Pacific Rim (the big general thread)

[Mac Daddy MM]

Just finished the series. So spoilers ahead...

So now, the pros:
- Loved the fact the series has a primary kaiju antagonist, something I felt the franchise as a whole was always missing. Copperhead might not be the franchise's destind Godzilla-level star, but it was nice to see a kaiju have more than one battle scene and call it a day.
- Loved the Apex kaiju/jaeger drone. Loved everything about it and I am SO GLAD they didn't just wipe Uprising from canon just because some people don't like it. This is a prime example of how to take even a low point of a story and revive it to stand out positively.
- Kaiju deisgns were great, for the most part. Nothing on the caliber of Otachi and Knifehead, but I liked them.
- None of the human cast were overly annoying or obnoxious, which is something I was surely expecting. The bad guy was a bad guy and the good guys were the good guys. There wasn't a need to dive any further than that right now. And thankfully they didn't. We got just enough to know about them, care and see how they're going to survive.
- The nods to the original movies and clearing up events that happened between the movies, like the fate of Herc Hansen.
- Atlas Destroyer... WITH A GOD DAMN SCORPION SPEAR WEAPON. Oh hell yeah.

And now the cons...

- The whole ending with The Boy turning into a kaiju felt too much like it was taken straight out of Attack on Titan. Could have used something else instead... Like using that awesome APEX more.
- Needs. More. Apex.

[UltramanGoji]

Uprising did so many things wrong.

- Militarization of the Jaegers, something GDT specifically wanted to avoid with the original film:

Del Toro, a self-described pacifist, avoided what he termed "car commercial aesthetics" or "army recruitment video aesthetics", and gave the characters Western ranks including "marshal" and "ranger" rather than military ranks such as "captain", "major" or "general". The director stated: "I avoided making any kind of message that says war is good. We have enough firepower in the world."

- The design philosophy of the Jaegers. GDT's original intentions were to make the Jaegers "feel big, powerful, and heroic, never toylike. [The Jaegers] look believable and their design echoes human anatomy but only to a point" [From the artbook]. The Jaegers in Uprising were not treated with the same distinctions. They're way more toyetic and overly-elegant in their motions and their designs are way too homogeneous. Each Jaeger in the original film had its own unique design elements that corresponded to its country of origin (another aspect that's disappointingly dropped in Uprising) and so each one is distinct enough from one another. This is partly the fault of John Boyega's role as a producer as he was openly critical of how the Jaegers operated in the original film.

- The treatment of the previous film's remaining characters. Nearly the entire cast is either written out or not acknowledged at all. The remaining characters range from bastardized arcs antithetical to their character in the first film or treated as narrative crutches for the uninteresting new characters to lean on for character development.

Unquestionably the most egregious offender with this is Mako. The most important character in the first film is treated as nothing more than a plot device in the sequel, killed unceremoniously before the second act. Barely given a role in the film and DeKnight has the balls to act like it had more importance than it seemed with her story continuing in the (never going to happen) third film.

Then of course, there's Newt. Him being a villain isn't even the sole issue. His entire character arc from the first film is reversed and the changes they make to him in Uprising are baffling, as if the writers didn't really understand the character at all or reference any of the material from Travis Beacham's writings. Newt's a rebellious, anti-authority character, part of his Drift imagery shows him participating in protests, he jokingly refers to Herc (and by extension PPDC command) as "fascists" during the final battle, and his general demeanor in the first film involves him skirting authority to prove his point about the kaiju being manufactured. So to have him end up "selling out" to a major corporation like Shao Industries feels extremely out of character, as if the writers simply needed someone to fulfill these roles and slapped a pre-existing character in there to save time on making a new one. And yeah, the villain angle with him sucks. Like others have said, GDT rewriting that portion out of the old PR2 treatment was a good decision. The fact Newt wasn't even given a redemption and was left strapped to a chair in a padlocked cell at the end of the film was even more of a slap in the fans' faces.

There's so much this film gets wrong, I haven't even talked about the friggin' kaiju for heaven's sake. The obnoxious retcon of the Precursor's motives, the lackadaisical treatment towards the Serizawa scale, etc. You could write a book on how badly Steven DeKnight and co. fucked up the Pacific Rim franchise with this film. It's absolutely one of the worst sequels I've ever seen.

[Anguirus]

I am in love with this series! A second season is greenlit, hopefully with more characters!

[master_of_monsters]

watched episode 1 this morning, loved every second of it

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Uprising did so many things wrong.

- Militarization of the Jaegers, something GDT specifically wanted to avoid with the original film:

Del Toro, a self-described pacifist, avoided what he termed "car commercial aesthetics" or "army recruitment video aesthetics", and gave the characters Western ranks including "marshal" and "ranger" rather than military ranks such as "captain", "major" or "general". The director stated: "I avoided making any kind of message that says war is good. We have enough firepower in the world."

- The design philosophy of the Jaegers. GDT's original intentions were to make the Jaegers "feel big, powerful, and heroic, never toylike. [The Jaegers] look believable and their design echoes human anatomy but only to a point" [From the artbook]. The Jaegers in Uprising were not treated with the same distinctions. They're way more toyetic and overly-elegant in their motions and their designs are way too homogeneous. Each Jaeger in the original film had its own unique design elements that corresponded to its country of origin (another aspect that's disappointingly dropped in Uprising) and so each one is distinct enough from one another. This is partly the fault of John Boyega's role as a producer as he was openly critical of how the Jaegers operated in the original film.

- The treatment of the previous film's remaining characters. Nearly the entire cast is either written out or not acknowledged at all. The remaining characters range from bastardized arcs antithetical to their character in the first film or treated as narrative crutches for the uninteresting new characters to lean on for character development.

Unquestionably the most egregious offender with this is Mako. The most important character in the first film is treated as nothing more than a plot device in the sequel, killed unceremoniously before the second act. Barely given a role in the film and DeKnight has the balls to act like it had more importance than it seemed with her story continuing in the (never going to happen) third film.

Then of course, there's Newt. Him being a villain isn't even the sole issue. His entire character arc from the first film is reversed and the changes they make to him in Uprising are baffling, as if the writers didn't really understand the character at all or reference any of the material from Travis Beacham's writings. Newt's a rebellious, anti-authority character, part of his Drift imagery shows him participating in protests, he jokingly refers to Herc (and by extension PPDC command) as "fascists" during the final battle, and his general demeanor in the first film involves him skirting authority to prove his point about the kaiju being manufactured. So to have him end up "selling out" to a major corporation like Shao Industries feels extremely out of character, as if the writers simply needed someone to fulfill these roles and slapped a pre-existing character in there to save time on making a new one. And yeah, the villain angle with him sucks. Like others have said, GDT rewriting that portion out of the old PR2 treatment was a good decision. The fact Newt wasn't even given a redemption and was left strapped to a chair in a padlocked cell at the end of the film was even more of a slap in the fans' faces.

There's so much this film gets wrong, I haven't even talked about the friggin' kaiju for heaven's sake. The obnoxious retcon of the Precursor's motives, the lackadaisical treatment towards the Serizawa scale, etc. You could write a book on how badly Steven DeKnight and co. skreeonked up the Pacific Rim franchise with this film. It's absolutely one of the worst sequels I've ever seen.

Brilliantly said UG. I find Uprising to be a prime example of a cash-grab, it comes off as a rushed sequel despite having five years to be developed. Like there was no heart behind it whatsoever. The militarization of the Jaegers especially were tasteless, hell if I remember correctly they practically had kids piloting them...


Thankfully on the other hand, The Black was a step in the right direction. Even if it's a short season, it took it's time and didn't throw every idea they had at us. The show had great stakes, I was rooting for the brother-sister duo with Altas Destroyer because man, were they underprepared. As I've told my friends, this is the first piece of Pacific Rim that I've actually got invested in, nothing against the first film, this show just felt a bit more unique with it's story.

[Anguirus]

I bought the making of book of Pacific Rim, skimming through it before class, I was surprised to see Trespasser named as "Axehead", I thought Axehead was the concept design?

[Cryptid_Liker]

I bought the making of book of Pacific Rim, skimming through it before class, I was surprised to see Trespasser named as "Axehead", I thought Axehead was the concept design?

There's an unused kaiju called Meathead. Maybe, that's what you're thinking about?

[NSZ]

I bought the making of book of Pacific Rim, skimming through it before class, I was surprised to see Trespasser named as "Axehead", I thought Axehead was the concept design?

Not all of the information in Man, Machines, & Monsters is accurate. Romeo Blue's overview uses the unused tripod concept and lists the incorrect names for its pilots, Cherno's listed as a Mark-4, and Mutavore's presented as Bladehead.

[Anguirus]

Ah, thanks for the info ya'll!
It's really cool seeing kaiju concept art. I wish the book went over the more obscure kaiju like Hardship and such, but still really cool!

[ConvergeTakedown]

I've read that the small, wolflike Kaiju are the same as the Rippers from Uprising. Is this true?

[Cryptid_Liker]

I've read that the small, wolflike Kaiju are the same as the Rippers from Uprising. Is this true?

No relation, same name.

[Anguirus]

I would love a live action show on Netflix. I know it'd probably cost too much, but still. I think that would be the next direction to go in if The Black is a hit.

[Voyager]

Finished PR:TB. Loved it so much, can’t wait for season 2.

[Major sssspielberg!]

I keep coming close to watching Uprising out of morbid curiosity but every time I see anyone talk about it I'm glad I haven't yet. Sounds like a total slap in the face to a movie that had so much heart.

[CyberZilla]

I keep coming close to watching Uprising out of morbid curiosity but every time I see anyone talk about it I'm glad I haven't yet. Sounds like a total slap in the face to a movie that had so much heart.

You’re right to avoid it.
The Black was decent though. Actually had characters I cared about.

[Major sssspielberg!]

I keep coming close to watching Uprising out of morbid curiosity but every time I see anyone talk about it I'm glad I haven't yet. Sounds like a total slap in the face to a movie that had so much heart.

You’re right to avoid it.
The Black was decent though. Actually had characters I cared about.

I gotta make time for The Black. I promised my friend I'd watch Mr. Robot, and my gf and I are starting The Wire.
Out of curiosity, was GDT involved in The Black at all?

[Cryptid_Liker]

I keep coming close to watching Uprising out of morbid curiosity but every time I see anyone talk about it I'm glad I haven't yet. Sounds like a total slap in the face to a movie that had so much heart.

You’re right to avoid it.
The Black was decent though. Actually had characters I cared about.

I gotta make time for The Black. I promised my friend I'd watch Mr. Robot, and my gf and I are starting The Wire.
Out of curiosity, was GDT involved in The Black at all?

Not that I know of.

[tbeasley]

There are only two movies and a 7 episode series so you might as well sit down and watch it all.

[Vakanai]

There are only two movies and a 7 episode series so you might as well sit down and watch it all.

Disagree. From everything I have ever read, if you liked the first movie you should not watch the second one.
So one movie and a 7 episode series, sure.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

I liked both but that's just me.