Pacific Rim: Uprising is the follow-up to the 2013 blockbuster Pacific Rim. It’s the year 2035, 10 years since we won the war against the Kaiju and closed the breach that threatened all life on Earth. Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of war hero Stacker Pentecost, is not interested in following in his father’s footsteps. He was a promising Jaeger pilot, but left the Pan Pacific Defense Corp to live a less structured life. Now he spends his days squatting in a mansion, partying, and illegally scavenging for Jaeger parts to sell on the black market. One day, while in a scrapyard, he crosses paths with Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), a plucky 15-year-old hacker who has managed to build herself a small Jaeger out of parts she scavenged. When the PPDC arrives, the two try to escape, but Amara’s small Scrapper proves no match for the massive 270-foot tall November Ajax. Jake and Amara are thrown in jail, but Jake’s adoptive sister, PPDC Secretary General Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), makes a deal, offering Jake the choice between prison and returning to the PPDC as an instructor to train the next generation of cadets, including new recruit Amara. Jake reluctantly agrees.

When Jake arrives at the Shatterdome, he is reunited with his former Jaeger co-pilot Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood). He learns that the Shao Corporation, headed by tech billionaire Liwen Shao (Tian Jing), is planning to make the current Jaeger pilot program obsolete by introducing a line of remote controlled Jaeger drones. Shao has been working with Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day)—another hero of the Battle of the Breach—who left the PPDC to join the more lucrative private sector. During the final assessment/demonstration of the drone program, the PPDC comes under attack by rogue Jaeger Obsidian Fury, who brings death and destruction. As scientist Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) and the rest of the PPDC anxiously try to figure out who orchestrated the attack, everyone starts to fear that the Kaiju may have returned. Jake and Nate must now give their cadets a crash course to get them ready to pilot the Jaegers, which may once again be humanity’s only hope.

Pacific Rim: Uprising is a solid follow-up to the original film, keeping much of what made the first film so great—giant mechanical robots fighting equally-massive monsters—while also amping up the action and drama, and adding moments of levity and comic-relief. Director Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus) has done an excellent job taking over the reigns from Guillermo del Toro. The Jaegers have seen some technological advances over the past 10 years, which means new weapons and some crazy new tricks. The fight sequences are really impressive. Much of the original film took place in the dark, which made it a little easier to hide any shortcomings, but this time around the mechs are fighting in broad daylight, and the result is even more impressive. While the stakes this time around don’t feel quite as high as in the first film, there is an interesting over-arching storyline, and a murder-mystery like vibe as the group tries to figure out who is controlling the rogue Jaeger, and what their ultimate goal is.

John Boyega makes a fun, charming lead, but I could see why some folks may complain that Jake was sort of retconned into the franchise—he was never mentioned in the first film—but that didn’t bother me at all. There are a handful of returning characters to help bridge this sequel to the original film, but, I wish there had been some explanation as to what happened to the original Jaeger pilots from the first movie, particularly Raleigh Becket. That said, I did like a lot of the new cadets introduced in this film, and I think the writers have done a really good job of quickly giving them each a unique personality and setting up some interesting dynamics and relationships between them.

Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release could be considered reference quality. The picture is abslutely stunning, and nearly flawless. There is so much detail in the faces of the characters and in the textures of the Jaegers, buildings, walls and clothing. Enabling Dolby Vision makes the colors really stand out—from the blue skies, to the solar flares, and the colorful readouts and holograms of the Jaeger control panels, all look beautiful. The Dolby Atmos audio track shines with the sounds of helicopters overhead, and the thunderous rumble of the Jaegers moving and clashing with one another. The audio track also does an excellent job of surrounding the viewer with the ambiance of the world, and the wonderful score. This 4K release also includes a lot of great bonus material—8 deleted scenes, about 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a director commentary—all of which can be found on both the 4K and the Blu-ray disc. The discs come packed in a standard HD keepcase with a cardboard slipcover, along with inserts for a 4K digital copy of the film as well as a bonus HD digital movie.

Note: Best Buy is also offering an exclusive version of the 4K Ultra HD release that also includes the 3D copy of the film. That is definitely the version to own if you have the ability to watch 3D at home. I originally saw this film in 3D at the theater, and it is just as impressive as the first film in that regard.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:50:44)

4K Ultra HD:

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Dolby Vision
• HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio, English Descriptive Video Service
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (for redemption deadline, see NBCUcodes.com):

• UHD Digital Copy
  The redemption site redirects to Movies Anywhere for redemption. The included digital copy redeems in 4K.
• Bonus Digital Movie (Redemption Deadline 9/16/2018)
  Additional bonus digital movie redeemable at www.upherewards.com. The list of available titles currently includes White Noise, Cat Run 2, Paul, Chronically Metropolitan, A Monster Calls and Seventh Son.

Extras:
All bonus features are included on both discs.

• Deleted Scenes (6:56)
  Collection of 8 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight. The director explains why each scene had to be cut…which is usually due to length. Play All, or select from “Alt. Party James Gunn”, “Amara Arrives at Shatterdome Part 1”, “Amara Arrives at Shatterdome Part 2”, “Amara Meets The Cadets”, “Jake & Nate Discuss Jake’s Return”, “Amara Meets Liwen”, “Newt and Alice”, and “Kaiju Brain From Fury”.
• Hall of Heroes (3:25)
  John Boyega (“Jake Pentecost”) takes viewers through each of the next generation of Jaegers, explaining their weapons and other enhancements made since the first film.
  
• Bridge to Uprising (4:39)
  The cast and director talk about how the world of the film has changed in the ten years since the events of the first movie. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, production artwork, and interviews with director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight, and stars John Boyega and Scott Eastwood (“Nathan Lambert”).
• The Underworld of Uprising (3:47)
  The cast and director talk about the state of the world, and what the characters are up to, at the start of the film, where they are living and scavenging in the coastal Relief Zones. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, production artwork, and interviews with director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight, and stars John Boyega and Cailee Spaeny (“Amara Namani”).
• Becoming Cadets (5:58)
  The cast talks about the Shatterdome, the cadets, how they became one big diverse family on and off set, and what physical and mental training the cadets and rangers went through. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with cast trainer/nutritionist Naomi Turvey, and stars John Boyega, Cailee Spaeny, Karan Brar (“Cadet Suresh”), Rahart Adams (“Cadet Tahima”), Ivanna Sakhno (“Cadet Victoria”), Levi Meaden (“Cadet Ilya”), Shyrley Rodriguez (“Cadet Renata”), Mackenyu (“Cadet Rydochi”), Lily Ji (“Cadet Meilin”), and Wesley Wong (“Cadet Jinhai”).
• Unexpected Villain (5:48)
  Director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight and stars Charlie Day (“Dr. Newton Gieszler”) and Burn Gorman (“Hermann Gottlieb”) talk about taking one of the original film’s heroes and turning him into the villain. Includes behind-the-scenes footage.
• Next Level Jaegers (5:08)
  The cast and crew discuss the technological advances made to the Jaegers over the 10 years since the first film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, production artwork, and interviews with director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight, producer Cale Boyter, production designer Stefan Dechant, visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang, and stars John Boyega, Levi Meaden, and Karan Brar.
• I Am Scrapper (2:42)
  Director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight and star Cailee Spaeny talk about Amara’s self-built Jaeger, “Scrapper”, it’s special abilities, and what it was like bringing the machine to life. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and production artwork.
• Going Mega (3:21)
  A look at the design and abilities of the three new Kaiju (and Mega Kaiju) fighting the PPDC this time around. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, production artwork, and interviews with director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight, visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang, and star Charlie Day.
• Secrets of Shao (3:14)
  Director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight, actress Tian Jing (“Shao Liwen”) and production designer Stefan Dechant talk about the Chinese billionaire tech industrialist/genius inventor Shao Liwen and the design of her Drone Jaegers. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and production artwork.
• Mako Returns (2:08)
  A loot at the return of the charachter of Mako Mori for the second film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with stars Rinko Kikuchi (“Mako Mori”) and John Boyega, director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight and producer Cale Boyter.
• Feature Commentary (1:50:44)
  Director/co-writer Steven S. DeKnight provides an entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film. He provides a lot of interesting production and behind-the-scenes stories about the cast, sets, filming locations, special effects and more. He also talks about his homages to Spielberg, and wanting to cut a scene that telegraphs the identity of the villain.

Final Thoughts:

Pacific Rim: Uprising is a solid sequel that should surely please fans of the original Pacific Rim. While much of the cast is new to this film, there are some returning characters to help bridge the two movies. The sequel expands on what made the first film so great by adding an interesting mystery, amping up the action, and adding some humor. Universal’s 4K UHD release is technically excellent, with amazing picture and sound, and a nice collection of bonus material. This release comes highly recommended, and for those with 3D playback ability, Best Buy’s exclusive 4K/3D combo release is a must own.