Pacific Rim: Uprising Review - 3 Ups & 7 Downs

5. Steven S. DeKnight's Mediocre Direction

Pacific Rim Uprising
Universal

Guillermo del Toro was always going to leave a huge void when he opted not to return for this sequel, and it certainly didn't help that Universal opted to hire TV director Steven S. DeKnight (Smallville, Daredevil) as his replacement.

Uprising is DeKnight's feature film debut and it really shows, for though he ably replicates the basic aesthetic of del Toro's movie, the shot selections are nowhere near as artful or imaginative.

The editing also really suffers in parts: much of the action feels more clumsily-assembled than it should, and there are numerous moments where over-the-shoulder dialogue is out of sync, having presumably been re-dubbed in post.

Giving DeKnight a $150+ million movie right out of the gate was a terrible idea, especially considering how many tentpole filmmakers would've jumped at the chance to direct this.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.