Movie Title: Pacific Rim: Uprising
First Watch / Repeat Viewing
Running Time: 1 hr. 51 min.
Rated: PG-13
Who did I watch with?: Stephie
Where did I watch it?: Home
Review:
Pacific Rim: Uprising introduces John Boyega as Jake Pentecost. Jake Pentecost is the son of Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) in the original movie. Jake is making a living by robbing decommissioned Jaeger parts from scrap yards. On one particular run he encounters Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny) who is building her own Jaeger and is more skilled in the art of thievery than Jake. Ultimately, they are captured and Jake and Amara are given a choice: rejoin the Jaeger corps or be thrown into prison. Jake reluctantly rejoins the corps.
Once reunited with his former comrades he reacquaints himself with Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) who holds a grudge, but takes Jake back into the fold. Amara has to contend with a group of raucous cadets that hold a grudge against her. A company has developed an automated Jaeger defense network should the Kaiju ever return. Dr Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) works for the company producing these Jaegers when suddenly there is a problem. A rogue Jaeger kills the head of the Jaeger corps. Jake and Nate must hunt it down, but when they find it they realize it contains a terrible secret that indicates that the Kaiju are going to return.
The action takes awhile to build up, but when it hits its stride it flows beautifully. John Boyega does a great job chewing the scenery and the other actors fill their roles well. The plot is straightforward and somewhat predictable, but this is not primarily a movie about plot. The action is great and there are some truly strange moments that made it interesting.
Verdict:
It is not as good as its predecessor, but it is still a solid romp in the giant monster driven world. See it.
Tomorrow’s Movie: Life of Pi (2012)
Movie Title: Life of Pi
First Watch / Repeat Viewing
Running Time: 2 hr. 7 min.
Rated: PG
Who did I watch with?: Zane
Where did I watch it?: Home
Review:
Life of Pi is set around a frame narrative. An adult Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) is discussing his life story with a writer played by Rafe Spall. The writer went to India to try and complete his latest novel which he ended up throwing in the trash. Along the way he met a local that told him the story of Pi Patel and that when the Canadian writer returned home he should contact him. Patel relates the story of his youth. He discusses being made fun of in school, his families zoo, and his first love all before taking ship for Canada.
The ship Pi is traveling on meets an unfortunate end resulting in a s shipwreck. His family is presumed dead and no one else survives the wreck. Pi is left alone on a boat with a group of animals. Ultimately, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker comes to dominate the boat. Pi needs to learn survival methods and how to cope with the presence of Richard Parker if he is going to survive. The scenery is beautiful and the story is allegorically rich if you allow yourself to look beyond the surface level of the story. Even the CGI is very well done.
Verdict:
Life of Pi is Cast Away. Instead of a guy on an island with a volleyball there is a man on a boat with a tiger. Insert some pseudo-religious crockery and you have Life of Pi which is not to say that it is bad. It is a beautiful movie with a charming story. See it.
Tomorrow’s Movie: Nashville (1975)
