By Omair Alavi There are good sequels, there are bad sequels and then there is Pacific Rim Uprising, a sequel that had a lot of promise but instead of raising the bar pushed it downwards so badly that the makers might need a third installment to restore the audience’s faith in the franchise. Yes, …
SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Mar 29, 2018 |
By Omair Alavi
There are good sequels, there are bad sequels and then there is Pacific Rim Uprising, a sequel that had a lot of promise but instead of raising the bar pushed it downwards so badly that the makers might need a third installment to restore the audience’s faith in the franchise. Yes, there were Jaegars, Kaijus and rogue Jaegars but with so much potential, the film couldn’t live up to its expectations and it seemed that you were watching a sequel to Power Rangers instead of Pacific Rim.
The Plot
Set in 2030, the film revolves around former Jaeger pilot Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) who returns to Pan-Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) as an instructor instead of serving in prison. He reunites with his former partner Nate (Scott Eastwood) when a rogue Jaegar attacks a city and one thing leads to another, finally ending in the opening of a few breaches and losing one key member of the team to the aliens. With injuries all around, the instructors show faith in the newcomers and take the Kaijus head-on in what was termed as the clash of the Titans.
The Good
The film takes place 10 years after the Battle of the Breach when all seems well and back on track; the story had so much potential to do well but sadly it went downwards instead of up. There were mew Jaegars; there was a new villain; there was another breach that was caused by Jaegar’s malfunction but that’s where the good stopped being good. They lost the plot then and there, and so did the audience’s attention who was laughing by the time the world was finally saved.
The Bad
The Soundtrack that helped the first film in the franchise become popular was heard only once and that too at a time when Indian directors are aided by patriotic songs. The way teenagers were asked to become pilots was a laughable manner as was the fight where each Jaegar displayed its special power to the audience. Besides John Boyega and Scott Eastwood, no one bothered to act at all. The weak Special Effects also made the audience cringe because they expected something huge and got something small in return.
The Verdict 2/5
Pacific Rim Uprising shouldn’t have been made without the principal cast of the first film namely Charlie Hunnam or director Guillermo del Toro because they knew what the audience anticipated. Handing over the director’s chair to first-timer Steven S. DeKnight was a mistake and when the person at the helm is a TV man, the film is bound to do badly, which it did. It seemed like a TV movie rather than a feature film sequel as everything happened quickly but at a small scale. The scientists knew nothing at the beginning of the film but miraculously found out everything Kaiju as the film progressed. Don’t waste your money on such projects!
