Have you ever sat down with a giant bag of M&M's and an hour and a half later they are all gone? You don't remember eating the whole bag. You aren't even sure when you ate them all. Yet you feel really happy. Although you can't remember the details, you just have a feeling that you really enjoyed them.
That is what watching Pacific Rim: Uprising is like. I took my 13 year old son Timmy to see it on Saturday. I remember seeing it in an amazing Dolby Theater (those are my new love). I recall coming out of the theater with a huge smile and my face fatigued from grinning so much... but I don't remember many details.
And that is OK. In fact, I might have been disappointed if this movie had tried to be anything more than a giant bag of M&M's.
I saw the original Pacific Rim in a terrible theater. The sound system was so bad that I could not understand most of the dialogue... and I did not care! It was awesome giant robots fighting freaking humongous monsters!!!!! Who needs dialogue?
Even though I could hear the dialogue of Pacific Rim: Uprising it didn't matter. It is basically the exact same movie as the first Pacific Rim. So what? I have eaten bags of M&M's before and I still enjoy them every time I do. Why should a Pacific Rim movie be any different?
This bag of M&M's did manage to toss in a few new colors to keep it just novel enough, but there were no major overhauls.
Because this movie is so simple, I will keep this review simple.
Oh this movie has a giant robot with 2 laser swords. That's freaking awesome! Is that simple enough?
Pacific Rim: Uprising is made for 13 year olds (my son LOVED it). If you are unable to turn off your adult brain and just enjoy awesome giant robots fighting freaking humongous monsters, then this movie is not for you. If you are looking for a meaningful and coherent plot that is not filled with holes, you should stay home. Your search for existential truth would kill the buzz of all the 13 year old brains in the theater.
Here is what I did like (as far as I can remember):
It is about awesome giant robots fighting freaking humongous monsters!!!!
This time there are variations on the robots and monsters. The special effects are perfect. The sound effects shook our chairs.
Robots. Fighting. Monsters.
Do I need to say anything else about this section?
John Boyega
I have loved this actor since I saw him in the completely underrated Attack the Block. I think he is incredibly fun to watch. This is especially true when he doesn't have to put on a fake American accent. He is able to be quicker and wittier in his own voice.
The opening action sequence
The one original idea in the entire movie was setting up Boyega's character Pentecost and his meeting Cailee Spaeny's character named Amara. Although Spaeny is 20 years old, she looks very young and I imagined the character to be around 14 years old. I won't spoil the scene for you but suffice it to say that it was incredibly fun. Director Steven S. DeKnight was very wise to get the audience excited and put us in a fun mood from the first second of the movie. I rode that wave for the next 90 minutes.
Oh look a commander giving a speech to a bunch of young recruits.
How cliche... to a 46 year old.
Making teenagers play an important role
This movie is for teenagers so it only makes sense that the Ranger cadets play such a major role. My son instantly connected to these cliche characters. But I had to keep in mind that they are only cliche to me. I have seen every action movie ever made. He has not. Some of these characters will be the ones he bases his future opinion of "cliche characters" on.
The music
The soundtrack has one purpose: pump up the audience. It does.
The epic final battle sequence
Massive robots fought the biggest monster I have ever seen.
I felt like a 13 year old.
This movie reminded me of my childhood filled with watching Japanese television shows like Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, Spectreman and Ultraman.
I loved this when I was a kid. Imagine if the special effects consisted of more than two guys in fake looking suits crushing models of cities!
I enjoyed it with my son
My son is 13. I know I am living on borrowed time when it comes to him actually wanting to hang out with me. Several times during the movie, we spontaneously looked at each other and said, "That was so cool!" At one point during the final battle, I think we high-fived. But I really can't be sure. Just like I can't be exactly certain when I ate that last M&M.
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 1 (There was one huge flaw involving a helicopter that was so dumb I couldn't forgive it.)
Number of times my kid asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Did my kid like it: Yes!!!!!
Would I see it without my kids: Yes (But I am a HUGE geek)
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Premium Dolby Theater if you can. If not, it is still best seen on the big screen. I would pay full price for this bag of M&M's.