Pacific Rim came out at a time when the "Kaiju" genre in America was starting to wane into obscurity. Out of seemingly nowhere, Guillermo Del Terro released the spectacular half-giant robot, half-kaiju movie that was Pacific Rim and what a glorious time it was. It had an awesome story, well-written and likable characters and excellent action scenes that, while over the top, didn't come off as some wannabe Power Rangers knock-off.
Here we are 5 years later and Hollywood has turned what once was something I was looking forward to, into an abomination made for "mainstream" consumption. Del Terro, beyond being a producer on the film, did not write or direct Pacific Rim: Uprising and it shows. There's a major tonal shift in the film when compared to the first and for none of the right reasons. With an overall unlikable cast when compared to the original and sequel-bait for a continued series, it does everything that I'd hoped it wouldn't.
Possibly the most disgusting aspect of the movie is just how much Chinese advertising went into the film. Since this is a film that will have a huge Chinese market, the film is littered with pro-China messages, advertising and so-forth. It isn't unbearable, but the lack of discretion in these scenes is absolutely absurd and it's quite jarring to see this in a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters.
Pacific Rim Uprising may not be what I was hoping it would be, but it will make a shit ton of money and that's all that matters at the end of the day. If you're in the mood for something over the top and shamelessly unfaithful to the original film, then this movie may be for you. If you were hoping for something similar to the original in terms of story, characters and cinematography, I'm sorry to say, but the lowest common denominator was the prime target for this film.