Pacific Rim: Uprising thoughts

     Pacific Rim was a movie ripe with references and love to monster movies, mech anime and Tokusatsu. It was once described as one of the ultimate fan films and I very much agree with that title. The sequel built up a lot of hype ever since designs and characters were teased oh so long ago. Pacific Rim: Uprising had a lot to live up to. I can't quite say that the sequel matched the magic that was the original Pacific Rim, but the movie still shines in it's own way for a flawed but good and extremely enjoyable film.
     The first thing that needs to be said about this film is that nobody should go into this expecting an artistic masterpiece. I swear most critics and fans have lost the ability to just enjoy something for what it is but that is a topic for another day. The point is this is not a very story driven film. Most people watch this movie to see Jaegers, Kaiju, and cool fight scenes. This movie has the decency and foresight to understand that.
    Characters don't get a whole lot of development and that is fine in this type of movie so long as the characters stand out. The characters with the biggest roles all stand out, especially John Boyega as Jake Pentecost and Cailee Spaeny as Amara Namani. Unfortunately the side characters, like the cadets and Jules Reyes don't have much to them in the movie. There is a very funny scene during the cadet's first takeoff against the Kaiju, but beyond that I don't remember much from them. This is generally excusable for this kind of movie, but it would have been a lot better if the characters were more memorable for the brief time we had them on screen.
     The story is very simple, and oddly enough, very well thought out. This honestly feels like a natural progression to where the world went after the initial Kaiju attacks were thwarted. That aside there are only a few key points. Jake, former Jaeger pilot, and Amara, talented up and comer, are enlisted to train on the base where Jaeger pilots train and Kaiju-related research has been going primarily. There are whispers here and there that the Kaiju and the creatures that sent them will return. Thanks to some meddling and a twist, I dare not spoil, the Kaiju re-enter the world. Due to quick action only 3 cam through but many Jaegers and pilots are left out of commission. From there it is a race to fix the Jaegers and get the cadets ready with Jake and his co-pilot Nate. It sounds like a lot but the whole movie can be summarized pretty simply. The world is still in disrepair, bad stuff happens and more Kaiju show up. Big robots fight big monsters. Honestly, the simple plot that seems complex really fits this kind of movie.

     Like I said, the main reasons to see this movie are the Jaegers, the Kaiju, and the fights between them. All of the effects and action scenes are in full force. There is even a move at the very end that is too epic for words. Aside from the end, I don't think any of the action in the movie quite hits the same level of "epic" as the first one. I don't know what it is. Maybe it was shot differently, maybe I'm already used to this stuff or maybe the designs aren't as memorable? I honestly can't quite place what it is but most of the action scenes, while great, don't match the level of the first one. Except, again, for the final attack against the Kaiju.
     It is taking everything in me to not spoil this movie because it really is an extremely fun movie that everyone should go see. I do not see this movie as better than its predecessor, but it comes close. This movie and it's characters are worthy additions to this franchise. If this franchise does continue, which is possible, I sincerely hope the third installment is still the fun monster-fest this movie and the original were. I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this movie to fans of Tokusatsu and/or giant monsters.