How much do films change in the last moments before launch? For some of them quite a bit. For others, it is the last few tweaks that shed light on setting, straighten out confusing subplots, and bring audiences up to speed on back story. For Pacific Rim Uprising, the last few moments before launch were spent creating a montage.
In an interview with Collider, director Steven S. DeKnight talks about Uprising’s test screenings and how the feedback they compiled completely changed the final cut of the film. Guillermo del Toro is a master storyteller, but in 2013 he strove to bring giant monster movies back to center stage. The end result was a film unlike any other, and it realized every young kids wet dream: Giant robots beating the hell out of giant monsters. Del Toro’s film did a fantastic job creating a completely new world with an in-depth mythology.
The problem, comes in when test audiences sat down to watch Pacific Rim Uprising. The first film hit theaters 4 years ago, and that’s a long time to remember the events of the film:
“When we tested the movie, one of the biggest comments we got was, ‘I don’t know where I am in the world. I liked the first movie, but I saw it five years ago. I don’t really remember it.’ So we talked about just doing a crawl, words on-screen. But we thought, ‘Yeah, I think we can do better than that.’ So we came up with an idea of a fun introduction to Jake and his life, so we ended up doing that as additional photography.”
Another small scene was added to show John Boyega and Scott Eastwood in the kitchen. This scene served to show that although the characters are competitive and hostile towards each other, they do have respect as well:
“We felt like their characters never really got a chance to explore their relationship and show that. Although they were butting heads, they still cared about each other. They were old friends. But they still needed something there, because without it, it was just two guys bickering with each other.”
So, where will Pacific Rim go next? In another short interview with Cinema Blend, the director thinks he has an idea:
“I can’t give any details, but yes, I have a very clear idea [for the future]. When we were developing Uprising I was constantly jotting down notes about what I would want to do for the next movie. So I have a very, very rough outline of what that movie would be. And the plan was always to do the third installment, and then at the end of that movie expand the universe to a Star Wars/Star Trek-style [franchise] where it could go in many different directions. Different stories, main canon, side stories, standalones, the whole thing.”
Critical reviews are pretty bad for the film, but it garnered $150 million at the box office in its first weekend, so it is possible for Pacific Rim Uprising to still be a success.
