Robots versus Monsters: Second Round

Although Guillermo del Toro’s Japanese-flavored 2013 giant robots-versus-monsters movie ‘Pacific Rim’ was considered a mild disappointment at the domestic box office, it performed well enough overseas to warrant a sequel.  So four years, eight months and 11 days later, ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ hits theatres in most major markets (including China).  With a similar budget and scope/ambition, PR:U promises even more Mecha versus Kaiju (not “robot vs. monster”) mayhem that would break down the defenses of any Ultraman or Godzilla-loving fanboy or girl like myself.

 

PR:U is set 10 years after the cataclysmic event which nearly wiped out mankind, the inter-dimensional breach beneath the ocean floor which unleashed our worst nightmares with nicknames like Knifehead, Leatherback and Otachi.  After narrowly “canceling the Apocalypse” thanks to the efforts and sacrifice of an international coalition of Jaeger pilots, the survivors are still picking up the pieces while being wary of another breach that could occur at any time.  This is the story of a new generation of Jaeger pilots led by Star Wars’ Finn (John Boyega), Clint Eastwood’s son Scott and unknown newcomer Cailee Spaeny as a spunky teenage girl who built her own mini-Jaeger out of scavenged scrap parts.

 

With its young and hip cast, PR:U comes across as a Disney-fied or Nickelodeon-ized, even more accessible film than its predecessor.  It is also aimed more at the Asian market than the US, as evidenced by its generous Asian cast and the Chinese megacorporation featured prominently in the film.  Regardless, PR:U suffers from a weak script and overabundance of “busy” action that whizzes by lightning-fast to an extent that’s mind-numbing and exhausting (except maybe to the ADHD-addled), in the same way all those Michael Bay ‘Transformers’ movies did.  And I was never a fan of the Jaeger and Kaiju designs of PR in the first place.  The former’s style is too similar to HALO Spartan armor and the latter look just plain silly.

Grade: C