wandercreature

There's just something about reheated leftovers that satisfy in spite of everything. Sure, it's not the fresh, delicious experience it might have been the night before. But with a hangover the morning after, and a beer at your side, the sensation of something reliable in the stead of rummaging potentially miles away while your head continues to pound, is unmistakable. Which is precisely what comes to mind when thinking of Steven E. DeKnight's return to the Drift, Kaiju, and Jaegers with Pacific Rim: Uprising. A sequel noone really needed, and yet hits the spot despite the possible damage in store for your insides. If Guillermo Del Toro's initial foray into the world of tokusatsu action is the filet mignon of eastern pop culture hybrids, then Uprising is that magnificent slice of 7am pizza.

2030: It's been a decade since the combined forces of Earth triumphed over a devastating invasion of giant monsters under the control of an unseen enemy beneath the planet's surface. Those who have lived in the years of peace that ensued, have continued to rebuild, and occasionally benefit from the riches inherent in this newly reconfigured world. Among these reaping the benefits of this newfound hidden market, is Jake Pentecost(John Boyega), the long adrift son of kaiju war legend, Stacker Pentecost. Once seen as a more than capable legacy, his life has found itself living from scrapyard to scrapyard, occasionally scamming other nefarious characters with his innate knowledge of Jaeger tech. It is on one of these runs that he is outfoxed by a young and capable scrapper, Amara(Cailee Spaeni) who has long been doing similar in the name of creating her own pilot-capable robot in hopes of anticipating future kaiju conflict. Naturally, the pair are caught by the government during a squabble, where we catch up with Jake's troubled relationship with his former life while big sister, Mako Mori(A more than welcome Rinko Kikuchi) urges him to return to the forces in the name of training a group of young recruits. Figuring this option is better than prison, Jake accepts.

This is while Shao Industries, a chinese megacorp, unveils designs for a newly configured drone program which threatens to render classic Jaeger pilots obsolete. Working alongside Shao CEO Liwen Shao(Jing Tian), we have a now "rock star" Newt Geisler(Charlie Day returns!), who while struggling with his mandarin, seems ready to ignore lessons of the past in the name of his newfound status. And with the upcoming public unveiling of this new program, the world is blindsided by the appearance of a rogue Jaeger. An event that not only brings about untold devastation, but solidifies the resolve of Jake and crew to both solve the mystery of this new threat, and possibly come face to face with an old adversary.

On its face, Uprising offers very little in the way of newness to the proceedings. We do have a more scrappy, on the ground, handheld quality to the visuals that double down on the lived-in aspect of the universe. It's a more meat and potatoes approach to something that was once quite studied and sensually articulate. It's certainly not a novel approach. One could say that this is the stylistic gulf between ALIEN and ALIENS, and yet both work respectively. As to whether or not this works in a similar fashion, I leave it to history. But the proceedings here are much more street level and less staged than the last go-round. Which at times works. But what is missed in the maelstrom(Original title- had to do it), is the sense of sheer weight, and emotional stakes that the first carried with a disarming amount of sincerity. DeKnight, and company do their level best, but it often finds itself far too often in a rush to get to the next skirmish. By the time we're at the Battle For Fujisan, I found myself almost completely tapped out. Like a good race, there's value to be found in a good sequence of pauses. Something the producers of Pacific Rim: Uprising see little value in apparently.

Again, there are enchantments to be had in this grand scale Saturday Morning cartoon. Many of them humming beneath the surface. And while it isn't as articulate as it could be, the first film's themes of empathy and ecological consciousness, have been traded in for an on point tribute to the pluralistic youth that stands in the way of an encroaching invasion from within. From the ashes of an old enemy now infecting the increasingly digitized present, the film posits that hope resides in the children who have grown up in the shadow of war and corruption. They are familiar with the failings of their elders, and are more comfortable with the terrain. So when it's revealed that even our trusted friends come with blind spots that render them ripe for the weaponizing, it's up to an unusual set of alliances to alter course. There's also the presence of Scott Eastwood, as Jake's former Jaeger partner, Nate, who frighteningly resembles his dad in his 1960s heyday. - It is utterly uncanny. But it's really about Boyega, who continues to shine as a hopelessly likeable underdog.

The production and beyond, remains as solid as the original, but in no way as elegant. And I suppose this is to be expected. More battles in broad daylight, not to mention an at times galling amount of collateral damage may make or break some. DeKnight's previous work includes season one of Marvel's DAREDEVIL, which shows in his penchant for loose camera work, and occasionally diffuse lighting. The impetus here, is that we've already been well introduced to this world. The garden, and expo center part of the fair is over, it's time for the carnival midway. And this is where Pacific Rim: Uprising may or may not work for some. But damn, if that morning pizza isn't delicious in the moment. It may not be good for you, but since when was most anime ever good for you?