott Eastwood: "Hold my beer."
Full review at ScreenCrush.
Patrick Willems (3★) · 904 likes
I'm probably going to forget most of this movie by tomorrow, but I will NEVER forget the scene where we see Charlie Day is married to a giant alien brain
Alex IHE (1.5★) · 774 likes
Trololololololololol
Lucy (3★) · 641 likes
maybe not a very good movie, but by the time one of the jaegers used their gigantic robotic hands to flip off a kaiju that had just been beaten to a pulp, i realized i was having too much fun in the moment to care