Pacific Rim Uprising is a 2018 American science fiction film that was directed by Steven S. DeKnight (in his feature-film directorial debut), and written by DeKnight, Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder, and T. S. Nowlin. It is the direct sequel to the 2013 film “Pacific Rim”, with Guillermo del Toro, the director of the original, serving as a producer. The sequel stars John Boyega (also making his producer debut), as well as Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Adriana Arjona, and Zhang Jin, with Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, and Burn Gorman returning from the original film.

Set in the year 2035, ten years after the Battle of the Breach, former Jaeger pilot Jake Pentecost — son of Stacker Pentecost — makes a living by stealing and selling Jaeger parts on the black market in the Los Angeles area. After he tracks part of a disabled Jaeger’s power core to the secret workshop of fifteen year old Jaeger enthusiast Amara Namani, both are arrested by the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps after an altercation between Amara’s small, single-pilot Jaeger Scrapper and the Jaeger November Ajax. Jake’s adoptive sister and PPDC Secretary General Mako Mori gives Jake a choice between the prison or return to PPDC as an instructor with Amara as his recruit.

Principal photography began in November 2016 in Australia. The film was released in the United States on March 23, 2018, by Universal Pictures, in 2D, Real D 3D, IMAX 3D, and IMAX and has grossed approximately $290 million worldwide. It received mixed review from film critics, with some calling the film inferior to del Toro’s first film, criticizing the scope, pacing, story, as well as the absent characters from the previous film and underdeveloped new characters, while others praised the visual effects and performances of Boyega and Spaeny.

The Film Itself (3/5):

Giving audiences a very powerful, and satisfying robots vs kaiju thrills that we (and I really mean I) were looking for after the first film, Pacific Rim Uprising gives one hell of an experience. While it doesn’t really have much in terms of originality, this movie takes a lot of what the first film had in power and increases it exponentially. The story is one that I felt would be considered a great popcorn flick; something along the same lines as Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. Nothing really stood out with this movie, but let me tell you the experience was insane!

Picture Quality (5/5):

Despite being an upscaled, or “fake” 4K release, Pacific Rim Uprising looked absolutely stunning as it played out across my living room television. Everything from the scenes with the regular cast members to the ones that were obviously computer-generated, the flow of everything felt all that more natural, and the variety in colors absolutely popped. The utilization of Dolby Vision and HDR10 with this release gives its viewers an experience that allows for this release to be another centerpiece that should be welcomed into anyones collection.

Audio Quality (5/5):

Bundled with an English Dolby Atmos audio track, the 4K UHD release of Pacific Rim Uprising offers an an absolutely all out immersive experience for its viewers that are able to make use of the technology behind the track. Everything from the dialogue to the action sequences as they are carried out really do a number at letting the audience feel as if they’re sitting right there in the middle of everything.

The Packaging (3/5):

The 4K UHD release of Pacific Rim Uprising comes packaged in your standard two-disc 4K UHD amaray case. Within that case is the standard 4K copy of the film, as well as the standard Blu-ray copy of the film. The UHD copy of the movie has a piece of artwork that’s related to the film and is completely different from that of the case art, while the Blu-ray copy has no artwork at all outside of the standard release text. There are no DVD copies included with this release; however there is a digital copy redemption pamphlet for the various streaming options. There is also a slipcover that’s been made available during the original pressing of the release.

Special Features (4/5):

Pacific Rim Uprising on 4K UHD is not like your standard 4K UHD release. I say that because the 4K disc actually includes all of the same special features that have been provided on the included Blu-ray disc; but, in 4K resolution. The content that’s been provided offers a nice extendable look into the plot line, as well as some of the work that went into making this movie. Included with this release is:

Deleted Scenes With Audio Commentary By Director Steven DeKnight

Hall Of Heroes

Bridge To Uprising

Becoming Cadets

Unexpected Villain

Next Level Jaegers

And More!

Technical Specs:

Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)

HDR: Dolby Vision + HDR10

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Audio

English: Dolby Atmos

English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48 kHz, 24-bit)

French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish

Runtime

Original Film: 111 minutes

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I was really pleased with Pacific Rim Uprising. Sure, this movie isn’t your next cinematic masterpiece. But, this movie, very much like the first one is one that allows its audiences to sit back, enjoy some mindless action as the jaegers face off against the kaiju. The visuals of the 4K UHD release was absolutely fantastic with its utilization of Dolby Vision and HDR10 from beginning to end. The use of the Dolby Atmos audio track was absolutely the most perfect fit for this film; with its immersive experiences, anyone who is set up with an Atmos home theater system at home will truly appreciate the audible experience that this release offers. If you’re on the fence about grabbing this release for your collection, I would absolutely recommend checking it out. Especially if you have the first film in your collection. Pacific Rim Uprising will be available on 4K UHD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD beginning on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.

Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.