Pacific Rim : Uprising (dir. Steven S. DeKnight)

Not one, but two Transformers films have been produced in the interim between Guillermo Del Toro’s original monster vs robots adventure folly Pacific Rim and the inevitable sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising.

Michael Bay's Transformers series may have sent us into a cationic stupor with the increasingly forgettable destruction and treacherously poor dialogue, yet Del Toro's guilty pleasure summer hit - which was never calling out for a sequel - managed to subvert the tried and tested blockbuster formula, helped immensly by the recent Oscar winner's attention to detail and ability to construct a story which is enriched by his seasoned experience in sub-anime/creature feature mythology.

In that five year birth between the two films- which has seen Del Toro helm contrasting projects in the gothic romance Crimson Peak and more recently the Oscar winning The Shape of Water - he passed on the reins to TV Daredevil's Steven S. DeKnight for his first feature-film directorial effort and went on to make the aforementioned Best Picture winner. Therein lies the problem with this unnecessary and hyperbolic second outing; the dramatic flourishes which saw Del Toros human-piloted Jaeger robots pitted against sea-dwelling monsters is notable only by its absence - as this follow-up is drastically calling out for an auters touch to grapple it from the claws of mediocrity.

But it’s not just the directors chair which has had a revamp; gone are Idris Elba's General Stacker Pentecost, Charlie Hunman's Raleigh Becket and Ron Pearlman's Hannibal Chau; our ragtag group of misfits behind mankind’s greatest survival effort are no longer needed, so replacing them this time around are: Star Wars star John Boyega - as Jake Pentecost; the son of General Stacker; square-chinned Scott Eastwood's Nate Lambert and newcomer Cailee Spaeny as Amara Naman - a junkyard scavenger with a keen eye on the Jaeger machinery.

Yet the threat is still the same. Though it’s been ten years since the last Kaiju invasion- thwarted successfully by a government funded Avatar program which saw trained soldiers run their Jaeger counterparts -the Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC) still regularly train prospective cadets fearing further deep-sea intrusion. However, a Chinese company "Shao Corporations" suddenly introduces a drone-led Jaeger program - rendering trained pilots obsolete.

Unsurprisingly, our recently reunited instructor Jake - returning to the pilot academy after getting caught with a unlicensed Jaeger and choosing this over certain jail time - is against the recent technological advances, as are his no-nonsense drill sergeant Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) and fellow junkyard scoundrel Amara (Cailee Spaeny). Thankfully for our cadets however. things turn sour for our Asian cohorts when one their prospective drones turns rogue during a welcoming parade. and through a complicated plot device - the Kaiju's return; so Jake and his cadets must return to their Jaeger pods to protect the planet.

It took four people - including our trusty hack director - to muster up a script for this cash-hungry sequel. Though interestingly, none of them are versed in a sense of humor -or seemingly understand how to translate a sardonic wit into any of their characters. Boyega's Pentecost is dutifully self-aware and cocky, and his occasional cheekiness manifest itself in the odd quip that falls flat and tedious far too quickly. Additionally, the returning buffonery of cartoonish scientist duo Dr. Newton "Newt" Geiszler (Charlie day) and Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorma) are considerably less fun second time around, and a supporting role from returning Chinese superstar Rinko Kikuchi - whose Mako Mori was so terrific in the 2013 original- is far too brief all things considered.

By the time the explosive action sequences take full flight - which sees geographical locations such as Sydney, China, Tokyo and even a bizarre denouement on Mt.Fuji become the locations for the side-splitting violence - you’ve spent the last 95 minutes being bored senseless with the desperate attempts at dramatic weight, you care less about who’s hitting who or what’s going on than you do at counting the fleeting shots of tourist attractions. In Del Toro's premiere effort, there was. a seismic spectacle in the form of machine robots facing off against their creature feature adversaries, yet there was an undercurrent of intrigue within the mileu - helped immensely by Del Toro's attention to detail. Yet this time around, the visual spectacle is nothing if not incoherent- falling somewhere in between last years Power Rangers machination and Peter Berg's remarkably unremarkable disaster turkey "Battleship".

Our new cast are suitably talented - Boyega in particular has proven that he is a charismatic lead- with turns in Detroit and in Star Wars respectively. Here however, he’s not given the right material to work with and appears to be out of his depth. When the drama is attempting to emotionally manipulate you -in the form of a inspirational speech pre-battle -it veers shockingly close to a after school special. Additionally, Eastwood is shockingly underwritten and every time he’s on screen he is easier to mock than to dramatically engage with; and all of the supporting cast just get lost within the overarching self-importance DeKnight pitches the tone of the ensuing nonsense.

Seemingly existing merely to appease the Chinese market, DeKnights second outing is adolescent in its direction, plodding in its storytelling and shamefully underwhelming in its visual spectacle. Despite the studios courage in a hefty $150 million dollar budget, there's little here that you haven't seen before, and its gargantuan financial haul back in Asia for it's predecessor - surpassing the domestic haul and contributing dramatically to its success - are the only reason why this disappointing sequel is boring you into submission for two hours.

Rating 1/5.