Movies: “Pacific Rim Uprising” Opens At No.1 With P47.2-M For 2-Day Easter Weekend

MANILA, 02 April 2018 -- Universal Pictures' monsters vs. robots epic adventure Pacific Rim Uprising arrived in Philippine cinemas at No.1 for the Easter Weekend.  The highly awaited sequel scored a robust P47.2-M in box-office gross in two days, March 31 and April 1.

The crowd-pleasing movie is expected to generate further interest and increase sales, echoing its global trend.  So far, Pacific Rim Uprising has made a smash $231.9 million worldwide.

John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war.  As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.

Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.

Now playing in Philippine cinemas Pacific Rim Uprising is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.  Use the hashtags #JoinTheUprising #PacificRimUprising

Movie Review: Pacific Rim: Uprising

Before I proceed with this review, you must be warned dear reader that I am a  big fan of the first movie and consider it one of the films that I can watch again and again. So much of this review will have comparisons with the first movie. 

Going into the movie, I knew it was going to be very different from its predecessor; with (now Academy Award Winner) director Guillermo del Toro stepping away from the helm (although he does serve as a producer). The trailers alone showed a lighter cinematography and feel for the movie, a far cry from the darker and grittier first film. 

With the breach destroyed and "the Apocalypse" cancelled, Pacific Rim: Uprising begins in a more peaceful time, where on duty Jaegers' missions are to contain rogue Jaegers (yes, that's a thing now) -yup! No Kaijus here!   

We first meet Jake Pentecost (John Boyega)-the son of Idris Elba's Marshal Stacker Pentecost from the first film. You know he has "Daddy Issues" since he makes a living off bartering old Jaeger tech for hot sauce (?) and other curious items. Also, what's up with the English accent? Stacker Pentecost didn't have that. 

In a Jaeger Tech pick up gone wrong, Jake crosses paths with Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny) a feisty mechanic with trust issues. 

The two make a reluctant and unlikely pair and are shipped to "Jaeger school" with Jake resuming his former occupation of a Ranger and is assigned to train young cadets. All this as part of a deal of not throwing him in jail, for you know stealing Jaeger tech. This new assignment also means reuniting with his old rival Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) who can't keep the disappointment from his well chiseled handsome face.  

Meanwhile, Amara is in Jaeger highschool, which is complete with the Russian bully and the friendly Asian kids. I just have to point out that there are too many of these young cadets, you won't really remember any of them and as a member of the audience, you are unable to form a bond with any of them. It becomes pretty obvious that the powers that be are looking to target (and market) the film to a younger audience and fanbase, something which del Toro's first film failed to do. Of course a younger market, inevitably translates to merchandise and sales. 

 And why not-if my son wants a Gypsy Avenger figure, I'd get him one, I just have to make sure his father does not play with it first. 

While our young cadets train to pilot Jaegers, the threats start to creep towards our unsuspecting heroes; beginning with a move to completely eliminate the need for drift compatible pilots and instead have the Jaegers controlled remotely through a drone technology. After a rogue Jaeger attack opens up a can of worms, a plot twist within a plot twist keeps the audience guessing-then and only then do we finally see that Mecha-Kaiju showdown we've been waiting for! 

Going into the movie, my expectations were pretty low considering Guillermo del Toro was no longer on the director's chair and keeping in mind that this sequel almost never happened! I'm just happy that I get to see Jaegers and Kaijus battle it out on the big screen again. There were some improvements, I did like that most of the battle scenes were now during the day, so you can actually see them, as opposed to the night time sea battles of the first film. Just wondering how come the buildings seemed to shrink in the second film? I seem to remember the Jaegers being as big, if not bigger than buildings from the first film. 

Wasn't so happy with the hit and miss comedy delivered by John Boyega's character. I was happy with Cailee Spaeny's performance, it was really impressive how she carried herself alongside more experienced actors, definitely someone to look out for, if she plays her cards right. 

Despite a painfully necessary first act with cliche characters and a predictable plot for a sequel, this is just to set Jake Pentecost in the story. "Pacific Rim: Uprising" shifts gears and goes full throttle for a massive Mecha-Kaiju showdown, because isn't that what the people came to see?

Appreciated the plot twist, within the plot twist , which was probably what kept the movie interesting, aside from you know-the giant robots and monsters fighting.

6.5/10 - Bringing a different tone and feel than its predecessor, Pacific Rim: Uprising is a must see for fans of the franchise and a chance for kids (and the big kids) to marvel at a genre that has been around since the 1950's.

Movies: Scale And Strength: Kaiju VS Jaegers In “Pacific Rim Uprising”

In the Pacific Rim universe, the Kaiju are giant monsters that erupted from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Entering our world through the dimension-spanning portal called the Breach, they are living weapons of mass destruction, bio-engineered to terraform planets. In Universal Pictures’ new epic action-adventure Pacific Rim Uprising, the Kaiju evolve into a deadly and unexpected new species.

(Watch the Pacific Rim Uprising featurette “A Look Inside” at https://youtu.be/aA1Z3KUJ1rA.)

In Japanese, the word “Kaiju” literally means “strange beast,” but is more commonly translated as “giant monster.” Director Steven DeKnight, who grew up watching the Japanese Kaiju movies of the 1950s and ’60s, reminisces: “I loved them as a kid, back when it was the man-in-a-suit approach. What I love about doing a Kaiju film now, with the technology we have, is that we have a chance to make it that much more spectacular. As much as I love the nostalgia of those original films, even as a kid I knew it was a guy in a rubber suit—stomping on miniatures. When our Kaiju attack a city, it feels completely real. The threat and the drama feel immediate.”