Krishna
This is the sequel (and second in what is probably going to be a series) in the Pacific Rim theme.
Interesting to see that John Boyega, of the Star Wars fame, establish himself as an actor to consider for Hollywood Sci Fi genre. In this movie too he has a meaty role. Nice.
He is a crook – the son of the Commander in the first move Stacker Pentacost but is disillusioned with the Jaegar troops and turns to unscrupulous trading and cheating to survive. When he goes hunting for the core that he can trade with a few of his accomplices, he realizes that it is he who is in a trap because the accomplices confront him with past cheating and he realizes also that they plan to dispose of him once the core is given to them. He finds the core missing but manages to evade his co-cheaters turned enemies and goes after the core stealer, who just happened (Oh, year, right, you say?) to be running away with the prize. He catches up with her – Amara Namani.
Both of them get caught and Jake’s past reputation as a superb pilot makes Mako Mori, the General Secretary (and Jake’s adopted sister – another Oh yeah, right, moment) offer them the way out of prison – by training new cadets in the new generaton Jaegars. (Oh, if you have seen neither of these movies, a Jaegar is a large exoskeleton you run (with two people in the first movie but a short little one invented by Amara needs only one person – rather like the exoskeleton in the Aliens movie but with more technological details).
There is a biker gang like girl called Vik among the cadets who hates Amara on site and there are the usual Hollywood training and rivalry scenes to keep the drama going.
The company in charge (Shao Corporation) sends two executives, including a research head, Newt Geizler. He is a brash, all-knowing type who keeps getting in the way until a twist makes him worth paying close attention to.
There is a lot of drama where the breach that sealed in the Kaijus are released, the new exoskeletons are now operated by Kaiju brains and therefore their own weapons are turned against them, a lot of heroics by the good band.
Mako dies (not a huge suspense, so I can reveal it) and despite being kicked out of the Jaeger pilot force Amana manages to save the day (would you believe it) using her tiny one person Jaegar that she herself built.
Interesting stuff, worth watching. But spectacular? No!
6/10
– – Krishna