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+ WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS FOR PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING +
Well...it was okay I guess.
So I may not know much about wrestling...but I do know a thing or two about Kaiju.
kaiju. Noun. (plural kaiju) A giant monster, particularly such as those common to Japanese
science fiction films, like Godzilla or Gamera.
Ever since I saw my first Godzilla film (Godzilla 1985) on VHS as an 8 old year kid I have
been a kaiju fan.
Over the years I have seen them all...Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra, Varan,
Gappa, Guilala, The Gargantuas...you name a kaiju film & its more than likely I've seen it,
own it & have written a review/report on it.
Oh & just for the record...I've also seen my fair share of Ultraman & Power Rangers as well
as owning nearly every Ray Harryhausen film.
Basically...I know kaiju. Trust me...I do.
In 2013 visionary (& now Oscar winning...Yay!) director Guillermo Del Toro brought to the
kaiju fandom (Yes...there is a kaiju fandom...& we're actually a pretty nice group of people)
Pacific Rim...and to steal a line from wrestling fans...it was Glorious.
Giant Robots vs. Giant Kaiju made by an artistic genius who is himself a kaiju fanboy.
It was Awesome!
It wasn't perfect...the plot was basically "Top Gun meets Independence Day" with Robots
& Kaiju used instead of jets & alien spacecraft...but it was a fun, exciting and action packed
film that had that certain charm that only Del Toro can bring.
And now...it has a sequel.
Okay.
So let me just state right of the bat that I don't think it needed a sequel.
The prequel comics were cool (Of course I own them) & the toys are fantastic (Yes...I own
those as well...DON'T JUDGE ME!!!) but as a HUGE fan of the original film...I was happy
for it to stand alone.
But...
Hollywood is scared of creating a new I.P & so here we are...
+++
The Plot:
Well...just take parts of the plots from Iron Man 2, Transformers: Age of Extinction,
any season of Power Rangers & add on a Kaiju suicide bombing (Awkward!!!) to the
climax and you basically have this film.
It also ends with the same kind of scene as Independence Day: Resurgence...which made
me cringe.
Its pretty lame.
The Cast:
So 3 main cast members return for this sequel...but one of them (my favorite character
from the first film...Thanks for that) is killed off early & the other 2 don't really do much
till the last third of the film.
Yes...the Hot Japanese lady was my favorite character in the first film...stop looking at
me like that!
Charlie Hunnam didn't return but there is a character clearly meant to be him & several
other supporting characters also failed to return even though they were alive at the end
of the 1st film.
That's a shame because their presence would have really helped this film.
The new characters are okay I guess...but there are actually too many of them & I can't
even remember any of their names.
Caliee Spaeny is okay...but I feel like she's here just because of Rey being the main character
in the new Star Wars films.
Just watch the film and you'll see what I mean.
Speaking of Star Wars...John Boyega is the lead &...he's okay I guess. He was better in
the Force Awakens.
Most elements of this film are just okay I guess.
The Jaegars:
Well...the Jaegars in the first film each had their own unique design & fighting style...they
were great...Hell...I bought the toys. The Jaegars in this film are kind of bland & while they
all look "different" they don't look different enough.
The only Jaegar of note is the "Evil" Obsidian Fury which has a great color scheme &
truly carries itself like a metal behemoth. Of course it isn't in the film much...so again
thanks for that.
I will give this film bonus points for including the mini "Rock Lord" Jaeger Scrapper
(that is actually the name of a Transformer...original ideas guys!) who is pretty awesome
& has a couple of fun action scenes.
(And if you know what a Rock Lord is...you are Awesome!)
The Kaiju:
Ugh...the first Pacific Rim had AMAZING kaiju designs...from the gorilla-like Leatherback,
the crocodile/bat hybrid Otachi & the hammerhead dog/lizard Slattern...but this film...well...
There are 3 basic kaiju who we never really get a decent look at & then they fuse together
into one "Ultra-Kaiju" which is cool...but again the design is kind of generic for a giant alien
death bringer....not to mention the kaiju fusion was given away in the trailers.
I was honestly not impressed.
There were a few other kaiju shown during the film...but none of them were on screen
long enough to really make a real impact on me.
The In-between:
There are kaiju/jaegar hybrids in this film...and while their design is generic...they are
mass produced drones so that does make sense. They kind of remind me of the Mass
Production Evas from the End of Evangelion...and they almost serve the same kind of
purpose in this film...but just as things are getting interesting...they are all destroyed
via remote control.
Ugh...another interesting idea wasted.
The Soundtrack:
Nothing really stood out apart from the "Fixing Up" montage which used a track from the
original score (Yes I own that as well).
The Look:
The film looks nice...but its a little too clean & polished. It could have done with more
grit around edges.
But honestly...this film cost $150 Million to make...so it should look good.
Final Thoughts:
An unnecessary sequel with a basic recycled plot, too many characters to care about, boring
& bland designs & a few great ideas killed off before they can even start.
I mean it could have been a lot worse...
But with a couple of rewrites, better designs & a few more returning cast members it could
have been so much better.
5 out of 10...on the Grievous Kaiju Film Scale.
Well...it was okay I guess.
So I may not know much about wrestling...but I do know a thing or two about Kaiju.
kaiju. Noun. (plural kaiju) A giant monster, particularly such as those common to Japanese
science fiction films, like Godzilla or Gamera.
Ever since I saw my first Godzilla film (Godzilla 1985) on VHS as an 8 old year kid I have
been a kaiju fan.
Over the years I have seen them all...Godzilla, Gamera, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra, Varan,
Gappa, Guilala, The Gargantuas...you name a kaiju film & its more than likely I've seen it,
own it & have written a review/report on it.
Oh & just for the record...I've also seen my fair share of Ultraman & Power Rangers as well
as owning nearly every Ray Harryhausen film.
Basically...I know kaiju. Trust me...I do.
In 2013 visionary (& now Oscar winning...Yay!) director Guillermo Del Toro brought to the
kaiju fandom (Yes...there is a kaiju fandom...& we're actually a pretty nice group of people)
Pacific Rim...and to steal a line from wrestling fans...it was Glorious.
Giant Robots vs. Giant Kaiju made by an artistic genius who is himself a kaiju fanboy.
It was Awesome!
It wasn't perfect...the plot was basically "Top Gun meets Independence Day" with Robots
& Kaiju used instead of jets & alien spacecraft...but it was a fun, exciting and action packed
film that had that certain charm that only Del Toro can bring.
And now...it has a sequel.
Okay.
So let me just state right of the bat that I don't think it needed a sequel.
The prequel comics were cool (Of course I own them) & the toys are fantastic (Yes...I own
those as well...DON'T JUDGE ME!!!) but as a HUGE fan of the original film...I was happy
for it to stand alone.
But...
Hollywood is scared of creating a new I.P & so here we are...
+++
The Plot:
Well...just take parts of the plots from Iron Man 2, Transformers: Age of Extinction,
any season of Power Rangers & add on a Kaiju suicide bombing (Awkward!!!) to the
climax and you basically have this film.
It also ends with the same kind of scene as Independence Day: Resurgence...which made
me cringe.
Its pretty lame.
The Cast:
So 3 main cast members return for this sequel...but one of them (my favorite character
from the first film...Thanks for that) is killed off early & the other 2 don't really do much
till the last third of the film.
Yes...the Hot Japanese lady was my favorite character in the first film...stop looking at
me like that!
Charlie Hunnam didn't return but there is a character clearly meant to be him & several
other supporting characters also failed to return even though they were alive at the end
of the 1st film.
That's a shame because their presence would have really helped this film.
The new characters are okay I guess...but there are actually too many of them & I can't
even remember any of their names.
Caliee Spaeny is okay...but I feel like she's here just because of Rey being the main character
in the new Star Wars films.
Just watch the film and you'll see what I mean.
Speaking of Star Wars...John Boyega is the lead &...he's okay I guess. He was better in
the Force Awakens.
Most elements of this film are just okay I guess.
The Jaegars:
Well...the Jaegars in the first film each had their own unique design & fighting style...they
were great...Hell...I bought the toys. The Jaegars in this film are kind of bland & while they
all look "different" they don't look different enough.
The only Jaegar of note is the "Evil" Obsidian Fury which has a great color scheme &
truly carries itself like a metal behemoth. Of course it isn't in the film much...so again
thanks for that.
I will give this film bonus points for including the mini "Rock Lord" Jaeger Scrapper
(that is actually the name of a Transformer...original ideas guys!) who is pretty awesome
& has a couple of fun action scenes.
(And if you know what a Rock Lord is...you are Awesome!)
The Kaiju:
Ugh...the first Pacific Rim had AMAZING kaiju designs...from the gorilla-like Leatherback,
the crocodile/bat hybrid Otachi & the hammerhead dog/lizard Slattern...but this film...well...
There are 3 basic kaiju who we never really get a decent look at & then they fuse together
into one "Ultra-Kaiju" which is cool...but again the design is kind of generic for a giant alien
death bringer....not to mention the kaiju fusion was given away in the trailers.
I was honestly not impressed.
There were a few other kaiju shown during the film...but none of them were on screen
long enough to really make a real impact on me.
The In-between:
There are kaiju/jaegar hybrids in this film...and while their design is generic...they are
mass produced drones so that does make sense. They kind of remind me of the Mass
Production Evas from the End of Evangelion...and they almost serve the same kind of
purpose in this film...but just as things are getting interesting...they are all destroyed
via remote control.
Ugh...another interesting idea wasted.
The Soundtrack:
Nothing really stood out apart from the "Fixing Up" montage which used a track from the
original score (Yes I own that as well).
The Look:
The film looks nice...but its a little too clean & polished. It could have done with more
grit around edges.
But honestly...this film cost $150 Million to make...so it should look good.
Final Thoughts:
An unnecessary sequel with a basic recycled plot, too many characters to care about, boring
& bland designs & a few great ideas killed off before they can even start.
I mean it could have been a lot worse...
But with a couple of rewrites, better designs & a few more returning cast members it could
have been so much better.
5 out of 10...on the Grievous Kaiju Film Scale.
