Although John Boyega is a key player in the Star Wars universe, that’s hardly a franchise he can call his own. He’ll have a shot at owning his own blockbuster with Pacific Rim Uprising, a sequel to Guillermo Del Toro’s pricey but popular action flick. I’d argue the only real stars in these movies are the jaegers and the kaiju, but the latest trailer seeks to remind us that the humans are pretty badass, too.
The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in “Pacific Rim Uprising.”
John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (“The Fate of the Furious’” Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.
Pacific Rim Uprising opens March 23rd.
