The original Pacific Rim was an absurd, goofy and dumb action movie about robots punching monsters in the face. Despite this ridiculous premise, the movie turned out to be a cut-above your standard blockbuster trash. The spectacle of huge monsters smacking each other around was counterbalanced with characters and developments that gave the film a hell of a lot of heart. Who could forget the likable personas of Mako Mori, Stacker Pentecost, Newton Geiszler or Hermann Gottlieb? Somehow, against all odds, a movie about punching monsters in the face turned out better than it had any right to be.
Pacific Rim: Uprising feels like a direct response to the success of the original. Instead of relying on the seemingly irreplaceable heroes of the original film, Uprising brings on a mostly original cast of characters to fill their void. Instead of trying to one-up the last film, it goes in an entirely new direction with its plot, themes, and characters. It expands on the universe of the original. It introduces an internal struggle and a hidden villain. Uprising, if anything, is trying to be different, while recapturing the feeling of the original.
In terms of the action, it succeeds. But, where’s the heart?
via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/review-pacific-rim-uprising-495642.phtml