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Pacific Rim: Uprising
Movie

Pacific Rim: Uprising

2018 • Unknown

Woke Score
5
out of 10

Plot

It has been ten years since The Battle of the Breach and the oceans are still, but restless. Vindicated by the victory at the Breach, the Jaeger program has evolved into the most powerful global defense force in human history. The PPDC now calls upon the best and brightest to rise up and become the next generation of heroes when the Kaiju threat returns.

Overall Series Review

Pacific Rim: Uprising trades the dark, weighty, character-focused tone of its predecessor for a bright, fast-paced, and youth-oriented action spectacle. The story focuses on Jake Pentecost, the son of the original hero, as he is drawn back into the Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) to train a new generation of pilots, which includes the teenage genius Amara Namani. The plot is a straightforward battle against new Kaiju and Jaegers, and the narrative prioritizes a diverse cast of heroes. A very young female character is instantly the most intelligent and capable technician and pilot, while a former primary female hero is removed from the plot early to advance the male lead's journey. The film’s greatest strengths lie in its visual effects and global scope, but it is hampered by poorly developed characters and a strong feeling of calculated representation in its ensemble.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics7/10

The film heavily features a diverse main and supporting cast in all positions of power, including a Black male lead, a Japanese female Secretary-General, and a Chinese female tech mogul, with one critic describing the ensemble as 'tokenly diverse'. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) cadet squad is a multi-racial team from around the world. The primary antagonist who initiates the second wave of attacks is a White male scientist whose mind is corrupted by the aliens, making a White male character the ultimate human villain.

Oikophobia2/10

The narrative centers on a global, unified defense force, the PPDC, whose mission is to protect all of humanity from the external, alien Kaiju threat. The plot encourages unity and cooperation to rebuild and defend human civilization. The main character’s arc is about honoring the heroic legacy of his deceased father. The film celebrates a global, unified human effort against chaos and external destruction.

Feminism7/10

Fifteen-year-old Amara Namani is instantly depicted as an unrivaled mechanical and piloting genius who single-handedly built a functioning Jaeger, establishing the 'Girl Boss' or 'Mary Sue' trope. Another female character, Liwen Shao, is portrayed as a powerful and highly competent CEO who initially threatens the Jaeger program but ultimately helps save the world. However, Mako Mori, a co-hero of the original film and now the Secretary-General of the PPDC, is killed off early to serve as motivation for the male protagonist's story arc.

LGBTQ+2/10

The core relationships follow a normative structure. The film does not center on alternative sexualities, gender ideology, or deconstructing the nuclear family as a theme. One minor subplot involves a shallow romantic joke where a female officer is simultaneously dating the two male leads, but this is a brief, private side-gag that does not lecture on sexual identity or gender theory.

Anti-Theism1/10

The movie is a high-tech science-fiction action film that is completely devoid of religious or anti-religious messaging. The conflict is purely military, technological, and existential against an alien enemy. Faith is neither presented as a source of strength nor is traditional religion targeted as the root of evil.