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“Reset the clock!”
Pacific Rim made a splash in 2013 as a loving tribute by Guillermo Del Toro to the genre of mecha anime. Its threatening Kaiju, towering Jaegers, and earth-shaking action makes it one of the best live action adaptations of an anime genre ever. So how does it’s sequel compare? Were we ready for the Uprising?
Unfortunately, I must abandon my usual format for this review. If you must know numerically, I would rate the film a 3 out of 5…but that score ignores the sheer awesomeness of giant robots punching giant monsters!
Uprising, much like its predecessor, is not a movie you watch for the intricate plot or the deep moral messages or the insightful characters. The plot is serviceable, but solid and has an incredible twist I won’t spoil. No morals are there to really ponder. And the characters, while relatable, are pretty standard fair for an action flick. But to be entirely honest, all this could just as easily be said of the first movie.
This is a movie you go to in order to turn off your brain, consume all the popcorn, and cheer as Gypsy Avenger slices a beautifully grotesque Kaiju in half. Thank goodness they brought back Del Toro as creature designer.
This movie is just as much a love letter to mecha and kaiju series as the first, except this one pays tribute to the brighter, more colorful shows while the first honored the darker, apocalyptic films.
However, what makes Uprising stand out, even compared to the original, is the sheer amount of diversity in its cast.
Now you might say, “The first movie had a lot of diversity.” That is true, but Uprising blows that completely out of the water. Heck, the number of demographic unrepresented would only fit on one hand. It passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. And there are no jokes made at the expense of any demographic.
I feel this is extremely important because I have never seen a “mindless” action movie like this with such good representation. This movie is the perfect example of an unproblematic fave. And I really think this helps it stand far above many “deeper” films.
Is Pacific Rim: Uprising perfect? Absolutely not.
Should you go see it? Absolutely yes!
You will have so much fun and with no need to worry anything problematic ruining your experience.
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