5 Ways to Prep: Pacific Rim Uprising
By George Rose
March 26, 2018
The first Pacific Rim was arguably the best film from the Summer of 2013. It was the year after Avengers became the best movie of all time, forever and always (until Infinity War next month). After 2012 rocked the world, there was no way 2013 could top the glory of Avengers’ domination. The best that Summer of 2013 could produce were a bunch of pre-established franchises including Iron Man 3, Monsters University, and Star Trek Into Darkness. Besides the usual onslaught of sequels, there was one original property that would shame them all.
Remember the days of the “original property” and how exciting the unknown was? That day was a long time ago and has been replaced by known brands, brands within brands, brands marketing brands, sequels, adaptations and, really, almost anything Disney wants to throw at us. Outside of Mickey’s fearsome threesome (Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar), Hollywood is just a bloodbath of producers trying to get something - ANYTHING - to stick. In 2013, what stuck with me was Pacific Rim. Written and directed by 2018 Oscar powerhouse Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), Rim was the next blockbuster hopeful in his fantasy-themed filmography. It was wildly entertaining, grand in scale and deep in mythology. Del Toro’s took his the success from his early career and leveraged it into a futuristic franchise with endless possibilities.
After opening to $37 million, there was hope. After finishing with $102 million, there was less hope. Then China did that thing they do where they bail America out and helped carry the worldwide total to $411 million. With a $190 million budget, the film still ultimately failed. BUT WHY?! It was wonderful and action packed, and all about giant monsters and robots! It has a great cast (Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Ron Perlman), incredible special effects and is one of the few films that properly utilizes the 3D effect. It was perfect summer fun and I am beyond thrilled a sequel is being released, despite the assumption the first didn’t earn enough.
And what a horrible time to be releasing a movie! Black Panther destroyed February and recently broke the $600 million barrier, leaving many filmgoers unimpressed with all of March’s offerings. Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow (3/2/18) might not make it to $50 million. The triple threat of Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling could only muster a $33 million opening with Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time (3/9/18). I was hoping last weekend we’d finally have a woman break through with the reboot of Tomb Raider (3/16/18) but, alas, it’s $23 million debut is half of what Lara Croft earned almost twenty years ago… without inflation. Will men, monsters and robots be what it takes to correct the course disrupted by those pesky broads?
No, because it isn’t the ladies fault. It’s Marvel’s fault. Between Black Panther in February and Avengers: Infinity War in April, moviegoers have already spent so much money and intend to spend more in just a few weeks. Cash flow is on hold at the moment with all sights set on Marvel. So why release a sequel to an amazing movie that didn’t earn much money? China. That’s about it. It’s definitely not for the toy sales (RIP Toys R Us, you will be missed). For those of you willing to take a break from your Marvel marathon in preparation for Infinity War, you should check out the sequel to one of the best films 2013 had to offer. In case you didn’t see the first movie, here are 5 Ways to Prep for Pacific Rim: Uprising.
#1) PACIFIC RIM (2013)
Before a Guillermo del Toro was given almost $200 million to make his blockbuster dream come true, he had to prove himself with success stories like Blade 2, Hellboy, Hellboy 2 and the fantasy classic Pan’s Labyrinth. Unfortunately for the studio, it was not a financial success. Fortunately for the fans, it was everything our inner-child ever wanted. Set in the near future, mankind has damaged the planet enough that we’ve terraformed it into a habitat worthy of a monster race, one that can slip through tectonic plates in the ocean. The problem is, what seems like a normal size in one world can easily translate to deadly giants in another. To fight this newfound evil threat, Earth’s many nations unite to create enormous, weaponized robots.
That’s just in the beginning. It starts with one monster here, then a few monsters there, then all hell breaks loose in the ultimate underwater showdown. Then in the portal, then on the other side of the portal, and then back to Earth. It’s insanity. Big, loud, expensive, explosive insanity and it’s a film lover’s delight. However, at the end the rift and the franchise is closed. What the sequel trailers promise us is that someone from Earth has intentionally opened the rift from our side of the pond. Whoever the villain ends up being it’s just a ploy to reopen the portal so the franchise can live on in China where creature features reign supreme. Given how unabashedly entertaining the first film was, the bar is set pretty high for the sequel. Let’s take a look at some of the parts that make it up to help give us an idea of what we’re in for.
#2) ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011)
I admit I’ve never seen this film. It was reviewed 90% positive and was a critical darling when it was released. I remember hearing a lot about it online but I never got around to watching it. Since it only earned $5.8 million WORLDWIDE, I don’t think anybody else but the critics did either. That’s why I’m so shocked that this British alien-invasion comedy was so well reviewed that it managed to land one of its stars (John Boyega) a coveted role in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That role turned Boyega into an instant star, though shortly after he proved he wasn’t bankable on his own in films like The Circle and Detroit. His blockbuster status returned in 2017 with Star Wars: The Last Jedi and now here we are in 2018. Hoping to help prove Boyega has appeal outside of Star Wars, the British actor latches on to another sci-fi franchise.
The thing is, I already can’t stand this guy. Not because he’s British, not because he’s just a defective stormtrooper in Star Wars, and not because he won the Hollywood lottery and gets to star in two sci-fi franchises. No, this has 100% to do with him charging $200 per autograph at Washington, DC Comic Con on Easter weekend. I’m not able to go to the DC Comic Con because of the holiday but, still, nobody else is charging over $80 and this newbie acts like Star Wars’ success is his doing. Sure, the timing of his films and the Con make him one of “this week’s” biggest stars but, let’s be honest, he’s just a stormtrooper with no successes outside of Star Wars. Almost triple the cost of the next most expensive autograph is unacceptable. Maybe watching Boyega in a small sci-fi film from his humble past will help warm us back up to him.
#3) THE LONGEST RIDE (2015)
In Pacific Rim, we had the stellar Idris Elba as our second lead. In Uprising, we have Scott Eastwood. Oh, God, no. Eastwood is the son of Hollywood heavyweight Clint Eastwood. Oh, I’m sure Scott “earned” his place in Tinseltown but, just for funs sake, let’s look at his career. His first film was 2006’s Flags of our Fathers (directed by daddy), then 2008’s Gran Torino (also daddy’s), 2009’s Invictus (daddy’s) and 2012’s Trouble with the Curve (yup, daddy’s). Only after Scott was forced on us did he get other roles: 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D and 2014’s Fury.
2015 was the first time I remember really seeing Scott. It was in a country cowboy version of a Nicholas Spark’s novel that also starred one of my new lady loves, Britt Robertson. I knew I was in for at least eye candy when I saw those two hotties on the poster. Except, the movie isn’t that great and I hate Hollywood kids that have it easy. After Longest Ride, Eastwood would then skyrocket to stardom with roles in 2016’s Suicide Squad and 2017’s Fate of the Furious. This easy insta-fame makes me hate Scott, which make we weary about Uprising. So here I am, all super excited a Pacific Rim sequel is happening and we have: a smaller budget (I imagine), smaller (and greedier and spoiled) stars, and a forced plot. Why am I excited again?
#4) POWER RANGERS (2017)
Having grown up on classics like 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla, I get excited any time a movie about monsters vs robots comes out. The genre has only gotten bigger and better over over the decades with special effects advancements renewing interest every few years. Case and point, Power Rangers was once a Japanese TV import in the 1990’s and got a High-Def Hollywood relaunch last year. Although it was entertaining, it was underrated and under-watched. The $100 million production opened to a strong $40 million, ended with a sad $85 million domestic and couldn’t crack $150 million worldwide. Both domestic numbers seem out of Uprising’s reach, though China contributed over $100 million to the first film. If they can save the sequel, then maybe we can get a trilogy enter that rights the wrongs of Uprisings poor casting choices.
#5) MONSTERS INC (2001)
It wouldn’t be very #TimesUp of me if I were not to at least consider the feelings of the other party here. Since the human counterparts of Uprising consist of two stars that don’t really deserve the Pacific Rim franchise, let’s focus on the monsters. They’re just so scary and horrific, and we should kill them all! Unless, of course, they are just nice people from another universe that utilize passageways to enter our world so they can transfer our laughter into energy. Yes, I’m describing the plot of Pixar’s classic monster movie. But did you really think every time a monster comes through the door they’re going to be the same relative height as us? It’s not their fault if they step on ant-sized people and trip over our cities. It is, however, our fault if the franchise dies because we didn’t support it. Though this sequel seems destined for some level of failure, I’d love to see the trilogy end on a higher, A-list note. Then again, every movie is destined for disappointment with Infinity War on the horizon. Only five weeks to go!!!
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