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CharlieDay PacificRimUprising.png

Charlie Day Looks Concerned In 'Pacific Rim Uprising'. Also: Laser Whips!

By Tori Preston | Film | January 24, 2018 |

By Tori Preston | Film | January 24, 2018 |


CharlieDay PacificRimUprising.png

Remember how the Jaeger pilots managed to seal that Kaiju breach thingy at the end of Pacific Rim? I didn’t — I literally just looked it up (all I can remember is the GIANT ROBOT MONSTER FIGHTS). Anyway, the Kaiju are back to destroying urban environments in Pacific Rim Uprising, necessitating a whole new generation of presumably “drift compatible” Jaeger pilots led by John Boyega (as the son of Idris Elba’s Stacker Pentecost, still one of the finest character names ever). Get a better look at the new robots/monsters mayhem in the latest trailer:

One of my favorite things from the original movie, that this one looks to be leaning on hard, is the idea that giant mecha robot warriors would be equipped with swords and, my favorite, goddamn laser whips (hey — if it was good enough for Kingsman: The Golden Circle…) instead of plasma cannons or something. Like, I get it. Individualized robots mean that there is hopefully one prepared for whatever Kaiju comes stomping in next. If all the robots have gun-arms and they’re facing a Kaiju that’s immune to bullets or whatever, then yeah — a sword would be handy. But let’s be real:

Robots with swords just look cool. That hero shot of the Jaegers at the end? Boring old gun-arms don’t compare to THAT level of toy-selling awesomeness.

Here’s the official synopsis, which seems to hint that the Kaiju will be different, and even worse this time around…

The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in Pacific Rim Uprising.

John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.

Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.

Pacific Rim Uprising is directed by Steven S. DeKnight (Netflix’s Daredevil, STARZ’s Spartacus) and also stars Jing Tian, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona and Charlie Day.


Pacific Rim Uprising opens March 23rd.