PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING... time to take control of your life

What could be deeper and insightful about big robots kicking their asses and fighting to each other in a big scale, meaning that cities will be destroyed and lots of people might die in the process but hey!, it's a blockbuster spectacle where we get to see amazing FX and make our childhood biggest dreams where our robot toys where fighting monsters until one of them will ended breaking apart. But definitely still can't find anything deep, life changing, up to a philosophical conversation to bring up to the table about all that boy's fantasy, but just that nostalgia of actually seeing those fights come alive in the big screen. So, following the events of the the original film, that was conceived by director Guillermo del Toro and his affection for monsters as a way to explain and explore more of the human condition, but not even that first entry was a beloved gem for the critics, and neither the box office was a success, but did enough in it's run internationally that the studio decided to green light a sequel in hopes of repeat a global success and make more money about it, but again, seems like there is nothing artistic or meaningful behind the idea of continuing this saga where the world was under attacked of an alien invasion that was coming from a rupture in the Pacific Ocean that was connecting to different worlds, making us the target for a alien species to become extinct and maybe use our natural resources or just erase us from the map as an entire species. But while the first movie explores topics such as courage, and overcome your fears and ghosts from the past in order to fight and win your personal battles, it didn't go very deep into this as was using the big scale fights as a metaphor to this process for the humans trying to win a war.

The fact that the movie industry is dying because of the rising of TV as a prime option for everybody, while ticket prices keep increasing making it far from an affordable entertainment for families anymore, desperate measures had been taken, pushing the studios to hold into any option that can bring some cash to the table, and they will milk that cow until there is nothing left, proving that movies had moved from being an art to a mere business where any idea able to been sold to the audience and make a profit is welcome, no matter how bad it will turn or the lack of an actual story of good writing is but wrapped it up in a shiny presentation for those just willing to put their brain on the side and kill some time because at this point not even well done FX are game changers, as we've seen great stories along the most innovated visuals. With the excuse of using the big screen as a must see for this kind of epic battles, an immersing experience for anyone at the theaters rather than your living room, makes this kind of blockbusters the only survivors to this Hollywood crisis, so every studio is fighting hard to find a franchise to develop and patent as their signature to keep going on business. There are no more Hollywood celebrities able to attract audiences to the movies, things have changed where is the story and the franchise the one capable to stand up and make some business or be cursed to become a bomb. If you want to see a deep, emotional drama or a funny rom-com, people prefer to wait until available on demand and watch it comfortable at home. There motion picture events are dying but the few one still alive are taking all the gold.

So what can be said about a mere excuse become motion picture like "Pacific Rim: Uprising" (2018), a sequel that has more of Transformers and less of Pacific Rim, following the events of the original, where after ten years from the end of the war against the monsters, now the world seems to start getting back together, re building cities, but economies are crashing after spending all resources in trying to build big robots and survive an invasion, so way of life has change dramatically and also has people. After losing beloved ones or relatives, some people had to move on and figure out a new life without them, taking care of themselves, no matter how they lose them, but facing the fact that they are gone. And that is something we all can relate, specially these days when war has moved to our neighborhoods, and we might not feel safe anymore as we used to. So we have to evolve and learn how to survive. Being able to enjoy a life that is given by those who sacrificed themselves to get this opportunity but still living with ghosts from the past hunting us. With a cast that can't do much to show these emotions and trapped in cliched performances we move through the story of a young man whose dad died as a hero to safe humanity but left him behind, turning him into a rebel boy that will try to leave breaking the rules of a system that has left nothing for him. Until his sister pushes him to join the army, where their father belong, just for a brief mission and then he can go back to be a runaway but obviously this will turn into him realizing how he belongs to this world and how capable he i to follow  his dad steps.

Indeed, very predictable and lack of originality, specially if we look at all the characters around them, a group of teenagers that are in training to be the pilots of these huge robots, and even they suck at it, by the time the monsters are back and will threat with destroy the world, again, they will leave up to the expectations in a blink of an eye. But if you not distracted by this, you might follow the journey of the main hero, while runs into another outcast, a young girl that has develop a talent to build her own robot by stealing all the pieces from war zones. She has been trying to survive but after losing all at war now her main concern is to be prepared for any future outcomes and protect herself as she couldn't before. The pain and grief of losing your family is hardly translated in the movie, even when it becomes the line to follow the story telling of this fantasy and the motivation of it's characters. Most of them are picking up the pieces from a fallen kingdom and a life that took everything from them shaping them into someone different from what they were supposed to be or maybe it has always been supposed to be this way, but we all know someone that has bee trough this struggle and fight of becoming independent and strong after losing all, and fighting others and some monsters that represent our worst nightmares is a fight that happens every day at home, school, work, and we just need to be prepared for it and knowing that sometimes we'll lose some battles in order to learn and grow and keep fighting and becoming stronger and stronger.

Sometimes we are born into this place that we didn't choose and when we are able to  realize it we just feel like we don't belong. So do we embrace our heritage and where we belong to or should we go out and find our own place in the world?Some people might choose the first option while others  might go for the second, meaning that there is no right answer to that but what fits you better. In here, we are able to witness how the main character has been running away from his destiny as by avoiding falling into everything that has to be with his gone father, but once he decides to give it a try, again, he realizes how much he belongs to this place and how deep this place grows on you. But it's not that easy, let's not forget this is a movie and not a very deep one so in real life it translates to a real journey where understanding and accepting where you come from will show you the path of who you are so anyone can understand itself and continue their quest in life but only by getting to that point of knowing we'd be able to see the reality hiding in us and be prepared for the real fight, the one against ourselves, those voices in our heads pulling us in different directions miss leaded by the voices of others turning it into a big messy fight. So if you looking to spend a fun time feeling like a kid again or bringing back your inner childhood while watching big robots destroying cities and fighting epic battles against other robots and colossal monsters that is worth watching in the big screen, here is an option for you but leave your expectations at home regarding a profound storytelling or complex characters or moving performances and you'll have a fun time at the movies in the new era of  unjustified franchises and sequels.