Pacific Rim Uprising

This is what it is all about. Giant robots punching giant monsters in the face. Is it silly? Of course, but that is the whole point that makes it a whole lot of fun.

The rundown is kaiju; (subterranean monsters from beneath the ocean floor) wreak havoc on the entire globe. So, in turn, the governments of the world create jaegers (giant robots) to combat these adversaries. It is, for all intents and purposes, just a silly time waster worth the investment for sheer escapism. I gave the original one a grade of a B- when I saw it in 2013.

These machines also take into count these monsters have acid-spilling blood, so their equipment is used to cauterize any said wounds.

Members of the original cast return, but in slight variations and alterations in the storyline.

Returning are Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Burn Gorman. Kikuchi was one of the individuals handling the jaegers (the giant robots of the story), while Day and Gorman are a pair of associates who have drifted apart through the years.

In the leads are John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”). And Scott Eastwood (“Suicide Squad”). The former is an ex-soldier who washed out at some point in time. Boyega’s tie-in is that his character was the son of Idris Elba’s persona from the first film.

The original “Pacific Rim,” released in 2013, was a fun ride and ridiculous yarn engineered by one of my favorite directors in the industry today, Guillermo Del Toro. This was way before he became Oscar-winning director for “The Shape of Water” in 2017.

Del Toro also helmed a pair of my favorites from the past decade with the comic book sequel “Blade II” (2002) as well as the original based-on-a comic “Hellboy” (2004). Of note is they both had an appearance by his go-to actor Ron Perlman. Perlman has appeared in Del Toro’s arsenal of movies, including “Cronos,” (1993), the aforementioned “Blade II,” (2002), “Hellboy” and its sequel, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008).

I have a predicament to bring up because it looks like “Stranger Things” star David Harbour looks to take the reins from Perlman in an all-new incarnation of the “Hellboy” persona. I think Harbour, better known as Sheriff Jim Hopper on NetFlix’s “Stranger Things” will bring an all-new ideology to the character.

The plot twists are woven into the storyline to just the right degree. Some are a bit too obvious, but one knows that are not going into this flick to watch Shakespeare or anything too dramatic.

What I have to say is this is a must see at the theatre. Forget watching it on your computer at home, because this one is a must at the theatre for an all-immersive experience. The soundtrack also adds to the heightened delight of seeing this in the theatre.

Just so the reader knows, I saw this on the giant IMAX screen at the AMC Northpark here in the Dallas area.

A fun flick that delivers in every single department, “Pacific Rim: Uprising”” is worth the surcharge of the theater experience.

Grade: C+
(Review by Ricky Miller)